As a shy teenager in Malaysia, Allison Choong thought twice about taking initiative in class, lest she be called “bossy” or “attention-seeking.” Boys were called leaders for the same behavior. Even male teachers would shut a girl down for answering a question in class. But after Allison joined STF’s inaugural Girl Activist Fellowship, she knew it was her time to take charge.

Allison saw a problem: Very few girls ever learned from a trusted adult what safe/unsafe touch is and what to do if an adult made them uncomfortable.

In the fellowship program, she and her peers wanted to change that – to prevent girls from going through what some of them had.

They wrote Safiya Speaks Up to help young girls understand their right to safety and recognize trusted adults.

The book and its accompanying Mentor Guide reached 7,000+ girls in the first year, in 4 languages, and was distributed across STF’s network of 700+ organizations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. A mentor in East Africa shared: “It has enabled me to come up with more friendly and practical ways to have young girls and teenage mums learn about safety from violence, whether physical, emotional or sexual.”

Allison didn’t stop there. Last September, she joined the What Girls Want demonstration with Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai, outside the United Nations. She made it clear that every girl deserves to feel safe, and this starts by including them in the conversation.

Allison’s journey — from a high school student in Penang, Malaysia to an international activist— has been shaped by STF. It’s no surprise her peers elected her as their representative on STF’s Board of Directors. Allison, now 21, knows her potential is limitless.

As an 11-year-old girl in the rural Kenyan community of Kuria, Christine faced a terrifying cultural tradition. Female Genital Mutilation(FGM) is a grave form of violence against girls. When Christine’s grandmother told her it was her time, she talked about how respected Christine’s older sister became after undergoing the cut. She promised her gifts and dowry. Christine’s stepmother and uncle tried to intervene, but her grandmother had already made preparations.

Christine confided in a friend, who introduced her to Maggie, a mentor from Msichana Empowerment Kuria (MEK), a partner of She’s the First. Though Christine was hesitant to open up at first, she eventually trusted Maggie. Maggie visited Christine’s home, tried to reason with her grandmother. And when that failed, Maggie helped Christine find safety in a MEK-run safe space, where she found care, support, and hope.

With MEK’s guidance and STF’s continued support, Christine was taken back to school. She received everything she needed — including medical and trauma care and a community in MEK’s Naweza girls’ movement —and something even more powerful: a sense of agency over her future. Some in the community treat girls like Christine, who are uncut, as outcasts. But Christine is a girl who deserves the joy of girlhood. Her childhood should not be painfully taken away.

The girl-centered, community-driven work of MEK and STF emphasizes how all girls have the right to protection from all forms of violence. While FGM is declining overall in Kenya, several concerns remain: its medicalization by healthcare workers, shifts to less severe forms and younger girls, persistent hotspots, and cross-border practices.

MEK’s work to protect girls in this region continues to be essential.

Now 17, Christine continues with her education and is a member of the MEK Girls Council, where she designs programs for prevention and response to end FGM. Christine’s story is one not only about resisting FGM — but about leading her community towards a new future.

At age 11, Cynthia Muhonja lost her mother — her greatest champion. Left in the care of her paternal grandparents, Cynthia faced neglect and barriers to education in Kenya. Refusing to accept this fate, she sought refuge with her maternal grandparents, who supported her dreams despite financial restraints. A scholarship from Akili Dada, a former STF partner, changed everything, allowing Cynthia to excel in her studies.

Knowing the challenges she and the girls in her community faced, Cynthia founded Life Lifters Kenya to make strategic investments in rural girls’ education and reproductive health. She saw firsthand how lack of access to menstrual health products and information could derail a girl’s education and future. Life Lifters became a space where girls could be mentored, learn their rights, and stay in school.

Cynthia’s leadership and passion earned her a place in our Girl-Centered Incubator Fellowship, which offered game-changing training and funding. With STF’s support, Life Lifters became a registered NGO with a Board of Directors, excelled in fundraising, and expanded to support over 188 girls across Kenya.

One of Cynthia’s brilliant ideas is her “Women Dignity Centers” inside community stores. She buys essential products wholesale and uses the profits from resale to provide girls with free menstrual hygiene supplies, ending their period poverty. So far, she has set up 3 Women Dignity Centers. Along with pads, she distributes STF’s My Period Diary resource to girls. Girls who once missed school due to their periods are now attending and improving their grades.

Through our partnership with Kotex, Cynthia was able to train other grassroots leaders on strategies for menstrual hygiene education. By sharing her knowledge, Cynthia ensures that girls will benefit from the same support that changed her life. At 29, her sights are set on reaching 1,000 girls by 2027.

Growing up in a small Indigenous Mayan community in Guatemala, girls like Elvira Roquel were expected to wear traditional attire and drop out after primary school. Elvira chose to go against both those norms. For starters, she preferred jeans over dresses to allow her to easily jump, kick, climb trees, and ride a bike…disapproving community members saw that as a brazen act of defiance.

