Mohamed Amidu Koroma, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the West Africa Youth and Children’s Advocacy Network.
The recognition forms part of SereniMind’s July 2026 campaign, “The Child Behind the Smile: Every Behaviour Has a Story.”
Freetown, Sierra Leone — July 2026
As part of its July 2026 Africa-wide campaign, “The Child Behind the Smile: Every Behaviour Has a Story,” SereniMind has recognised Mohamed Amidu Koroma, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the West Africa Youth and Children’s Advocacy Network (WAYCAN), as its latest Champion Spotlight honouree.
The Champion Spotlight is a special part of the campaign created to celebrate individuals whose leadership, advocacy and service are helping to build safer, more supportive and more inclusive environments for children and young people across Africa.
SereniMind’s July campaign encourages parents, teachers, caregivers, communities and policymakers to look beyond a child’s visible behaviour and pay closer attention to the emotions, experiences and unmet needs that may lie beneath it.
Children do not always possess the words or confidence to explain fear, pressure, loneliness, exclusion or insecurity. These experiences may instead appear through silence, withdrawal, poor academic performance, anger or changes in behaviour.
The campaign’s central message is therefore simple: a child’s behaviour should not only be corrected; it should also be understood.
Since launching in July, the campaign has contributed to a growing continental conversation about children’s emotional wellbeing and the responsibility of adults and institutions to create spaces where children feel safe enough to communicate their experiences.
Celebrating Mohamed Amidu Koroma
Mohamed Amidu Koroma is a Sierra Leonean youth and children’s rights advocate and the Co-Founder and Executive Director of WAYCAN, a youth-led organisation working to advance the rights, welfare and development of children and young people across West Africa.
Through grassroots engagement, community mobilisation and advocacy, WAYCAN seeks to address some of the social, educational and economic challenges affecting young people while promoting youth participation, leadership and sustainable development.
A significant part of the organisation’s work focuses on children and young people who face marginalisation, statelessness or difficulties accessing legal identity.
For many children, the absence of a birth certificate or recognised nationality is not simply an administrative problem. It can prevent them from accessing education, healthcare, social protection and other essential opportunities.
It can also affect a child’s sense of identity, safety and belonging.
WAYCAN’s involvement in the Global Alliance to End Statelessness reflects its commitment to ensuring that the experiences and voices of marginalised children and young people are represented in the development of policies and solutions affecting their lives.
The organisation has also presented a proposed initiative focused on advancing legal identity and nationality rights for stateless and at-risk children in Sierra Leone, particularly those living in remote and border communities such as Kambia, Kailahun and Pujehun.
The proposed intervention includes community education, birth-registration support, youth-led advocacy and collaboration with relevant institutions to help ensure that vulnerable children are recognised, protected and able to access essential services.
Why His Work Matters to “The Child Behind the Smile”
The emotional wellbeing of a child is shaped by more than what happens inside a counselling room.
It is also shaped by whether the child feels recognised, protected, included and valued by society.
A child who cannot access school, healthcare or legal protection because they lack official documentation may experience fear, uncertainty, rejection and a weakened sense of belonging. These experiences may remain hidden behind a smile or appear through behaviour that adults misunderstand.
Mohamed’s advocacy demonstrates why children’s mental and emotional wellbeing must be connected to their wider rights and living conditions.
By working to promote legal identity, inclusion, child protection and meaningful youth participation, Mohamed and WAYCAN are helping to address some of the deeper circumstances that can affect how children see themselves and their place in society.
His work represents the message at the heart of SereniMind’s campaign: behind every child’s behaviour is a human story that deserves to be heard with patience, compassion and understanding.
Founder’s Note
“At SereniMind, we believe that a child cannot feel completely safe, seen or supported when their identity, dignity or rights remain uncertain.
Mohamed’s work reflects the deeper message of ‘The Child Behind the Smile.’ We must look beyond what is immediately visible and ask what a child may be experiencing, carrying or struggling to communicate.
His commitment to children’s rights, legal identity, inclusion and youth-led advocacy is helping to create an environment in which vulnerable children can feel recognised, protected and valued.
We are proud to honour Mohamed Amidu Koroma through our July Champion Spotlight and to celebrate the important work he continues to lead through WAYCAN in Sierra Leone and across West Africa.”
— Ridwan Oyenuga, Founder and CEO of SereniMind
Recognising Leadership That Protects Children
Through this Champion Spotlight, SereniMind celebrates Mohamed not only for his position or professional accomplishments, but for his commitment to ensuring that children and young people are not ignored by the systems meant to protect them.
His leadership reminds us that supporting a child means listening to their emotions, protecting their rights, recognising their identity and creating opportunities for them to participate fully in society.
As SereniMind continues its July campaign across Africa, the organisation calls on governments, schools, families, civil-society organisations and community leaders to pay closer attention to the emotional and social realities affecting children.
Every child deserves to feel safe.
Every child deserves to be recognised.
Every child deserves to belong.
And behind every behaviour is a story that deserves to be understood.
Congratulations to Mohamed Amidu Koroma, SereniMind’s July Champion Spotlight honouree.
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