About us
Young Water Solutions is an international non-profit organization that aims to develop and support the potential of young people to contribute to universal water, sanitation hygiene and water resources management. We do so by empowering young leaders and entrepreneurs, providing them the tools to carry out water and sanitation projects and launch social businesses in their communities. We promote an integrated approach and support initiatives that address inter linked challenges such as climate change adaptation, reforestation, youth employment, gender equality and food security.
Based in Brussels, Young Water Solutions was co-founded in 2015 by 16 young and senior water professionals from 11 different countries
but with a common vision: a world where young people contribute to making access to clean water and sanitation an everyday reality for all people on Earth.
Our mission is to make an effective and scalable contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals, by empowering young people to implement water solutions in their communities. By 2030, we aspire to empower over 1,000 young leaders, including at least 500 young women, to implement water solutions in their communities so that at least 1,000,000 people can rely on clean water and sanitation and enjoy a life in dignity.
WHY WATER, WHY YOUTH?
Operational team

Antonella Vagliente
Co-Founder & Director General (HQ in Brussels)
Antonella was born and raised in Argentina. She has been implementing youth empowerment and water projects since she was 15 years old. She has a degree in Local and Regional Development and a Master of Integrated Water Management from the university of Queensland.

Miles Bell
Programme Officer (HQ in Brussels)
Miles holds an MSc in the Science and Governance of Water from King’s College London, where his research focused on community-based water resource management. He is the Water Security Editor at the Global Water Forum and has previously worked for consultancies and NGOs in international development, hydropower and water management.

Anna Chaumont
Programme Officer (HQ in Brussels)
Anna has a Public administration degree, a Business Management master as well as a Territorial Development and Change Management diploma oriented towards diagnosis, operational monitoring, evaluation and systematization of development projects. She has worked previously in NGOs, in the European commission and ONU agencies in project management, communication and programme performance evaluation and reporting.

Sheila Ruyondo
2019 YWF East Africa local coordinator (TuriKumwe - Uganda)
A Rwandan and Ugandan native, Sheila holds an LLB (Bachelor of Laws) from the Uganda Pentecostal University. She is the founder of the NGO Turi Kumwe, and has previously worked on policy analysis and process mapping to ensure more efficient gender mainstreaming. She has built her career in a variety of roles, ranging from WASH to international education, rule of law program design, and rural public health.

Francis Akotia
2020 YWF Côte d'Ivoire local coordinator (IncubIvoir - Côte d'Ivoire)
Francis holds a degree in International Trade and Supply Chain Management and defines himself as an actor for local development, specialising in social entrepreneurship. He has worked for numerous youth associations and is now a Project Manager at Incub'Ivoir, an incubator based in Abidjan, and coordinator of the YWF Côte d'Ivoire.

Marie Ange Diouf
2020 YWF Sénégal local coordinator (Concree - Sénégal)
With an MBA in Management from the Hokkaido University in Japan, Marie Ange is passionate about entrepreneurship and creating social impact businesses. She works with WASH entrepreneurs in her role at Concree, a Senegalese incubator supporting entrepreneurs to grow their businesses from ideas to scalable business model. Marie Ange is the coordinator of the first edition of YWF Senegal.

Camilla Lavino
Communications Intern (HQ in Brussels)
Camilla holds a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and has just finished her Msc in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Following her academic experience and her background in the public and non-profit sector, Camilla aspires to merge her passion about international development and communications.
Young Water Solutions members and Board

Bart Devos
Belgium, President

Joachim d’Eugenio
Germany, Board Member

Wasif Babar Bashir
Pakistan. Co-founding member

Susanne Reitsma
The Netherlands. Co-founding member

Joshua Newton
USA, Board member

Ilias Sawadogo
Burkina Faso, Vice President

Amna Omer
Sudan. Co-founding member

Arturo Martinez
Mexico. Co-founding member

Koffi Yameogo
Ivory Coast. Co-founding member
Arnaud Courtecuisse
France. Co-founding and associate member

Jo Van Cauwenberghe
Belgium, Board Member

Flamay Ahiafor
Togo. Co-founding member

Bart Devos
Belgium, President

Joachim d’Eugenio
Germany, Board Member

Joshua Newton
USA, Board member

Ilias Sawadogo
Burkina Faso, Vice President

Amna Omer
Sudan. Co-founding member

Arturo Martinez
Mexico. Co-founding member

Jo Van Cauwenberghe
Belgium, Board Member

Flamay Ahiafor
Togo. Co-founding member

Koffi Yameogo
Ivory Coast. Co-founding member

Wasif Babar Bashir
Pakistan. Co-founding member

Susanne Reitsma
The Netherlands. Co-founding member
