Global Citizens, Local Change

I spent my formative years in Nigeria – a country home to one of the largest populations of young people in the world. Growing up in a nation brimming with vibrant, yet often marginalised, youth, ignited a passion within me for global development. 

In Nigeria, India and many other emerging markets, most young people are facing poverty, exclusion and a lack of access to opportunities. Over time, my dedication has deepened as I have come to understand the importance, and urgency, of supporting this demographic with access to quality education, pathways to dignified jobs and the ability to live in safe and healthy ecosystems. 

While studying physics at university, I was drawn to Einstein’s philosophy, which has human possibility and fellowship at its heart: 

“How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people – first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy. A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving…”

• Albert Einstein, The World as I See It (1935)

I am ever grateful that very early in my career, as a junior portfolio manager in London, I came across EMpower – a foundation that seemed almost purpose built for Indian Diaspora, particularly for those working in finance. 

Founded in 2000 by a group of emerging market finance professionals from the US, UK, Hong Kong and Singapore, EMpower was created as a conduit to effectively give back to the countries and communities where they were investing. EMpower has grown from strength to strength – today, they support a portfolio of over 165 incredibly inspiring community-based organisations across 15 emerging market countries, all working to enable marginalised young people to transform their lives and communities. 

With the unclouded judgement one has in their twenties, I did not simply donate to EMpower – I made the decision to leave the for-profit sector and join them. 

My first observation in the nonprofit world was how many synergies exist between an impactful philanthropic approach and a solid investment philosophy. Underlying premises of EMpower’s model are tapping and nourishing the expertise of local leaders and young people, and the recognition that durable and ecosystem change takes years, patient capital and adaptive learning. 

What has taken me longer to understand and fully appreciate is the capital spectrum and the unique role that philanthropic capital must play. EMpower is committed to identifying hyper local organisations in low resource settings that are already doing incredible work and helping them scale – whether through increasing numbers served, deepening impact, expanding influence, or ensuring long term sustainability. In practice, we do this by providing long term cash grants, including funding for organisational development, as well as multiple fortifications such as, capacity enhancement and sector-wide learning.

For over 25 years, EMpower has operated at the intersection of finance and youth empowerment. As a member of the Indian Diaspora, I have not only had the privilege of witnessing generational transformation through the right kind of investments but also the power of ecosystems that make ‘home away from home’ liveable. This anchors my belief in what EMpower offers as a model of change, and being a resource mobiliser bridging the worlds of finance and social impact, I live with the optimism that the next big shift will be fuelled by my community of change-makers. This collaborative spirit and the tangible outcomes for countless young lives gives my life colour and purpose.

To learn more about EMpower’s impactful work and how you can join our global community of change-makers, please get in touch with me on hhemnani@empowerweb.org

About the Author

Henna Hemnani is the Development Director for Asia at EMpower – The Emerging Markets Foundation. Before EMpower, she worked as an assistant fund manager in asset management, is CFA and ESG certified and was a 2017 and 2018 finalist for Young Investment Women of the Year, Women in Investment Awards, Investment Week. She is a physics graduate. Born and raised in Nigeria, Indian by ethnicity.