Stephannie Esther Sayo
23 | She / Her / HersRegion: East Africa
Country of Residence: Kenya
Expertise Areas:
Countering Anti-Rights Movements
LGBTQIA+ Rights
Youth Leadership / Equitable Youth Engagement
Bio
Stephannie is a lawyer, queer activist, intersectional feminist, and trained youth leader from Kenya. As a legal professional, she has a keen interest in the rights of women and girls, with a special focus on the LGBTQIA+ community. She is skilled in leading youth-led engagements, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), human rights and climate justice, and championing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union Agenda 2063. Throughout her undergraduate studies, she engaged with various civil society spaces and built a network for community organizing. As an alum of the Kenya Model United Nations (KMUN), she was privileged to serve in different youth leadership positions, most recently in the partnerships docket during the 23rd Session. She has also engaged with the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission in various workshops and training opportunities, including the 6th Edition of their Because Womxn Annual Uzima Camp. In 2022, she was awarded the grand prize and best overall essay award for the Bodily Autonomy and Integrity Essay Writing Competition by the Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network. Other advocacy engagements she has been part of include collaborations with Equality Now, UN Women Kenya, Elite LBQ, Stand Up Shout Out, Arms to Lean On, Mwanzo Spaces, Anza Village, ALX Africa, among others. As part of the Emerging Leaders Program, Stephannie is looking forward to contributing to a paradigmatic norm shift by curating her own advocacy project and elevating the voices of sexual and gender minority youth in civil society spaces.
Stephannie is a lawyer, queer activist, intersectional feminist, and trained youth leader from Kenya. As a legal professional, she has a keen interest in the rights of women and girls, with a special focus on the LGBTQIA+ community. She is skilled in leading youth-led engagements, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), human rights and climate justice, and championing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union Agenda 2063. Throughout her undergraduate studies, she engaged with various civil society spaces and built a network for community organizing. As an alum of the Kenya Model United Nations (KMUN), she was privileged to serve in different youth leadership positions, most recently in the partnerships docket during the 23rd Session. She has also engaged with the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission in various workshops and training opportunities, including the 6th Edition of their Because Womxn Annual Uzima Camp. In 2022, she was awarded the grand prize and best overall essay award for the Bodily Autonomy and Integrity Essay Writing Competition by the Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network. Other advocacy engagements she has been part of include collaborations with Equality Now, UN Women Kenya, Elite LBQ, Stand Up Shout Out, Arms to Lean On, Mwanzo Spaces, Anza Village, ALX Africa, among others. As part of the Emerging Leaders Program, Stephannie is looking forward to contributing to a paradigmatic norm shift by curating her own advocacy project and elevating the voices of sexual and gender minority youth in civil society spaces.