Elvira’s parents, however, believed in her potential. Her father, who had only reached second grade, knew the power of education and was determined that his children would have the chances he never did. He and Elvira’s mother made sacrifices to send her to school, even when it stretched their budget. Soon Elvira’s family learned about MAIA, a longtime STF partner organization. At 13, Elvira joined MAIA’s very first class of “girl pioneers.” She didn’t expect to be accepted — or for it to change her life. But it did, in every way. For Elvira, MAIA was like the butterfly effect: when a small initial change in a system can lead to a large, unpredictable outcome.

MAIA offered more than a scholarship; it gave Elvira mentors who taught her to believe in herself. MAIA and She’s the First have partnered for 15 years, to build a mentorship program that increases girls’ agency, along with strong academics. 

Today, Elvira is the first Indigenous woman from her community to attend a U.S. college. She serves on the She’s the First Girls Advisory Council and interned at STF, where she was part of the team that launched the Ellas al Frente initiative. Elvira credits the global awareness she gained through MAIA as being what sparked her desire to get involved. She’s studying international relations and gender studies with dreams to become the ambassador of Guatemala – to build partnerships that expand education, promote equality, and uplift Indigenous women and girls.

When Janani Loganathan was two, living in a small town in Tamil Nadu, India, her family was turned upside down. Her mother suffered a severe fire accident, and her father, overwhelmed, left for a time. Relatives took Janani and her sisters in. Her mother, who left school in fifth grade, was determined that her daughters would have the education she never did. That’s when she found Shanti Bhavan.

At Shanti Bhavan, a former STF partner school, Janani’s world opened up. When she reached high school, she fell in love with math and science, and decided to become an engineer – an unusual path for girls in her community. Many people told her she shouldn't work with computers, but STF gave her the courage to keep going. In 2018, Janani had the chance to attend a She’s the First Summit for our Chapter leaders in the U.S. In this pivotal moment, she saw firsthand how girls like her were changing the world.

It demonstrated for her the power of community. Seeing that people from around the world believed in and supported her was a guiding light. Janani knew that she wasn’t alone, which ultimately motivated her to work harder and achieve her goals.

Fast forward to today: Janani, 24, is in a dream job as Facilities Engineer at ExxonMobil. She's paid off loans, tutors her cousins when she’s home, and is now a role model to the next generation – like her niece, who aspires to be like her.

Janani dreams of giving her parents the life they sacrificed for her – and one day, starting an organization to support more students from underserved communities.

Education, to Janani, meant having endless opportunities. Those opportunities led her to land in a career she is truly proud of – an accomplishment she knows more girls are capable of with the right support system.

Mariama Darboe grew up in a small West African community in The Gambia where girls’ access to education wasn’t guaranteed. Cultural expectations and systemic barriers around them felt insurmountable. Her mother had dreamed of higher education, but she was pushed into marriage instead. That unfinished story became Mariama’s fuel: “What if girls like my mom were given the chance to dream bigger?”

Mariama was raised in a polygamous household, where girls were often praised for who they’d marry instead of what they could become, and she is a survivor of female genital mutilation. That’s why Starfish International, a longtime partner of STF, became her safe space. Speaking of her mentors, she shared, “The contribution of She’s the First to the Starfish dream and to this movement is more than support. It is a lifeline.”

Starfish uses flexible funding from She’s the First to ensure girls stay in school. This has allowed them to put energy into creating a strong mentorship program that builds girls’ leadership and healthy development. They have used resources and trainings from STF’s Partner Coalition to improve the program and how it addresses sexual and reproductive health.

For six life-changing years as a girl in the Starfish mentorship program, Mariama learned how to lead. Later, while earning her law degree, she returned to the program as a mentor, determined to create the same supportive space for the next generation. She's now mentored more than 600 students – and they consider her a sister and inspiration.“The girls I mentor remind me: they already have power. They just need someone to help them unleash it,”she says.

Mariama, now 26, lives in the U.S. while pursuing dual Master’s degrees at Brandeis University and University for Peace (UPEACE). Her studies equip her to design peacebuilding programs that are inclusive, trauma-informed, and sustainable.

Mariama was named She’s the First Mentor of the Year, participated in the United Nations' Commission on the Status of Women (pictured), and shared her story at the Girls First Summit in Kenya. Soon, she’ll publish her first children’s book: Yes, Girls Can Be Presidents – a love letter to every girl who's been told leadership isn’t for her.

In the village of Khushipura, India, Riya once sat in a classroom with no teacher. Like many girls in rural communities, she was enrolled in school — on paper — but no one showed up to teach. Without guidance, the days passed in frustration and fear.

