Four maternal and newborn health leaders from Bangladesh, Cameroon, Liberia, and Nigeria have been selected as the inaugural Every Pregnancy Scholars and will join the Every Pregnancy delegation at the One Young World Summit 2026 in Cape Town.
Every Pregnancy today announced its four 2026 Scholars, recognizing their work to improve maternal and newborn health through innovation, frontline care, community leadership, and health systems strengthening.
The Scholars represent Bangladesh, Cameroon, Liberia, and Nigeria and are already addressing critical barriers affecting women and newborns in their communities. Through the Every Pregnancy Scholarship, they will join the coalition’s delegation at the One Young World Summit, taking place from November 3–6, 2026, in Cape Town, South Africa.
The One Young World Summit will bring together more than 2,200 young leaders from over 190 countries to exchange ideas and address global challenges, including the Future of Africa, gender-based violence, and peace and security. The Scholars’ work brings maternal and newborn health into these conversations while creating new opportunities for collaboration, visibility, and lasting impact.
The Every Pregnancy Scholarship reflects the coalition’s commitment to investing in leaders tackling some of the most pressing challenges in maternal and newborn health. Whether addressing the cost of care, strengthening health systems, supporting young mothers, or improving care in crisis-affected communities, the Scholars are developing practical, locally-led solutions that help more women and newborns survive and thrive.
“Across the world, talented leaders are already developing solutions that can make pregnancy and childbirth safer. Every Pregnancy exists to connect that expertise with the resources, relationships, and opportunities needed to strengthen its impact. We are proud to support these four Scholars and amplify their leadership on a global stage, because lasting change begins with the people closest to the challenges,” said Isra Chaker, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Every Pregnancy.
“We are extremely proud to partner with Every Pregnancy (EP) on this scholarship, led by One Young World Ambassador Isra Chaker, CEO of Every Pregnancy. The four Scholars embody the global collaboration at the heart of One Young World, demonstrating how young leaders can drive meaningful change in their communities and beyond,” said Ella Robertson, Managing Director of One Young World.
Together, the four Scholars represent the diverse leadership needed to advance safer pregnancies and childbirth, from financial innovation and frontline care to community-led solutions and stronger health systems. Three Scholars are advancing solutions across Africa and will bring valuable perspectives to the Summit’s focus on the continent’s future while building partnerships to strengthen their impact.
As part of the Every Pregnancy delegation, Founder and Chief Executive Officer Isra Chaker will deliver a keynote, lead an interactive session, and facilitate a leadership workshop exploring why proven maternal and newborn health solutions still fail to reach the women and babies who need them, and how stronger leadership and collaboration can help close that gap.
2026 Every Pregnancy Scholars
Deborah Kemi Olakunle | Nigeria
Fighting Financial Barriers – Deborah is a public health professional, social entrepreneur, and Founder and CEO of HealthVest. Through her PreggiCare Wallet, she helps women save for pregnancy and childbirth, earn interest on their savings, and access discounted maternal healthcare. Her mission is to ensure that no woman is denied maternal healthcare because she cannot afford it.
Tosi Jones Nkwain | Cameroon
Strengthening Care in Crisis – Tosi is a midwife, public health researcher, and Founder of Tosi’s Mother and Child Health Foundation. For more than seven years, he has worked to improve maternal and newborn care in underserved, hard-to-reach, and crisis-affected communities. His work strengthens emergency obstetric care through healthcare worker training, health systems strengthening, and digital innovation—ensuring women and newborns receive timely, effective care even where health systems are fragile.
Lela Precious Dolo | Liberia
Championing Young Mothers – Lela is a medical student, mother, and Co-Founder and Executive Director of Help a Mother and Newborn Initiative. She works with pregnant adolescents, young mothers, health workers, schools, and rural communities to advance birth preparedness, maternal health education, sexual and reproductive health information, mentorship, and pathways back to school. She is committed to protecting the health, dignity, and futures of young mothers and their babies.
Israt Jahan Shetu | Bangladesh
Strengthening Health Systems – Israt is a physician, public health professional, and Project Coordinator at the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh. She contributes to national initiatives addressing maternal and perinatal deaths, obstetric fistula, maternal nutrition, emergency reproductive healthcare, and gender-based violence. She has trained more than 770 healthcare professionals in maternal and child nutrition and emergency reproductive health—ensuring women and newborns receive safe, respectful, and high-quality care.
About Every Pregnancy
Every Pregnancy is a United States based global coalition of more than 65 organizations working to make pregnancy and childbirth safer. It connects philanthropy, evidence, technical expertise, and locally led partners so proven maternal and newborn health solutions reach more women and babies. Its vision is safe, respectful, and high quality care for every woman and every newborn.
About One Young World
One Young World is a global community for young leaders. Its annual Summit brings together leaders from more than 190 countries to exchange ideas, build relationships, and accelerate social impact. The 2026 Summit will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, from 3–6 November 2026.