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.
Read more about her story and be inspired
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, team lead, and state lead. In 2021, she founded Africa Upcycle Community to educate people about environmental issues, influence policies, and help communities respond to climate change.
Her Work and Impact
Through Africa Upcycle Community, Joy organises projects in African countries, particularly in communities affected by climate-related challenges. The organisation’s work covers waste management, climate education, corporate governance, community development, and WASH education. Its programmes teach people about environmental protection, encourage responsible waste disposal, and provide practical skills for reusing discarded materials.
Joy also works with women and young people, supporting them to acquire skills, participate in environmental projects, and contribute to decisions affecting their communities. Since 2019, she has reached over 60,000 people through her programmes and engagements. Her goal is to reach another 4,000 people by 2027. Beyond community projects, she works with policymakers and other stakeholders to encourage governments to consider the experiences of communities most affected by climate change when developing policies.
Her Achievemnents
Joy has been consulted on climate policy discussions involving three European governments, contributing perspectives from the Global South to parliamentary engagements. She has also worked with international organisations, including UNESCO, on issues relating to climate change and youth participation. She is one of 24 UNESCO Global Youth Trainers and currently serves on the advisory team of the UNESCO Youth Climate Action Network. As a public speaker, she has received more than 30 invitations to speak at events across five continents, where she discusses climate policy, environmental protection, and the role of young people in addressing climate change. Through these opportunities, she has brought attention to the challenges faced by communities with limited access to clean water, inadequate waste management systems, and other environmental problems.
Challenges and Lessons Learned
One of the biggest challenges Joy faces is funding. Running community projects requires resources, and securing enough funding to implement and expand programmes remains difficult. To address this, she regularly applies for grants and approaches potential partners to support the organisation’s activities. Another challenge is the exclusion of young people from climate policy discussions. Joy believes that young people should be consulted when governments make decisions about climate change, particularly because they will live with the long-term consequences of those decisions. To address this, she encourages young people to learn about their countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), monitor government commitments, and raise concerns when progress is inadequate. Language differences have also been a challenge when working in communities where people speak different languages. Her organisation works with interpreters to ensure that community members understand the information being shared and can participate in activities. These experiences have taught her the importance of seeking support, working with others, and finding practical ways to address the challenges that come with running a nonprofit organisation.
Future Plans
Joy plans to continue speaking about climate change, writing policy papers, and organising projects that support women, young people, and communities affected by environmental problems. She also wants to expand her organisation’s training programmes, particularly those that teach people how to turn waste materials into useful products and develop skills that could provide opportunities to earn an income. One of her upcoming projects is the Waste-to-Craft Train-the-Trainer Programme, scheduled for October 31, 2026. The programme will train participants in upcycling techniques and equip them to teach others. She hopes to continue working with governments, international organisations, and local communities to improve climate policies and create more opportunities for young people to participate in decisions about their future.
Her Advice To Young People
For young people who want to make a difference in their communities, Joy encourages them to keep learning, share their ideas, and take action wherever they can. Her advice is simple:
“Don’t stop dreaming, speaking and learning. Do what you can to change the world. It does count.”
Connect to Joy on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. You can be the next Opportunity Desk Young Person of the Month! All you have to do is get a friend to recommend your work or fill out the nomination form here. We want to use the platform to recognize and celebrate the efforts of amazing young people around the world. Oh! And you must be an active Opportunity Desk member, either as a fan, reader, or subscriber! Share!
Read about previous YPOMs here.