Everything changed when Riya joined a session led by Sahas Foundation, an STF partner organization. The workshop about adolescence became a turning point. Riya shared her fears with the Sahas co-founders, Purvi and Mona Yadav. They listened. And they took action.

Drawing on girl-centered design and feminist mentorship practices they learned through STF, Purvi and Mona expanded their program, Sahasi Girls, to include an extracurricular education program to help vulnerable girls finish school. They found a local teacher and enrolled 12 girls, including Riya.

As a result, Riya graduated high school with excellent grades in a community where many girls don’t even get an opportunity to take the exam. The next barrier she faced? Getting the men in her life on board with her dreams of a university education.

With encouragement from Sahas mentors Virendra Singh and Sarla ji, who visited her parents regularly to gain their support, Riya enrolled in university. Today, at 18, she’s studying for a degree in sociology and history —the first in her family to reach this milestone.

Her dream? To become a teacher and ensure girls like her never have to wonder if they’ll get the education they deserve.

In October 2023, Riya had no teacher.

Today, she’s on her way to becoming one.

When Tandeep joined her first STF Chapter meeting at Baruch College, she didn’t expect to find a life-altering connection to a cause. The first She’s the First video she watched in the meeting – full of movement, power, and global sisterhood – lit something in her. She dove into every offering, including the STF (Chapter) Summit, which expanded her worldview through conversations with peers and introduced her to global leaders and girls STF supported. She later became co-president of her chapter with her best friend, Tehreem.

Then, an issue she’d seen discussed globally —violence against women — hit painfully close to home when a woman from her gurdwara [place of worship] died by suicide after enduring years of domestic violence. That moment underscored that gender justice isn’t a distant issue – it’s local, personal, urgent.

Topics raised at STF’s Chapter Summit – period poverty, the tampon tax and cultural taboos systemically affecting girls – would shape, years later, Tandeep’s talking points when she was invited to attend CSW, the UN's largest gathering on gender equality. She stressed that menstrual products alone aren’t enough; education, policy, and cultural change are essential to dismantling stigma.

The opportunity to contribute insights on how different cultures approach menstruation and how to build more effective advocacy strategies was eye-opening for Tandeep. She witnessed the power of solidarity and shared values when tackling global issues.

Now 25, Tandeep serves as an outreach coordinator in the U.S. Senate, where she ensures underrepresented voices are heard at the highest levels of government. She remains committed to bridging lived experience with policy, so those most impacted are the ones shaping the future. She also leads efforts with the Sikh Family Center, creating tools to support communities in responding to family violence.

15-year-old Yaneth grew up in a rural village in the Andes Mountains. Although her parents were uneducated, they fought for her right to an education. But the nearest school is open only two or three times a week. Getting there requires a five-hour walk through treacherous mountain terrain in each direction.

Yaneth’s mother was determined to find a solution. She discovered Sacred Valley Project (SVP), a grassroots organization that She’s the First has partnered with for 12 years. SVP provides boarding facilities for girls in the city of Cusco, eliminating the school commute. More than a place to sleep, the dorm is a safe space where girls have a mentor, receive tutoring, and are empowered to be leaders.

She’s the First’s grants to SVP fund girls’ education. Through training and coaching sessions with STF, their staff has strengthened their mentorship programming and fundraising connections.

In 2024, Yaneth joined our global Girls Advisory Council. The Council, run in English and Spanish, gives girls power over STF’s programmatic and storytelling decisions. Yaneth met girls from all over the world who share her dreams and inspire her to keep going.

Now, Yaneth dreams of a hospitality and tourism career, which will allow her to showcase Peru’s beauty and earn a steady income. Maybe one day, you’ll be one of her clients.

Hear more from Yaneth here!

Arlington Academy of Hope (AAH) has transformed communities in Eastern Uganda, through a decade-long partnership with She’s the First. What began with a focus on education access has evolved into a bold approach to empowerment. Girls are leading the conversations that adults once shied away from.

Our guiding principle — that girls know their needs best — has led to remarkable outcomes for AAH. When the school struggled with high teen pregnancy rates, STF trained AAH to facilitate focus groups.

Feedback from girls led AAH to add reproductive health education into the curriculum. The impact was extraordinary: over 5 years, there was an 85% drop in teen pregnancies and a shift toward open conversations about sexual health. Taking what they learned from STF about girl-centered design, AAH launched a program helping pregnant girls return to school. In 2022, pregnancy cases dropped to zero. Other schools in the region began to follow their example.

Girls in the mentorship groups that AAH created with STF’s funding are now active participants in global girl-led activism campaigns. In 2023, AAH invited the girls to pick up their pencils and paintbrushes and create art inspired by their bodies, for STF’s Reproduce This! art show, organized by our Girl Activist Fellows. Their work (above) was not only on display in art galleries in New York and Nairobi, but also within their own community.

