Every girl deserves to be educated, respected and heard- and what can happen when that level of support and trust starts in the home?

From the sidelines of his son’s cricket game in New Jersey, Pradeep Kulkarni beams when he talks about his eldest daughter.

“Any parent would like to have a daughter like Ira, she is hardworking and calm. I have been up and close with her and involved with her since the day we brought her home from the hospital. After we saw Ira, we knew we could have another kid, because she was just so easy.

I’m proud of her because she is someone who is very very well mannered, she is good at heart, she likes to do good for the people around her. She is extremely hardworking, she does not just rely on her good intellect, she adds to it with hard work, it’s an amazing quality.”

Pradeep isn’t just gushing about his beloved daughter. We saw it first hand when Ira became an inaugural Girl Activist Fellow, and then went on to be a Girls Advisory Council member before starting an STF Chapter in her community. The Girl Activist Fellowship is a program aimed at helping girls flourish into leaders and activists through learning practical steps to engineer a campaign from start to finish.

Through the fellowship, girls worked within teams to create an activism campaign around one of the rights in The Global Girls’ Bill of Rights. Ira’s team campaigned on number 5: The right to comprehensive sexual education and access to free, quality reproductive healthcare. As a result Reproduce This! A pop up, international art show featuring only one of a kind, girl-made art was born.

Ira flew to New York with her Dad, to serve as co-host of Reproduce This! Simultaneously, her peers gathered in Nairobi, Kenya to host a sister show. 

“Ira: I’m most proud of the Reproduce This! gallery showcase. I saw this campaign from the beginning to the end. I'm grateful to have received the guidance from so many girls and from STF staff, to transform my idea to something even bigger. From reaching out to panelists, doing research, organizing, talking to girls and talking to supporters, I worked on every aspect of the show. During this event, I was able to give my first ever, long speech in front of supporters, STF Staff, and girls. I’m super proud of what I was able to share and achieve through the Girls Activist Fellowship.

I hope this campaign served as a glimpse of the power women's voices hold. To see the effort that hundreds of girls all over the world put in creating the event, making artwork, and supporting the campaign was truly amazing to witness.

Reading the stories of these girls who many times created artwork even though it was not accepted in their communities was courageous and nothing short of inspiring. I hope people around the world can understand the unfortunate reality of women's health rights and take the steps to make it right. On a more positive note, I also hope people continue to appreciate the importance of women's leadership and the power of their voices. “

Q: What's one piece of advice for girls who want to become activists?

Ira: My advice for girls who want to become activists is to get out there and speak your truth. There are so many places to do this nowadays, from social media to advocacy spaces. For me, I have always had an interest in women's rights and once I found out that STF had a Girls Activist Fellowship program, I took my chance and applied. That one opportunity opened countless doors for me, including the chance to speak in this interview! So I believe that if you are truly passionate about something, the best thing you can do is voice it.

Gender equality is extremely important to me because I know the power women possess, and just based on societal values, women are forced to hold back, which limits their potential and deprives society of what women have to offer, and women can contribute significantly to innovation, leadership and so many aspects of life.

Q: How has your Dad supported you?

Ira: My dad is extremely supportive. He encourages me to aim for my best. I'm interested in pursuing a career in biology, despite his engineering background, he always stays informed so we can always have something to talk about together.

He’s come to all my tabling events, he always attends the events I host on behalf of STF, he came with me to the Reproduce This! the Art Show. He tells people about the work I’m doing, encourages others in his network to learn more about my campaigns, and even shares directly, teaching others about my work himself.

Having my dad’s support means the world to me. 

Pradeep reflects on his experience alongside Ira, supporting her work and watching her grow.

She has changed, her understanding of what’s going on in the world has changed. Before, her view about the world has been very focused on America. I’m first generation from India, but she has been isolated from a lot of that, but through STF her view has changed. Ira’s become more mature since she’s become more aware of what’s going on in the world, especially towards women.

Her ability to communicate, especially to strangers, she can really communicate her ideas now. She was really a shy person, and now she’s able to run campaigns and she’s gained confidence. 

You think your kid has been raised in a very protective environment, and wonder how she will face the world? I’m so glad in the last year, when she is presenting for STF campaigns, or talking to my friends or her friends, or strangers, she is confident. She can communicate well, she can say what she wants to say in the right manner. I’ve witnessed this growth in the last one or two years. 

One of my favorite quotes, if it’s a boy or a girl, it only matters in the bedroom, they are both human beings. Who are we to encourage one gender over another, or to discourage one gender? If we change our perspectives toward girls, and we are not a hindrance to their growth, they will be successful.

It’s my job to support my daughter so she can thrive in this world, no matter her gender. That's my suggestion for parents, do not discriminate between boy or girl, they are all human beings.

Q: What advice would you give to father’s who want to do a better job of supporting their daughters?

I would like to advise fathers one thing, that you empower your girl, and there’s a bright chance, I would bet 95% your daughters are going to make you proud. Trust me, they are going to make you proud. I’ve seen this with my own daughters as well as girls in my family. Give her a conducive environment and she can do it.

We know parenthood doesn’t take the day off, and honestly, neither does the patriarchy. Pradeep said it best, if we empower girls, they will make us proud. Will you make a commitment to empower girls every day?

When given an opportunity to use their voice, girls around the world have limitless potential. The Girl Activist Fellowship creates lifelong activists, like Ira, who understand the power of their own voice.

Monthly donations are the most sustainable way to give. These dollars allow our programs team to make big plans with big impact for girls all over the world. Our current plan? To reach 170,000 girls this year, and we need your help.