Transforming the Care System: The Hidden Survivors
Hear from Ruth Wacuka, survivor leader, Pan-African youth advocate, and One Young World Ambassador, who is fully committed to ending violence against children and advancing justice for the most vulnerable. Drawing from lived experience, Ruth challenges harmful systems such as orphanages and orphanage trafficking, while pushing for legislation and policies that protect children and empower care leavers.
Speakers
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Ruth WacukaFounderRuth Wacuka
Founder
ACNA & Reroot AfricaRuth is a survivor leader and Pan-African youth advocate, passionate about ending violence against children and advancing justice for the most vulnerable, with expertise in youth-led advocacy, child care reforms, mental health, survivor-centred justice frameworks, and resourcing for youth leadership. Drawing from lived experience, she challenges harmful systems such as orphanages and orphanage trafficking, while pushing for legislation and policies that protect children and empower care leavers. She has been part of major movements and childcare reforms that have contributed to children being reunited with families. Ruth has influenced national policies in Kenya, contributed to reforms discussed at the African Union, and amplified survivor voices in global spaces including the UK Parliament and the United Nations General Assembly. She is the co-founder of the Association of Care Leavers Networks in Africa (ACNA), the first survivor-led Pan-African platform uniting young people who grew up in care across more than 10 countries, working to safeguard care leavers, strengthen youth-led advocacy, and ensure survivor leadership is recognised in Africa’s child care reform and development agendas. Ruth is also the founder of Reroot Africa, a movement dedicated to championing justice, identity, and belonging rooted in Africa’s heritage.