Sometimes, leadership takes years to recognize. Sometimes, it takes a WhatsApp message.

Joyce Diko Diku, known as “Tata” to some of her friends on WhatsApp, was not planning to apply to the Young African Leaders Initiative of East Africa, but she was in a WhatsApp group with fellow graduates of “Strengthening Young Women’s Participation in Local and National Peace Processes,” a program run by Search for Common Ground and supported by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund. After enough badgering, she decided to apply—and soon was selected for the prestigious group, which the State Department of the United States uses to identify emerging leaders in Africa.

The award formalized what many already knew: Joyce Diko Duku knows how to make a difference. In 2017, she founded Lady in Action, a community safe space for young girls that taught vital life skills and provided psychosocial support. The program welcomed girls from across Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Joyce had received mentorship herself through She Nurtures Peace, a local organization, as part of the Search for Common Ground program. With a revitalized national peace agreement under discussion, she had worked to include young women.

Leadership skills came in handy when COVID-19 arrived. Joyce decided to organize rural outreach programs to spread news about preventive measures and promote public health.

Her efforts go beyond the pandemic: she has collected art, poetry, and testimony for a campaign called “Heroines’ Unspoken Tales,” facilitated a workshop in peace processes in the town of Maridi, and appeared on radio shows to discuss global issues and women’s justice.

The list goes on, but Joyce is not done. With collaborative skills in place, and WhatsApp supporters at her back, she is prepared to keep going.