Shariffa Amolo Anguria, from Kenya, witnessed how the Covid-19 pandemic forced many young people in her village into unsafe gold-mining jobs, exposing them to mercury and cyanide while causing mass deforestation. Refusing to accept this future for her peers, she founded Gold 4 Climate Action, a youth-led initiative dedicated to raising awareness of the dangers of gold mining and championing sustainable alternatives. She also serves as an outreach officer with Rising to Greatness, a female-led community organization.

Shariffa was selected as part of the inaugural cohort of the Young Climate Prize, through which she attended The World Around’s Design Academy, a program of workshops designed to support and strengthen the ideas of emerging leaders. There, she received mentorship from Sámi artist Joar Nango and Daphne Lundi of Blackspace Collective, who helped guide her vision for community-based climate action.

Through her leadership, Shariffa is redefining what it means to protect both people and the environment in her village—turning local challenges into a platform for resilience, awareness, and hope for future generations.