Eddie Ndopu (born 1990) is a South African disability rights advocate. He is one of 17 global advocates appointed by the

Secretary-General of the United Nations The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...

for the

Sustainable Development Goals The ''2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'', adopted by all United Nations (UN) members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of these global goals is "peace and prosperity for people and the planet" – wh ...

Background

Eddie Ndopu was born in

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

in 1990, after his single mother had fled

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

by going into self-imposed exile. At the age of two Ndopu was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, a degenerative disease that affects the nervous system, and was given until the age of five to live. When he was aged nine, he moved to

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, South Africa.

Education

In 2008 Ndopu graduated as part of the inaugural class of the African Leadership Academy. He then graduated '' summa cum laude'' with an interdisciplinary studies degree from Carleton University in Canada. During this time Ndopu was invited to give a presentation about his work at a 'Master's Tea' at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. Between 2016 and 2017, Ndopu, who self-identifies as

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

and a feminist, became the first African student with a degenerative disability to be admitted to the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

on a full scholarship at the Blavatnik School of Government; based at Somerville College, he graduated with a masters in public policy.

Work and activism

Ndopu was invited by the Global Changemakers programme to attend the World Economic Forum on Africa where he met with the Founder and Executive Chairman, Professor Klaus Schwab. During Ndopu's second year at Carleton University he was consequently commissioned by the World Economic Forum, at the behest of Professor Klaus Schwab, to produce a White Paper on the role of the private sector in addressing the global youth unemployment crisis. Ndopu also undertook a program associate position at the now-defunct Clinton Global Initiative's Global Minimum InLabs project. Ndopu served as the Regional Youth Coordinator for Africa at Amnesty International. In 2009, Ndopu founded the Global Strategy for Inclusive Education, a campaign to facilitate the educational rights of children with disabilities living in developing economies. In 2018, Ndopu became Humanity & Inclusion's Global Ambassador supporting the rights of children with disabilities living in developing countries. Ndopu is the special adviser for impact and corporate sustainability to the Partners of RTW Investments. In 2019, Antonio Guterres - Secretary-General of the United Nations - appointed Ndopu as one of 17 eminent advocates for the

Recognition

Ndopu became a Global Changemaker in 2008. The Global Changemakers programme invited him to attend the World Economic Forum in South Africa. He has been recognized by '' Pacific Standard'' as one of their "top 30 thinkers under 30", by Shaw Trust and Powerful Media as one of the 50 most influential people with disabilities in the world, and by South Africa's '' Mail & Guardian'' as one of their annual " top 200 young South Africans" for 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ndopu, Eddie 1990 births South African human rights activists South African activists with disabilities South African queer people Carleton University alumni Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford Queer men Living people South African disability rights activists People with spinal muscular atrophy LGBTQ people with disabilities