CBO Training
She's the First
Empowering West Africa's Girls: Reflections ...

Our staffer Florence Sidi reflects on a transformative week at The Adolescent Girls Summit in Liberia, which equipped over 150 girls from seven West African countries with tools and knowledge to navigate adolescence with grace and resilience. The event featured inspiring speeches, hands-on training with our What Would You Do? (WWYD?) card game, and workshops on critical topics like social media advocacy and reproductive health. Highlights included the introduction of our Period Diary toolkit and an empowering call to action shared with high-level dignitaries. The summit's legacy of empowerment and growth will inspire and uplift young women across West Africa, igniting a brighter future for generations to come.

Empowering West Africa's Girls: Reflections from the 2024 Adolescent Girls Summit in Liberia
Activism Programs, STF Campus, Girls' Voices
She's the First
Why Do You Need Feminism? She's the First ...

Why do you need feminism? Challenging stereotypes about what it means to be feminist and connecting it to their personal lives, students at Clark High School’s She’s the First Chapter in Plano, Texas, crafted empowering posters answering this compelling question.

Why Do You Need Feminism? She's the First Chapter Speaks Up
Advocacy, Fundraising Campaigns
She's the First
What Being Diagnosed With a Chronic Illness ...

What if all daughters had someone in their corner? Someone who told them to believe in themselves, trust their gut, and keep going even when times got hard? 

Learning how to raise your voice and trust yourself is a major step towards choosing your own future, and demanding to be respected and heard. Rachel shares her story of overcoming medical gaslighting and chronic illness, with the help of her biggest ally, her mom.

What Being Diagnosed With a Chronic Illness Taught Both My Mom and Me - A Note On The Power of Relationships and Advocating for Your Health
Fundraising Campaigns, Board of Directors
She's the First
Tara Abrahams on Paving the Way for Our ...

"What kind of mother do I want to be? What kind of world do I want to help build for the next generation?" When our board chair, Tara Abrahams, learned she was pregnant with her first daughter, she reflected on the world she would raise her in.

"The idea that my child wouldn't have access to the same opportunities—depending on gender identity—just stuck in my gut and wouldn't let go. I've spent the past 15 years creating and supporting movements that advance girls' education, women's empowerment, and gender equality around the world."

Tara is an advocate for girls and women globally, a mom, a storyteller, and a life-long learner. Becoming a mother was the catalyst for her dedication to gender equality; read on for her thoughts on how we all can pave the road a bit smoother for the girls journeying after us.

Tara Abrahams on Paving the Way for Our Daughters
Partner Coalition, Girls First Institute
She's the First
A Partner Closing the Distance for Girls’ ...

The Small World is a not-for-profit charitable organization supporting locally-driven, sustainable community development projects. These projects provide not only education for children —especially young girls at risk from exploitation—but also remove traditional barriers to girls' education, create empowerment scenarios for local communities, and ultimately help to end deep-rooted cycles of poverty.

A Partner Closing the Distance for Girls’ Education

CBO Training

Empowering West Africa's Girls: Reflections from the 2024 Adolescent Girls Summit in Liberia

Empowering West Africa's Girls: Reflections from the 2024 Adolescent Girls Summit in Liberia

Our staffer Florence Sidi reflects on a transformative week at The Adolescent Girls Summit in Liberia, which equipped over 150 girls from seven West African countries with tools and knowledge to navigate adolescence with grace and resilience. The event featured inspiring speeches, hands-on training with our What Would You Do? (WWYD?) card game, and workshops on critical topics like social media advocacy and reproductive health. Highlights included the introduction of our Period Diary toolkit and an empowering call to action shared with high-level dignitaries. The summit's legacy of empowerment and growth will inspire and uplift young women across West Africa, igniting a brighter future for generations to come.

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Elevate the Strengths of Your Community: Learnings from the 2023 Virtual Girls First Summit

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Elevate the Strengths of Your Community: Learnings from the 2023 Virtual Girls First Summit

She’s the First hosted the seventh iteration of the Virtual Girls First Summit in September, two months after the in-person summit in Nairobi. The Girls First Summit is an annual convening of girl-centered organizations for knowledge-sharing and targeted training, with local and global insights on best practices for supporting girls’ rights. The virtual summit brought together 90 practitioners from 11 countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, India, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Zambia, Ghana, and Malawi. The participants left with practical tools and unique strategies to increase girls’ agency.

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New Cohort Selected for Girl-Centered Incubator: A Promising Start to a Transformational Journey

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She’s the First is proud to announce the selection of our latest cohort for our Girl-Centered Incubator fellowship program! After an extensive and competitive process, we’ve chosen a group of exceptional young women to embark on a transformational journey for themselves and their organizations.

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Vision and Transformation: A Visit to Arlington Academy of Hope in Uganda

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“My key takeaway is legacy and the power of vision!” wrote Training Manager Emma Mogaka of her recent visit to our Ugandan partner Arlington Academy of Hope. Members of our programs team witnessed our partner’s work in action and led customized trainings in girl-centered design for the organization’s staff, as well as sexual and reproductive health and rights workshops for the girls.

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An Inspiring Visit To GLAMI, Our Partner in Tanzania

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“Mentors shared that they see transformation in the girls when they commence the program within a year. They reported that girls become more self-aware, more confident, and feel safe sharing their opinions and views.” Our Director of Programs & Impact Kate Kiama reflected on her recent visit to our long-time partner GLAMI in an update for our news site. GLAMI has benefited 11,400 Tanzanian girls to date through phenomenal four- and two-year life-skills and leadership training programs.

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Creating Positive Change for Girls in Kenya: A Site Visit to Msichana Empowerment Kuria

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The Swahili word “Msichana” translates to “girl.” Our new partner Msichana Empowerment Kuria (MEK) is a women-led and girl-centric nonprofit organization that stands firmly behind the concept its name represents.

Recently, members of our programs team traveled to Migori County, Kenya, to learn more about this grassroots organization through talks with their program staff and the girls they serve.

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Our Biggest Investment: Meet Our 2023-2025 Partner Coalition!

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We’re proud to announce the 15 women-led organizations taking part in our Partner Coalition for the next three years! Through the She's the First Partner Coalition, we provide transformational funding and support to community-based organizations (we call them CBOs) serving girls in the Global South.

Our active cohort consists of 15 CBOs in 10 countries, engaging 9,475 girls across East and West Africa, Latin America, and South Asia. Together, we increase girls' agency and leadership through feminist mentorship programs.

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Our Staff's Top 2022 Moments

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Our Staff's Top 2022 Moments

The fight for girls’ rights is far from over.

But we are so proud of progress made in 2022.

We’re closing out the year with one of our favorite traditions: a round-up of our staff’s favorite memories!