OBAMA's latest

Hi there, Earlier this week, President Obama announced a new class of 105 Obama Foundation Leaders. These changemakers will join three 35-member regional cohorts representing Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe as part of our Obama Foundation Leaders program.  The 2023 class of Obama Leaders represent 75 nations and territories and are working on a wide range of issues, from addressing the climate crisis to advocating for refugee and disability rights.  I’m excited to introduce you to three of our Leaders today, and I hope you’ll check out all of our Leaders’ unique and compelling stories at obama.org/leaders and on Twitter and Instagram. Thokozile Nhlumayo, South Africa   Thokozile “Thoko” Nhlumayo is working to get young people involved in government across Africa. She founded the #NotTooYoungToLead Movement, which focuses on increasing the number of young people African governments have in office. She also serves as the Secretary General of the International Youth Parliament.   Thoko launched the LGBTQ+ Political Leaders Program in South Africa and Namibia, which seeks to achieve full equality for LGBTQ+ people by building, supporting, and advancing a diverse network of LGBTQ+ public leaders.  Thokozile’s own experience of being denied opportunities to hold public office due to her age and gender sparked her passion for advocating for the inclusion of young people in leadership roles. Kim Lim, Malaysia   Kim Lim is a co-founder and CEO of PichaEats, a humanitarian venture on a mission to serve great meals while helping Malaysian refugees rebuild their lives.  The organization identifies families who can cook, trains them to become professional chefs, assists with branding and marketing efforts, and coordinates the logistics so that the food can reach catering clients. Since its inception in 2016, PichaEats has collaborated with 35 chefs, catered 350,000 meals, and spurred 2.5 million Malaysian ringgit in profits for refugee families.  Kim is passionate about how social entrepreneurship can become a tool to alleviate poverty, provide access to quality education, and restore dignity.  Mihai Toader-Pasti, Romania   Mihai Toader-Pasti is working to create sustainable micro-communities across Romania through the organization he co-founded, IntreVecini. He also co-founded Romania's most-awarded sustainability non-profit, EFdeN, which connects students and young professionals with sustainability efforts.  Under his leadership, the EFdeN team designed and built two of the world's most sustainable homes and Europe's highest scoring certified green-building project. Mihai believes that sustainable dwellings are simply one component of a successful sustainability movement, and he also incorporates community engagement, nature, energy, culture, and the arts into his work. Throughout the Leaders program, Thokozile, Kim, Mihai, and their fellow Leaders will learn from and connect with each other and receive leadership training to help them make an even bigger impact. They will also gather with President Obama in Athens, Greece, to conclude their six-month leadership development journey, build cross-cohort connections, and graduate into the Obama Foundation Leadership Network, our community of global program alumni. To read more of our Leaders’ stories, visit obama.org/leaders and check out our Twitter and Instagram.  –Laura Laura Lucas Magnuson  Executive Vice President, Global Programs        Donate to empower rising leaders bringing hope to their communities. DONATE