I feel like my unique approach is working on myself. Working on my perspective, my patience, my mindset, and how to work with people from different races and different backgrounds… Before positively impacting people’s lives, I first work on myself as a leader to give the positive energy I have to those who don’t have it.
Divina Stella Maloum Regional Coordinator For Children For Peace
Divina Stella Maloum - Regional Coordinator for Children For Peace
2026 WE Empower UN SDG Awardee, Sub-Saharan Africa
Divina Stella Maloum is a passionate, driven entrepreneur based in Cameroon. As Founder and Regional Coordinator of Children For Peace, Divina leads a grassroots, children-led movement working across Cameroon to increase the number of children engaged and mobilized in peacebuilding and to valorize their vital role in sustainable development.
Stella’s leadership journey began during a tourist trip to the north of her country where she saw first-hand the impact of child marriage. She recalls, “There was a young girl of I think twelve years old that was married to a man of about seventy five years. Almost every night, I used to hear the way she was screaming.” This experience, which Stella witnessed at a young age, inspired her to begin working with NGOs during her teenage years. Eventually, child marriage became the main call to action for founding her own organization, Children for Peace. Although the early stages were very difficult, with a lack of experience, financial support, and technical support, Children for Peace has since blossomed—To date, their work has reached 40,000 children in 10 regions.
Disciplined Leadership Approach
Stella’s leadership style is driven by clear goals, passion, and, above all, discipline. While she works to maintain a positive mindset, she emphasizes that meaningful work cannot depend on motivation alone. For Stella, passion is important but fleeting; it can fade under pressure or be affected by negativity from one’s environment. Discipline, however, provides the consistency needed to keep moving forward. “If you just keep the passion, as I said, at some point in time it might die because the negative energy you receive from your environment might affect it. So you also have to be disciplined.”
This commitment to discipline extends far beyond her professional work. Alongside her leadership and advocacy efforts, Stella has earned a bachelor's degree in law and is just one year away from completing a second bachelor's degree in Data Science.
Like Stella, many of the leaders within Children for Peace are students, managing academic responsibilities alongside their work with the organization. Spread across different countries and time zones, members juggle a wide range of personal and professional obligations while continuing to advance the organization's mission. Despite these challenges, Children for Peace maintains several initiatives simultaneously, including Silence the Guns, Cartoons for Peace, and other ongoing projects.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, Children for Peace aims to expand opportunities for young women most affected by conflict and inequality around the world. The organization hopes to provide financial support and educational resources to young people interested in becoming entrepreneurs, while increasing the visibility of its existing initiatives and extending their reach.
Despite these ambitious goals, Stella measures success less by numbers than by impact. While she acknowledges that the future is uncertain, her vision has remained unchanged throughout her work. “Tomorrow is a mystery, because you don’t know what’s going to happen,” she says. What continues to drive her is the ability to make a positive difference in someone's life. “Regardless of the number, if you're able to impact one person’s life, you've done a great job.”
Commitment to Sustainable Development Goals
Children for Peace's work spans several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The organization was initially founded around SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, but its mission has expanded over time. As Children for Peace grew, it began addressing issues related to education, climate change, environmental sustainability, and, more recently, energy access. Stella views this evolution as a natural extension of the organization's mission. “All the SDGs are connected—they’re interconnected,” she explains. This belief shapes her leadership approach, allowing her to collaborate across sectors and address complex challenges through a broader, more holistic lens.
By Violet Lenz, HON394 Student