In Chikombe Village, Malawi, 22-year-old Gelson is proving what’s possible when young people are trusted to lead. Through our Youth Empowerment Project, Gelson turned a dream into a thriving enterprise.
Before THP arrived, I dreamed of owning a bicycle but couldn’t make it happen. With the project’s support, I’ve realized that dream; I now proudly ride my own push bike.
When the Youth Empowerment Project reached his community, Gelson joined a local youth club and began training in agribusiness. Among the many skills he gained, it was soya production that resonated most. With 7.5 kg of certified soya seed and the knowledge to grow and manage his crop, Gelson cultivated 320 kg of soya on the same piece of land his parents had farmed unsuccessfully for years. With the income, he improved his family’s nutrition, bought a bicycle to ease transport to markets and clinics and paid school fees for his younger sister. His next goal: a motorbike and a home for his parents.
What makes Gelson’s story even more remarkable is what it represents: a shift in community mindset. Traditionally, young people are rarely entrusted with land; they are expected to serve as laborers under the authority of elders. Through the Youth Empowerment Project, however, community members began to recognize that youth—when given the tools and opportunity—can be effective stewards of land and leaders in agriculture.
Gelson’s choice to grow soya, a high-value crop, instead of maize marked a shift from subsistence to agribusiness. His willingness to try something new reflects the progressive mindset of many young people today. Where previous generations saw survival, Gelson saw opportunity.
At The Hunger Project, we see this potential in youth everywhere. Gelson’s journey is just one of many stories emerging from our Youth Empowerment Project—where we work with young people aged 18 to 35, with a special focus on school dropouts. Our goal is to empower youth economically through farming and entrepreneurship—encouraging them to view agriculture as a business, not a fallback.
Reimagining Food Systems through Youth Leadership
We live on a planet that can produce enough food for everyone, yet hunger and poverty persist, pushing millions to the brink of starvation. The systems designed to feed the world may have worked in the past, but they are no longer delivering on the promise of ending hunger.
“We need to review the system we’ve created to feed our planet. They may have worked in the past, but they are not achieving our goal of ending hunger,” says Rowlands Kaotcha, President and CEO of The Hunger Project. “It’s time to shift our mindset and invest in building resilient communities and local food systems.”
We believe that young people must be at the heart of this shift.
Youth aged 15 to 24 currently represent 16% of the global population, according to the United Nations. That’s more than 1.2 billion young people worldwide—and yet their power to shape the future of food is often overlooked. The food sector is already the single largest source of employment for young people globally. With the right support, youth are not just participants in the food system—they are poised to be its most transformative force.
Our work in Malawi proves that when we invest in young people, they rise. Through training in high-value crops, access to finance and land, support for youth-led cooperatives, and vocational and entrepreneurship workshops, we’re seeing youth take the lead. They are establishing agricultural enterprises, launching food-related ventures, and introducing climate-smart and sustainable innovations into their communities.
Gelson’s story is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we center youth in our strategies to end hunger. He is not the exception—he is the future. At The Hunger Project, we’re committed to walking alongside young leaders like Gelson as they build thriving, equitable, and sustainable food systems from the ground up.
Image credit (top to bottom): Malawi, 2025 © The Hunger Project