Joselyn Dumas

Back to the list
Back to the list Rights

Joselyn Dumas

The Influencer

In Ghana, where celebrity culture rules the zeitgeist, actress and TV personality Joselyn Dumas’s off-camera work arguably warrants more credit than her time on the screen. As the founder of her namesake Joselyn Canfor-Dumas Foundation, she works to advance children’s rights and tackle health and environmental challenges pervading her country, funding aid efforts ranging from improving hospital infrastructure to blood transfusions for sickle cell anemia to campaigns to raise awareness on plastic pollution.

With a daughter of her own, Dumas has a particularly vested interest in tackling gender-related taboos in her country, such as menstruation and “period poverty,” which exacerbates gender inequality in education and income levels, as well as youth empowerment – not only for the sake of their generation, but also for that of her own. She believes humanitarianism means contributing positively to society, even when no one is watching.

“I know that sounds so cliché to say children are the future,” she says. “But if you’re able to educate the child about the need to preserve the environment… they become a tool and a channel to educate adults. For me, that is the focus.”

Samantha Power

The Idealist

Ineza Umuhoza Grace

The Activist

Gloria Amor Paredes

The Advocate

Ndidi Nwuneli

The Transformer

Edilma Prada Céspedes

The Investigator

Eva Zabey

The Businesswoman

Annette Pensel

The Connector

Analí Bustos

The Steward

Julie Becker

The Inventor Finance

Inger Andersen

The Director Measuring Progress

Jyotsna Puri

The Evaluator Measuring Progress

Juma Xipaia

The Activist

Iryna Stavchuk

The Policymaker

Aster Gebrekirstos

The Scientist

Rekia Foudel

The Fundraiser