Participants interacting at Girls First Summit by She’s the First in Kampala, Uganda July, 11th 2024 (Photo by Zahara Abdul/Candid Local) (Instagram credit: @zaharaabdulfoto + @candidlocal)

Participants from The Small World celebrating Muna Rasili’s award at Kathmandu College of Management in Lalitpur, Nepal on March 8, 2024. The 5KM race is organized to celebrate women's strength, resilience, and unity for gender equality. The race was organized by Sirjana Singh, a graduate of former STF partner BlinkNow and a former STF Youth Ambassador. (Photo by Uma Bista for She’s the First)

Girl Hour expert panel moderated by Florence Sidi (Programs Coordinator at She’s the First), in Kampala Uganda, July 2024 where experts address questions submitted by participants before the summit. The session centers girls' voices, strengthens programming, and allows girls to share their insights, suggest solutions, and discuss issues affecting their peers. (Photo by Zahara Abdul/Candid Local) (Instagram credit: @zaharaabdulfoto + @candidlocal)

From the left, Moraa Beryl, Girl-Centered Incubator Fellow, Ausmiita Sarkar, Girl-Centered Incubator Fellow, Peace Tizaru, Girl-Centered Incubator Fellow, Aminata Seilloh Conteh, Girl-Centered Incubator Fellow, Isha Godara, Girl-Centered Incubator Fellow, Joan Kembabazi, Girl-Centered Incubator Fellow, Cynthia Muhonja, Girl-Centered Incubator Fellow and Vandana Kumari Pandey, Girl-Centered Incubator Fellow during the Girl-Centered Incubator Graduation in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 5, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Waiswa) (Instagram credit: @lafrohemien)

Kate Kiama, Director of Programs and Impact, delivers welcoming remarks and introduces the work of She’s the First to participants at the Girls First Summit in Uganda on July 11th, 2024. The event saw representation from 40 women-led grassroot organizations. (Photo by Zahara Abdul/Candid Local) (Instagram credit: @zaharaabdulfoto + @candidlocal)

Practitioners participate in a trial run of the “What Would You Do?” card game moderated by Florence Sidi (Programs Coordinator at She’s the First) during the Girls First Summit by She’s the First in Kampala, Uganda on July 11th, 2024. ‘'What Would You Do?” is a play-based toolkit by She’s the First for mentors that includes a card game designed for girls in three age groups. Through play and conversation with peers and a mentor, girls learn about healthy relationships and how to create safe personal boundaries. (Photo by Zahara Abdul/Candid Local) (Instagram credit: @zaharaabdulfoto + @candidlocal)

during the Girls First Summit by She’s the First in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 5, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Waiswa) (Instagram credit: @lafrohemien)

Sania Hammad speaks at the What Girls Want demonstration near the UN, Saturday, September 21, 2024. Today in New York, more than 50 young women from around the world – including Nobel Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai – gathered to take governments to task for failing to prioritize girls and young women in the upcoming Summit of the Future. The group is backed by a coalition of girl-centered non-profit organizations, institutions, and funds who synthesized the demands of girls at www.whatgirlswant.com. At a demonstration near the UN, alongside life-size cutouts of world leaders dressed ironically as “girl experts”, the activists delivered a strong message: world leaders aren’t the experts on what girls want for their futures – girls are. Eylül Erçin, 19, from Türkiye, shared: "The time has passed for girls and young women to be treated as mere afterthoughts. Leaders must include us in the foundational design of these processes, ensuring that our priorities are integrated into shaping the future we will inherit. Anything less is unacceptable." Today’s event is about more than calling out a process failure. Girls i from around the world delivered a forward-looking call to action this week. They expect governments, institutions, and community leaders to step up and help shape a more equitable future. Alongside fellow activists, Malala said: “Even at 27, I know better than to assume I understand best what girls want. Everywhere I go, girls are eager to share their vision for their futures. As adults, it is our job to listen, fund their work and follow their lead. It is not too late for world leaders to do right by girls. They can start by prioritizing their demands in tomorrow’s final Summit deliberations and by investing resources to match their words.” The evidence is clear: investing in girls and delivering on their rights transforms economies, societies, and the environment, advancing the SDGs and building a future that girls deserve. ### About What Girls Want This effort was produced by a collaboration of girl-centered organizations, institutions, funders, and allies. The campaign is anchored around work to collate insights, data, and stories from 20+ public consultations with girls and young women over the past decade, driven by a shared desire to center girls’ demands in spaces where they are being ignored. Contact: whatgirlswantpress@gmail.com nate.powers@edelman.com

during the Girls First Summit by She’s the First in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 5, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Waiswa) (Instagram credit: @lafrohemien)

during the Girls First Summit by She’s the First in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 5, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Waiswa) (Instagram credit: @lafrohemien)

during the Girls First Summit by She’s the First in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 5, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Waiswa) (Instagram credit: @lafrohemien)

during the Girls First Summit by She’s the First in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 5, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Waiswa) (Instagram credit: @lafrohemien)

Kembabazi Joan, 25, of Uganda speaks at the What Girls Want demonstration near the UN, Saturday, September 21, 2024. Nobel Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai (left) listens with more than 50 young women who were part of the demonstration. Today in New York, more than 50 young women from around the world – including Nobel Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai – gathered to take governments to task for failing to prioritize girls and young women in the upcoming Summit of the Future. The group is backed by a coalition of girl-centered non-profit organizations, institutions, and funds who synthesized the demands of girls at www.whatgirlswant.com. At a demonstration near the UN, alongside life-size cutouts of world leaders dressed ironically as “girl experts”, the activists delivered a strong message: world leaders aren’t the experts on what girls want for their futures – girls are. Eylül Erçin, 19, from Türkiye, shared: "The time has passed for girls and young women to be treated as mere afterthoughts. Leaders must include us in the foundational design of these processes, ensuring that our priorities are integrated into shaping the future we will inherit. Anything less is unacceptable." Today’s event is about more than calling out a process failure. Girls i from around the world delivered a forward-looking call to action this week. They expect governments, institutions, and community leaders to step up and help shape a more equitable future. Alongside fellow activists, Malala said: “Even at 27, I know better than to assume I understand best what girls want. Everywhere I go, girls are eager to share their vision for their futures. As adults, it is our job to listen, fund their work and follow their lead. It is not too late for world leaders to do right by girls. They can start by prioritizing their demands in tomorrow’s final Summit deliberations and by investing resources to match their words.” The evidence is clear: investing in girls and delivering on their rights transforms economies, societies, and the environment, advancing the SDGs and building a future that girls deserve. ### About What Girls Want This effort was produced by a collaboration of girl-centered organizations, institutions, funders, and allies. The campaign is anchored around work to collate insights, data, and stories from 20+ public consultations with girls and young women over the past decade, driven by a shared desire to center girls’ demands in spaces where they are being ignored. Contact: whatgirlswantpress@gmail.com nate.powers@edelman.com

Cynthia Muhonja, Girl-Centered Incubator Fellow and Vandana Kumari Pandey, Girl-Centered Incubator Fellow during the Girl-Centered Incubator Graduation in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 5, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Waiswa) (Instagram credit: @lafrohemien)

Khushboo, 19, poses for a photograph at a school in Rupaidiha, India, August 16, 2023. Photo by Saumya Khandelwal DEHAT is a member of the She’s the First Partner Coalition. (Photo by Saumya Khandelwal for She’s the First) Instagram credit: @khandelwal_saumya

during the Girls First Summit by She’s the First in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 5, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Waiswa) (Instagram credit: @lafrohemien)