Ayotomiwa Quadri Elesho

Ayotomiwa Elesho is a first-class graduate of Political Science from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and a recipient of the 2024 Diana Award - the highest accolade that a young person can receive for social impact or humanitarian work. He founded Homeless Not Hopeless Nigeria, a youth-led homelessness advocacy organization that has raised awareness of homelessness among nearly 10,000 Nigerians. Since founding the organization in May 2020, he has led advocacy and awareness marches, and engaged with public officials to help shape policies to address homelessness. He currently leads a team of 27 young people aged between 16 and 23 years old with whom he researches to better understand the Nigerian homelessness issue. A 2023 Millennium Fellow, Ayotomiwa has impacted over 900 students through substance abuse awareness campaigns in the Ibadan city of Nigeria. He has also spearheaded mental health awareness campaigns, reaching over 150 elderly citizens. In 2021, being one of the only two Nigerians selected for the 2021 Doha Debates Ambassador Program, he joined 35 other changemakers from 17 countries to discuss issues of global significance. He specifically discussed and proffered potential solutions to the global refugee crisis. His passion for change-making has influenced his interest in graduate studies in Public Policy as he seeks to understand how public policies can be used to better the lives of vulnerable populations. His long-term goal is to use his knowledge of public policies to help shape favourable policies for marginalized populations in his home country, Nigeria, where over 25 million citizens are currently homeless.