Hendrina Kudhingililwa is a youth leader whose work centres on building organised, intentional spaces for young people to participate meaningfully in civic and community life. As president of the Tukwatha Youth Organization, she is focused on strengthening youth leadership through coordination, mentorship, and community-based engagement.
Her leadership reflects a growing recognition among young leaders that impact is sustained not by visibility alone, but by structure, accountability, and continuity.
Through her work, Hendrina contributes to shaping a generation of young people who understand leadership as service, responsibility, and long-term commitment.
Young Observer caught up with her to learn more about who she is and the vision behind TYO.
Q: Who is Hendrina Kudhingililwa beyond the title of President of the Tukwatha Youth Organization?
A: Beyond the formal title of President, I am a strategic architect of change and a deep observer of human potential. I am a person who possesses a mind that never truly rests; I am what many would call an “overthinker”, but I have learnt to harness that trait as a leadership strength. It allows me to anticipate challenges before they arrive and to see the intricate connections between social issues that others might overlook. I am a woman driven by a quiet but fierce conviction that the world is not broken but merely unfinished.
My identity is rooted in the belief that my voice is not just a tool for my own advancement but a megaphone for those who have been systematically silenced. I am a bridge-builder, a lifelong learner, and someone who refuses to accept “that is just how things are” as a valid answer.
Q: What experiences in your life made youth work feel personal rather than theoretical?
A: Youth work became personal the moment I recognised the devastating gap between brilliance and opportunity. Throughout my journey, I have consistently found myself in rooms with young, bright individuals who possessed world-changing ideas and profound insights into our society’s problems. However, I noticed a recurring, painful pattern: these young people had the vision, but they lacked the access to the corridors of power.
I have always been naturally outspoken, and I have always possessed the ability to navigate my way to leaders and decision-makers without struggle. But witnessing my peers, who were often more gifted or more knowledgeable than I, being barred from those same rooms because they lacked the “right” connections or the “right” pedigree made me realise that my access was an anomaly that needed to become the standard.
I realised that if the doors are locked for the majority of our youth, then the system is not just flawed; it is failing. This transformed my work from a career path into a moral obligation.
Q: Was there a specific moment or challenge that pushed you toward youth leadership?
A: The defining catalyst for my leadership was a profound human tragedy that stripped away any remaining illusions I had about the pace of change. I met a young mother on a bus who was cradling a child suffering from severe malnutrition. In that moment, I did what I could and offered immediate help. However, when she called me two days later to tell me that the baby had passed away, my entire perspective on leadership shifted. That moment taught me that while we sit in boardrooms discussing “youth development” and “theoretical frameworks”, there are real lives hanging in the balance. It taught me that bureaucracy has a human cost and that delays in leadership result in real-world deaths. I realised then that I could no longer be a spectator. I needed to lead an organisation that moved with the urgency of a crisis, because for the people we serve, it is a crisis every single day.
Q: What core problem or gap does Tukwatha Youth Organization exist to address?
A: Tukwatha Youth Organization exists to close the “Implementation and Access Gap”. There is no shortage of youth-focused policies or high-level speeches about the importance of young people, but there is a massive vacuum when it comes to the actual inclusion of youth in the execution of those policies. We exist to ensure that young people move from being the subjects of discussion to being the architects of the solution. We bridge the distance between the grassroots energy of the village and the high-level resources of the city, ensuring that talent is met with the opportunity it deserves.
Q: What assumptions about young people or youth leadership does Tukwatha intentionally challenge?
A: We intentionally challenge the patronising assumption that young people are merely “the leaders of tomorrow”. This narrative is often used to keep us in a perpetual state of waiting. At Tukwatha, we operate on the principle that we are the leaders of today. We challenge the idea that youth lack the discipline or the strategic depth to handle large-scale responsibility. We prove that our age is not a deficit of experience but a surplus of innovation and fresh perspective. We refuse to accept the idea that we must “wait our turn” while the world burns; we believe that if you are old enough to be affected by a problem, you are old enough to be part of the solution.
Q: What does meaningful youth empowerment look like to you in practice, not just in principle?
