Growing up in rural Nepal where girls were expected to marry young and stay quiet, Sirjana defied every limitation placed on her. With the support of her mother, a local community-based organization, and She's the First’s programs , she rose to become a national footballer, a student at one of Nepal’s top universities, and a fearless advocate for girls’ rights. From organizing 5K races for gender equality to founding her own nonprofit in Karnali, Sirjana is creating a future where girls are seen, heard, and unstoppable.
Girls: Listen to Us and Design Your Programs With Us
Aliza: Blazing a Trail in Medicine & Poetry
Showing Up for Girl Leaders in Texas
Announcing the 2025-2026 Girl Activist Fellowship Cohort!
She’s the First is proud to announce our 2025-2026 Girl Activist Fellowship cohort! The Girl Activist Fellowship is an 18-month program where girls learn grassroots organizing skills by planning and executing their own campaigns for girls’ rights.
This year marks a special moment in the history of the Girl Activist Fellowship program: for the first time, we have simultaneous cohorts. While our 2024-2025 cohort finishes its last five months of experience, the 2025-2026 cohort is just beginning. By overlapping, these girls will have the opportunity to learn from one another from two sides of the same experience.
Welcoming the 2025 Girls Advisory Council
We are excited to announce the addition of 42 new members from over 30 countries around the world to the She’s the First Council! This includes 30 new members of the English-speaking council and 12 new members of the Spanish-speaking council. These inspiring and passionate young women join us from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, making the GAC stronger and more vibrant than ever before!
Fighting Misogyny: Two Student Activists Share How Girls Can Take a Stand
Following the U.S. election results, She’s the First spoke with girls in our Chapters program who live in states and areas where women’s bodies are politicized. A university student from Arizona said that men on her campus held signs that said, “Women are property.” A girl from a high school in Texas told us that boys were walking around the hallway saying, “Your body, my choice.” The use of these phrases online has also spiked dramatically.
We wanted to see what two alums of our Girl Activist Fellowship thought about the rise of sexist discourse and what girls can do to fight back. Allison Choong, 21, of Penang, Malaysia, and Sania Hammad, 19, from Kansas, U.S, are two of the five co-authors of Safiya Speaks Up!, a children’s book about safety from sexual violence—which they created during their She’s the First fellowship. The book and mentor’s guide have been available for 15 months, and in that time, more than 7,000 girls were introduced to Safiya and learned how to identify safe adults in their lives.
In this conversation, Allison and Sania talk about how they’re tackling significant issues like sex education, reproductive health, and gender-based violence at a time when women’s rights are challenged.
A Year of Impact: How We Built Girls’ Power Together Across the Globe
As we approach a new year, we’re looking back at all we accomplished in 2024 with the support of our community.
Our 2024 in a snapshot: building girls’ power in Nairobi, convening practitioners in Uganda, amplifying voices in Liberia, launching the Girls First Institute, and witnessing girls speak truth to power at the UN.
From local communities to global stages, these moments remind us of the unstoppable force of girls and their mentors—and the power we have when we work together as a movement to ensure girls have more agency in their lives.
A Letter to the Girls of She’s the First
Girl Activist Fellows Talk Sex Ed Misinformation
We spoke with two of our Girl Activist Fellows about sex education, the spread of misinformation in their communities, and what changes they want to see. Sydney, 17, who lives in a conservative rural town in Massachusetts, U.S., pointed out that abstinence-only programs cause harm. Faith Boke, 21, from Kuria, Kenya, shared how her community faces shame and misinformation about menstruation and reproductive health. They talked about the need for thorough and inclusive sex education to clear up myths and reduce the stigma around reproductive health.
She's the First Girl Leaders Discuss The Power of Girls' Education and Leadership
Girls—and Malala!—Demonstrate to Let World Leaders Know What Girls Want!
On September 21, 2024, in New York City, more than 50 young women from around the world—including the youngest Nobel Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai and representatives from four She’s the First programs!—gathered to take United Nations member states to task for failing to prioritize girls and young women in the planning and content of the Summit of the Future.
From STF Campus to STF Chapters: What You Need to Know About Our Name Change
Safiya Speaks Up! Makes Waves in Southeast Asia
Safiya Speaks Up!, the impactful children's book developed by five She’s the First Girl Activist Fellows, is making significant strides in Southeast Asia through the efforts of two of its passionate authors and advocates, Anya Legarda and Allison Choong. It was created to educate young girls about combatting sexual violence and using their voices. Since its digital publication last fall, mentors and parents have shared Safiya’s story with more than 3,000 girls across the globe.
The Kulkarnis' Advice for Dads and Daughters Who Want to Change the World
Why Do You Need Feminism? She's the First Chapter Speaks Up
"To every Muslim woman; You are powerful": Meet Alum & Mentor Wuday Jaiteh!
“I do the work because I grew up around a lot of suffering and injustice, and as the first girl child of my family, I want to show the rest of my community what is possible through education.” Wuday Jaiteh is a 22-year-old law student at the University of The Gambia, and a graduate of and mentor for our partner Starfish International. Get to know this powerhouse young woman through our Q&A!
5 Lessons for Girl-Led Activism
Welcoming the Newest Cohort of Girl Activist Fellows
Girl Activist Fellows Produce Pop-Up Gallery Shows with the Theme “My Body, My Choice”
Girl Activist Fellows from Kenya and the U.S. produced pop-up gallery shows with the theme “My Body, My Choice” for International Day of the Girl. Reproduce This! was a bi-continental art gallery experience produced by a team of girls, for girls. The fellows spent the last year in our program learning how to imagine, plan, and execute an activism campaign and these gallery shows were the result.