Founder - Mahika Halepete
Mahika Halepete is the founder and Executive Director of AYANA International (www.ayanainternational.org), a nonprofit initiative which she created to harness the power of youth innovation to solve global problems. She is passionate about creating sustainable solutions to issues stemming from global poverty and utilizing purposeful, human-centered design in developing nations.
STRATEGIC TEAM
Marisa Balades
Service and volunteer work are very important parts of Marisa's life. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, and being outdoors.
Fumika Hasegawa
Fumika is currently a high school senior from Edison, New Jersey, who enjoys drawing and playing volleyball. She wants to bring awareness to the potential of the youth around the world and feels "beyond grateful for the opportunity to work with an inspiring team of individuals here at AYANA".
Vanessa Turyatanga
Vanessa is proudly Ugandan and is passionate about educating and empowering youth. She is currently undertaking a Master's in Religious Studies in hopes of continuing on to teach and fulfilling that passion.