Children Spotlight of the Week: Yola Mgogwana – South Africa’s Youngest Voice for Climate Justice

At just 11 years old, Yola Mgogwana stood before 2,000 people in Cape Town and declared, “Enough. We demand change now.” Today, at 16, she remains one of Africa’s youngest and boldest environmental advocates, mobilising children, challenging leaders, and demanding climate justice from the heart of her community in Khayelitsha, South Africa.

Her Story Begins with Awareness

Yola’s journey into activism began in 2019 through the Earthchild Project’s Eco-Warriors program. During a lesson on climate change and global warming, she discovered how the poverty and hardship her family and community faced were deeply connected to environmental injustice. That realisation sparked a personal mission.

“Since I now know, I will not keep quiet and sit down. I will spread awareness and educate people.”

From Personal Action to Public Advocacy

Yola started by planting vegetables, creating eco-bricks from waste, and monitoring water and electricity usage at her school. But she quickly realised that personal change wasn’t enough. Determined to make a wider impact, she joined the Earthchild Project, began organising school climate strikes, and became a passionate voice for systemic change.

At just 12, she addressed a high-level UNFPA symposium on gender, reproductive health, and climate resilience. She has consistently urged government officials to prioritise policies that protect vulnerable communities from the worsening effects of climate change.

“My age does not mean my views on the world are not valid. I’m marching, singing, and shouting for my right to a liveable future.”

Leading at the Grassroots

Yola also founded “Green Environment,” a community eco-club for children aged 6 to 9. They meet twice a week to learn about nature, do fun eco-friendly activities, and cultivate their own food gardens. Through this club, Yola nurtures a new generation of environmentally conscious young Africans.

She is also involved in the #CancelCoal campaign—a youth-led legal challenge, in collaboration with African Climate Alliance and other grassroots movements, aimed at halting the South African government’s plans to expand coal-fired energy production.

A Voice Rooted in Urgency

Living in Khayelitsha, where 70 percent of residents live in informal settlements, Yola knows that the effects of climate change are already devastating. Floods, extreme heat, and water shortages hit poor communities hardest, and her activism is rooted in that lived experience.

“When science says we have ten years to prevent catastrophe, it is not true for people like me. We are already experiencing the impact of climate change.”

A Vision for the Future

In ten years, Yola hopes to be working for the United Nations or serving as South Africa’s Minister of Environment. She dreams of a world where young people sit at decision-making tables and where environmental policies reflect the urgency communities like hers face daily.

“I want to celebrate our resilience and transformation. I want to see policies and funding that protect our environment, led by young people like me.”

Yola Mgogwana represents a new generation of African leaders—young, informed, courageous, and unafraid to demand justice. Her story is proof that children are not just victims of the climate crisis; they are powerful agents of change. In communities across the continent, she inspires others to speak up, take action, and reimagine the future.

This week, we honour Yola’s voice, her leadership, and her unwavering commitment to building a more just, sustainable world for all.