Joy Nwaeze from Nigeria is OD Young Person of the Month – November 2026

Meet Joy Nwaeze, a Nigerian climate policy advocate and corporate social responsibility expert working to improve how governments, organisations, and communities respond to climate change. Joy is the founder of Africa Upcycle Community, a nonprofit organisation that works on waste management, climate education, community development, and access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) education across Africa. Since 2019, her work has reached over 60,000 people.

Growing up, Joy experienced the challenges of living without access to clean water. Until she was about 19 years old, she had to fetch water and carry it on her head. She was also concerned about how people disposed of waste in her community, often throwing items on the ground without considering the effects on their health or surroundings. These experiences made her curious about environmental issues and what she could do to address them. In 2018, she began researching environmental issues and volunteering with nonprofit organisations. Her first major opportunity to lead a project came through a Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) service event, where she was allowed to develop and implement an idea of her own. She brought volunteers together to educate students about climate change and responsible waste management. During the event, she displayed a two-step skirt she had made from old newspapers to demonstrate how waste materials could be turned into useful items. She also donated materials to the host school to encourage students to practise recycling and upcycling. Her interest in turning discarded materials into creative artwork became the starting point for her work in environmental education. She subsequently took on leadership responsibilities with Rees Africa, serving in roles that included secretary,…