A: Meaningful empowerment is the transition from consultation to co-ownership. It is not enough to invite a young person to a meeting to take notes or to be the “youth face” on a panel.
True empowerment in practice looks like young people having the authority to manage budgets, the power to veto projects that do not serve their interests, and the seat at the head of the table where the final signature is required. It looks like an environment where a young person’s expertise is compensated fairly and where their leadership is not just “supported” but is actively followed by those in higher positions.
Q: How do you personally define leadership beyond holding a position or title?
A: I define leadership as the ability to act as a mirror and a catalyst. It is when you relate to young people in such a way that they see their own struggles, their own dignity, and their own potential reflected through your actions. A title is merely a piece of paper; true leadership is the trust that people place in you to translate their unspoken pain into actionable change. It is the courage to stand at the front when the wind is cold and to stay at the back when it is time to share the credit. If the people I serve do not see themselves in my decisions, then I am not leading; I am simply occupying space.
Q: What has been the most difficult leadership lesson you have learnt since becoming president?
A: The most difficult lesson has been the realisation that leadership is a profound sacrifice of the self. I have learnt that once you accept the mantle of leadership, your life is no longer entirely your own. Everything you do is about the people you serve. On the days when I am exhausted, when I feel I cannot continue, or when the weight of the responsibility feels suffocating, I have to remind myself that my fatigue is secondary to the mission. You have to show up for your people even when you cannot show up for yourself. I have learnt that leadership is the discipline of putting the collective “we” above the individual “I”, even when it hurts.
Q: Can you share a decision that did not unfold as expected, and what it taught you?
A: Early in my tenure, I made a decision to decentralise a major project, believing that total autonomy for every small group would lead to faster results. Instead, it led to a fragmentation of our vision and a loss of momentum. This taught me a vital lesson: while a leader must listen to everyone, they cannot outsource the final responsibility for the vision. It taught me the balance between being a collaborator and being a commander. I learnt that people do not just want a friend in a leader; they want a North Star. They need to know that someone has the clarity to make the final call when the path becomes foggy.
Q: What values guide your leadership, especially in moments of uncertainty or pressure?
A: My leadership is anchored by three non-negotiable values: integrity, radical transparency, and resilience. In moments of pressure, I do not look at what is popular; I look at what is right. I believe that a leader must be the same person in the dark that they are in the light. I am guided by the belief that if we lose our values in the pursuit of power, then we have already lost the battle. Even when the outcome is uncertain, I stay true to the mission of Tukwatha, ensuring that every move we make is one that we can stand by with our heads held high.
Q: How do you balance listening to peers with making tough decisions that may not be popular?
A: This is perhaps the most delicate part of my role. I listen intently because I value the collective wisdom of my peers, but I have learnt that leadership often requires you to see a horizon that others cannot yet perceive.
I have been fortunate to have a mentor who would often tell me, “Do not do this,” or “Do not say that,” and then follow it with, “One day you will understand.” In those moments, I was frustrated, but in the end, she was always right, and the clarity would eventually come. I have adopted this same philosophy. I make the tough, unpopular decisions with the quiet confidence that one day, when the results manifest, my peers will look back and say, “Now it makes sense.” I am willing to be misunderstood in the short term to ensure our survival in the long term.
Q: What does responsibility mean to you when working with people who are still finding their voice?
A: It means being a protector of their potential. When you work with people who are still finding their voice, your responsibility is to ensure that the world does not silence them before they have a chance to speak. It means speaking for them when they are not in the room but stepping aside the moment they enter it. It is about creating a “safety net” where they can practise their leadership, make mistakes, and grow without the fear of being destroyed by the systems around them. My responsibility is to be the scaffold that holds them up until they become the pillars that hold up the organisation.
Q: What misunderstandings do institutions or older leaders often have about youth-led organisations?
A: The greatest misunderstanding is the belief that youth-led organisations are driven by a desire for “vanity” or a simple “takeover”.