In a community where any discussion about sex, menstruation, or body parts was once completely unspoken, the girls’ project was a moving symbol of how much change is possible in a short time, when you have respected community leaders at the forefront.

More than 300 students have graduated from Arlington Academy of Hope to date. By continuing this model of true empowerment — where girls design and drive solutions — many more will choose their own futures.

Globally, 1 in 3 women experience physical or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime* - El Salvador is no exception. That's why a group of young women founded Leer para Soñar, at first to serve teen boys and girls impacted by violence. But the more they listened, the clearer it became – girls carried an extra heavy burden. So they made a bold pivot: to focus exclusively on girls.

Leer para Soñar has flourished over the past three years, with its leaders — Rocío Mendoza, Heazel Martinez, and Marilin Cabezas — in our Ellas al Frente fellowship. After learning about girl-centered program design and evaluation, they implemented structured assessments and focus groups with girls and mothers. Powerful insights emerged — one mother shared that her daughter had learned about gender-based violence in the program and then recognized that her father’s actions were abusive. Her realization led them to leave that situation.

Leer para Soñar began yielding more power to girls. They created Las Musas, a Girls Advisory Council where teens decide how resources are used to meet their needs. Las Musas organized the first Conference for Girls and Adolescents for 50 girls and their mothers, which wouldn't have happened without this strategy shift.

Heazel and Marilin attest to a dramatic change in the 38 girls in their year-round program. Shy teens now speak confidently. Those once considered challenging are leading with empathy. They’re launching school-based clubs and workshops. One girl hosted a session for younger girls to talk openly about menstrual education, self-care, and shared experiences. They’re choosing healthier friendships, raising their voices, and breaking cycles of violence in the community.

*World Health Organization

At Haven of Dreams, a grassroots organization in Nakuru, Kenya, girls often faced difficult realities – teenage pregnancy, early marriage, gender-based violence. But talking about these issues just didn’t happen. The topics weren’t brought up at home or in the classroom. For a long time, even in safe spaces, girls stayed quiet.

That changed when their mentor Esther introduced a new resource during one of their sessions: the What Would You Do? play-based toolkit. She started with a simple prompt: “You have a question about romantic relationships…what would you do?” At first, the girls hesitated. But something about the approach – the way it framed tough situations through relatable, real-life scenarios – broke the ice. Soon, the girls were opening up without needing to be coaxed. They laughed, they debated, they supported each other. And the conversations flowed naturally.

Through play, the game turned silence into self-expression – even with taboo topics. Rather than feel uncomfortable discussing subjects the girls are socialized to feel ashamed about (their bodies, rights, and relationships), they instead found a safe space to share. In one session, girls who had never spoken up before shared their questions about teenage pregnancy and romantic relationships – conversations that would’ve never happened otherwise. Esther became a trusted guide in their journeys.

Since the game’s launch, 157 toolkits have been distributed to community-based organizations across North Africa and Latin America. Each kit is delivered with training and coaching for mentors to confidently lead discussions on girls’ rights, relationships, and self-advocacy.

“How empowering are our programs? How involved are the girls? Can they be more girl-led?” These are the questions that Immaculate, executive director of a grassroots organization, asked herself after attending our Girls First Summit in Nairobi, Kenya. She saw her work at the Western Twaweza Empowerment Campaign (WETEC) in a new light.

During Girl Hour, a Summit session where girls take center stage to share their life experiences (a bold reminder that no conversation about girls should happen without them), the WETEC team realized what was missing in their program: Girls needed true decision-making power.

Upon returning home, the WETEC team gave girls full authority over their annual Teso Girl Summit (pictured), a 3-day event for 300 girls. The girls set up a committee, managed the budget, selected speakers, including international panelists, and directed every aspect of the program. The adults did the legwork to execute their vision. WETEC also ensured girls have a role in major county and national meetings, to be heard by decision-makers.

This is a great example to show how the annual Girls First Summit (now in its 9th year) is more than a training day. It is a catalyst for year-long changes made in communities across East Africa. Training is in demand. Unlike money (which is still needed, but always runs out), this resource grows exponentially. Skills are transferred from one representative of the organization to another. Training impacts not only the girls enrolled in the program now, but all the girls this leader will touch in her career.

Research shows grassroots leaders require skills-based training, coaching, and peer networks, not only money, to create systemic change.* A global study of young feminists validated this: 67% identified training as their most significant need to succeed.** Many trainings are costly; that’s why our free event has a waitlist of 140 organizations each year.

Since it began in 2017, the GFS has trained nearly 700 attendees from 400+ organizations. Through them, the Summit has impacted the lives of more than 186,000 girls.

*State of Youth Civil Society report, Restless Development, 2023

**Dahlberg External Evaluation