Nicole Hauming from Singapore and Haadiya Mcube from South Africa may live on opposite sides of the world, but their missions run in parallel. Nicole, founder of the Heart Avenue Association, and Haadiya, president of its South African sister organisation Grace Ground, work daily to empower women and children through community initiatives and outreach.
Their work connects different continents under a shared goal: creating safer, stronger spaces for women, particularly where gender-based violence remains widespread.
They first met online through a global youth forum and quickly found common ground. Nicole had already been running Heart Avenue in Singapore, while Haadiya saw the need for a branch in South Africa. From there, Grace Ground was born. It was a step that turned an international connection into a tangible local movement.
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Leadership without borders
Working across countries and time zones has challenges, but both women credit clear communication as the key. Regular updates, defined goals and transparency keep their teams aligned from Singapore to Peru to South Africa. Nicole draws on her years as a school leader organising large-scale events, which built her ability to manage diverse teams and keep projects moving.
For Haadiya, leading Grace Ground means directly tackling urgent issues. Gender-based violence is a persistent threat for women in South Africa, and Grace Ground works on the ground to provide support, safety, and relief. Recent projects include food distribution in partnership with Edvos, where volunteers prepared and packed meals for children’s care centres.
Nicole says her drive comes from actively creating opportunities: “I would say dream big. The reason why I even found out about Heart Avenue Association was because I wanted to create more opportunities for myself and to help others beyond geographical barriers. If you have something in mind, just do whatever it takes to find an opportunity for yourself, commit to it, and follow it through. I took a chance on myself, and now I see the impact it has on communities around the world.”
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Women’s Month as a call to action
Both agree that Women’s Month is not just about celebration. For Haadiya, it is also a reminder of unfinished work: “Women’s month for me is a time to celebrate strength. It’s a time to celebrate the women before us, who brought the independence that we have right now. But at the same time, it is also a reminder for me, and for everyone, to do better because we still have a long way to go. Especially here in South Africa, we are far from being genuinely free and are still struggling as women.”
Nicole echoes the sentiment, adding that Women’s Month should inspire young women to take up leadership and act boldly. Her own journey, from spotting a volunteering opportunity on social media to co-founding an international organisation, proves what persistence can achieve.
Whether in Singapore, South Africa, or anywhere in between, young women can change their communities if they choose to lead, collaborate, and act with conviction.
For more on this, watch the video below:
Image via Leadership Conversations.
