Ellas al Frente
 

Building Stronger Programs for Girls, Together.

Ellas al Frente is a three-year joint venture by She’s the First and MAIA to equip grassroots leaders with girl-centered design skills and ultimately improve outcomes for girls in the Northern Triangle.

This area of Central America has “endemic levels of sexual, gender-based, and domestic violence,” particularly for Indigenous girls, according to a 2021 report by the U.S. Congressional Research Service. Yet, when we conducted a research mapping, we discovered few community-based organizations with girl-specific programming in the region. The organizations trying to implement programs for girls already had the infrastructure, reach, and community roots to create meaningful change. Yet they needed the funds and practical training to execute their programs to their fullest potential.

Through Ellas al Frente, we provide visionary grassroots women leaders with a three-year track to: 

  • design and implement a girl-centered program, in partnership with girls from the community;

  • learn how to evaluate the program to assess girls' increased agency, which includes their access to education, leadership, and making other life choices; and 

  • learn how to strengthen their organization and sustain it financially, with the goal of each organization being eligible to able to apply for She's the First's 2026-2028 Partner Coalition and other funding

As the cohort increases girls’ power within their organizations, we can track how girls develop increased self-esteem and confidence. In the long term, girls with higher self-esteem and self-confidence are more likely to advocate for themselves and others, take on leadership positions, and graduate, leading to an improved quality of life and gender equality in the region.

“I learned that when designing and implementing projects with girls, we must listen to their voices, their needs, and interests in order to have a real impact on the development of their capacities and abilities.”
— Rocio Mendoza, Leer Para Soñar, El Salvador

The needs that this project addresses come directly from the participating organizations. In 2022, we held three online sessions to facilitate a participatory design process amongst the six organizations in the first Ellas al Frente cohort. We strongly believe in the ethics of having participating organizations set the training agenda, as it puts power in the hands of local leaders.

 

Ellas al Frente 2022-2025 Cohort

Special thanks to the following foundations for supporting Ellas al Frente:

Applications to join the next cohort of Ellas al Frente will open when our funding and capacity allow. Preference is given to organizations that have completed Essential Certification in our Girls First Institute, a skills-building, outcomes-improving professional development program for women who uplift girls in their communities, led by and for women from the Global South. Join now to start your pathway to certification and improve outcomes for girls in your community!