ABOUT THE FOUNDER - Melvine Praxides Ouyo (MPA, MPH, BScN).
Background Statement
Melvine Praxides Ouyo, Founder and Executive Director of the Hope for Kenya Slum Adolescents Initiative (HKSAI), is a seasoned Public Health and Policy expert with two decades of experience advancing reproductive health, education, and gender equity across Kenya and beyond.
HKSAI is a nonprofit humanitarian organization committed to transforming the lives of low-income adolescent girls in Kenya’s urban slums. Through strategic investments in education, health services, vocational and life skills training, and employment pathways, HKSAI empowers girls to break cycles of poverty and realize their full potential.
Melvine’s journey—started from a small village in Busia County, on the western border of Kenya, to becoming a global voice for reproductive rights and education reform—reflects the very impact HKSAI strives to achieve: building pathways of hope and opportunity for the most vulnerable. Under her leadership, HKSAI has become a trusted grassroots partner advancing sustainable development, gender equality, and youth empowerment.
Early Life and Motivation
Growing up, Melvine witnessed the harsh realities faced by young girls in her community—many dropping out of school due to teenage pregnancies, struggling to gain financial independence, and enduring systemic barriers to opportunity. Born to a 16-year-old mother in rural western Kenya, Melvine experienced firsthand the challenges girls face, including sexual and gender-based violence, female genital mutilation (FGM), early and forced marriages, and lack of access to quality education.
These lived experiences deeply shaped her commitment to social justice and inspired her lifelong mission to uplift and empower vulnerable girls and women in Kenya’s informal settlements. Motivated by a desire to break generational cycles of poverty and inequality, Melvine pursued a career in public health and policy administration, working directly with marginalized communities. Her work focuses on advancing health policy reforms, expanding access to sexual and reproductive health services, and championing women’s rights and empowerment at the grassroots and policy levels.
Education and Advocacy
Melvine holds a Mid-Career Master’s in Public Administration (MC/MPA) from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government (2019) and a Master’s in Public Health from Kenyatta University. While at Harvard, she honed her leadership and policy skills, equipping herself to drive public health reforms, champion social justice, and advocate for marginalized populations at both local and global levels.
Her leadership and passion are rooted not only in personal experience and professional expertise but also in direct encounters with the consequences of inequitable health systems. One defining moment was witnessing a woman endure 48 hours of labor without proper care, only to lose her life in an ambulance that ran out of fuel en route to the referral hospital. Such tragedies are far too common, and they solidified Melvine’s commitment to be a voice for the most vulnerable women and girls—those whose health, dignity, and lives are often overlooked.
In addition to her grassroots leadership, Melvine has contributed significantly to national and global advocacy efforts. She has served as a consultant for the Population Connection Action Fund, advancing reproductive health and rights through policy engagement and strategic outreach. In recognition of her impact, she was appointed to the Board of Directors of Population Connection, where she currently serves as Vice Chair.
Melvine also lends her expertise to several community-based and youth-focused organizations. She is a Board Member of Stretchers Youth Organization, Wanawake Bomba SACCO, and serves as Vice Chair of The Marachi Foundation. Through these leadership roles, she continues to shape community development initiatives and reproductive health policy, ensuring that the lived experiences of marginalized populations, particularly women and girls, inform both local and global health agendas.
Founding HKSAI
In 2018, Melvine founded the Hope for Kenya Slum Adolescents Initiative (HKSAI) to uplift adolescent girls and young women in Kenya’s informal settlements through access to education, health services, and socioeconomic opportunities.
HKSAI delivers a comprehensive suite of programs, including academic scholarships, vocational skills training, mentorship, life skills development, reproductive health education, and referral for health services. These initiatives are designed to break the cycle of poverty and equip young people with the tools they need to lead independent, healthy, and dignified lives.
Through its social enterprise program, HKSAI also fosters financial empowerment by supporting youth in building sustainable livelihoods, which ensures that girls and young women are educated and economically self-reliant and resilient.
HKSAI is staffed by a team of skilled professionals and community youth leaders who deliver high-impact programming across four counties: Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Uasin Gishu. The organization has partnered with county governments, schools, CSOs, and international NGOs to scale its programs. Its proven ability to mobilize communities, implement evidence-based interventions, and sustain partnerships makes HKSAI a strong and capable implementing partner for donor-funded initiatives focused on gender equity, adolescent health, and youth empowerment.
Impact and Global Recognition
Under Melvine’s visionary leadership, HKSAI has made measurable strides in improving the lives of adolescent girls and young women living in Kenya’s informal settlements. The organization’s programs have recorded increased school enrollment, reduced teenage pregnancy rates, and enhanced economic opportunities for its beneficiaries through vocational training and entrepreneurship support.
Melvine’s commitment to advancing youth empowerment and gender equality has earned national and international recognition. Her advocacy has helped elevate the voices of marginalized communities in global conversations on education, reproductive health, and women’s rights.
Today, HKSAI proudly shares numerous success stories of girls who have completed their education, gained life skills, and transitioned into stable employment or further training—testaments to the transformative power of investing in young women’s potential.
For more information about Melvine Praxides Ouyo and the Hope for Kenya Slum Adolescents Initiative, visit our official website: hopeksai.org
Despite this remarkable impact, including reduced teenage pregnancies, increased school enrolment, job and business empowerment, and improved economic outcomes, HKSAI currently operates under resource constraints, limiting its ability to reach more adolescent girls in need in slums. We are therefore reaching out to donors, funding partners, corporate sponsors, and aligned organizations to join hands with HKSAI in scaling programs and sustaining our impact to support the vulnerable.
HKSAI is a trusted grassroots partner with visionary leadership, a proven model, strong local networks, and a track record of measurable success. It's our fulfillment and happiness to give voice to the voiceless, turning pain into purpose and turning dreams into reality. It's more rewarding to see smiles return, dignity restored, and future rewritten, and that's the purpose-driven joy rooted in impact, love, dream, and legacy.