Older leaders often assume we are not ready for the complexities of governance or that we only want to be seen and heard for the sake of attention. This could not be further from the truth. We do not want to take over for the sake of ego; we want to collaborate because we recognise that the current systems are outdated. We are not just bringing “energy”; we are bringing digital literacy, modern ethics, and a level of agility that traditional institutions lack. We are not a threat to be managed; we are a resource to be integrated.
Q: Where do young people most often underestimate their own influence or capacity?
A: Young people consistently underestimate the sheer power of their numbers. We are the majority of the population, yet we often act as though we are a minority. We underestimate our collective economic power and our ability to shift national narratives through social coordination. Many young people wait for “permission” to lead, not realising that power is never given; it is taken through organised, consistent action. We have the capacity to stop and start entire industries, but we must first believe that we have the right to do so.
Q: What compromises are sometimes necessary to sustain youth initiatives, and which ones are non-negotiable for you?
A: I am willing to compromise on the “how”: the tactics, the timing, or the specific methods we use to reach a goal. I am willing to be patient with the process. However, I will never compromise on the “why”. The interests and the dignity of the youth are my absolute non-negotiables. I will never maintain a partnership with an institution that exploits young people for “youth-washing” or that asks us to betray our community for funding. If a contract requires us to silence our truth, I will cut off that contact without hesitation. Power is only useful if it serves the people; power that requires you to abandon your people is just a gilded cage.
Q: How has leading Tukwatha shaped or changed you as a person?
A: Leading Tukwatha has completely deconstructed my sense of individualism. It has transformed me into an “us, we, ours” person. I no longer view my personal success as an isolated achievement; I view it as a reflection of the organisation’s health. It has taught me that my greatest strength is not my own intelligence but my ability to empower the intelligence of those around me. It has made me more resilient, more patient, and more aware of the fact that I am part of a movement that is much larger than myself.
Q: What have you had to unlearn about yourself in this role?
A: I have had to unlearn the idea that I must have all the answers to be respected. As an overthinker, I used to feel that if I did not have a perfect solution ready at all times, I was failing as a leader. I have had to unlearn that perfectionism and replace it with the courage to be vulnerable. I have learnt that admitting when I am uncertain actually builds more trust with my team than pretending to be infallible. I had to unlearn the need for total control and learn the beauty of trust.
Q: How do you protect your well-being and stay grounded when the work becomes demanding?
A: I stay grounded by returning to the “roots” of why I started. When the high-level politics and the administrative burdens become too heavy, I go back to the community. I talk to the young people we serve. Seeing their faces and hearing their stories reminds me that the work is not about me; it is about them. I also protect my well-being by maintaining a small, sacred circle of people who knew me before I was “President Kudhingililwa”. They keep me humble, they allow me to be Hendrina, and they remind me that I am a human being before I am a leader.
Q: What kind of impact do you hope Tukwatha will have in the next five years beyond numbers or projects?
A: In the next five years, I want Tukwatha to have shifted the very culture of our nation. I want our impact to be measured by a change in the law and a change in the mindset of every government office. I want it to be unthinkable for a policy to be drafted without youth leadership at the centre of it. Beyond the projects, I want to leave behind a generation of young people who no longer feel like “outsiders” in their own country. I want to build a legacy of belonging.
Q: What kind of leader do you hope to grow into over time?
A: I hope to grow into a leader who is synonymous with servant-leadership. I want to be a leader who puts her people first, not just in words, but in every quiet, difficult decision I make. I want to be a visionary who does not just see the future but who has the practical “know-how” to build the road that gets us there. I want to be remembered as a leader who was powerful enough to change the system but humble enough to remember the mother on the bus.
Q: What would you say to a young person who wants to lead but doubts their readiness or ability?
A: I would tell them that you are ready right now, precisely because you have the heart to care. I do not believe anyone is ever born “ready” for the weight of leadership; you become ready by doing the work. Even when they call you “annoying”, or “too loud”, or “disruptive”, you must continue. Those labels are often just signs that you are challenging a system that is comfortable with the way things are. Do not wait for a title or a permission slip. Start where you are, with what you have. Assume the position of a leader through your actions, and the world will eventually have no choice but to recognise your authority. Start even when your hands are shaking.
