NEWS

ICU Student Receives the 2024 Diana Award

Update: December 20, 2024

Apollo Ssenyange, 4th-year student of the College of Liberal Arts at ICU, received the 2024 Diana Award for his initiatives in Uganda that are addressing pressing community issues like period poverty among school girls during menstruation. Established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, with support from both her sons, The Duke of Cambridge and The Duke of Sussex, the Diana Award is the most prestigious accolade a young person aged 9-25 years can receive for their social action or humanitarian work.

Apollo founded Signals from the Grassroots (SftG), a youth empowerment NGO with a global network of over 5,000 members from 54 countries, and is now a CEO. Through SftG, he implemented the 'Keep Her in School' project in Uganda, addressing period poverty and menstrual stigma. SftG distributed 2,000 reusable sanitary pads and antibacterial soaps to 1,000 girls in rural areas, enabling them to remain in school. With the support of 50 volunteers, SftG also conducted workshops and awareness campaigns to foster understanding and create a supportive environment for girls. In March next year, Apollo plans to launch another similar initiative called 'Her Period Her Right' to support women and girls displaced by conflicts and insecurities in Kenya's Kakuma Refugee Camp.

His speech at the virtual Diana Award Ceremony can be seen here.

Comments from the Student

Winning the Diana Award is a profound honor that reflects the collective effort at Signals from the Grassroots. Addressing period poverty is deeply personal to me; in 2018, while volunteering at a school deep in Uganda's villages, I witnessed how it forced many girls to drop out of school, yet I couldn't help at the time. Since then, it has remained on my mind, and I'm grateful to now be making a difference, supporting these girls' efforts of achieving their dreams. This award celebrates the resilience of young people driving change, and I dedicate it to every youth striving to make a difference.