We proudly recognize Njeri Gladys as our 2025 Giving Tuesday Inspiration.
Gladys (center) leads confidence-building mentorship sessions that offer menstrual hygiene education to adolescent girls in her community. Photo by Sarah Waiswa
Have you ever seen a problem in your community and wished you could fix it—but felt you didn’t have the means? Gladys, a 23-year-old first-generation graduate in Kenya, might change how you feel.
As a teenager in boarding school, Gladys was elected leader of her dormitory. One day, she discovered two girls in the dorm couldn’t afford sanitary pads. Instead of looking away, she asked ten friends to each donate a pad to help.
That small act of compassion became Gladys’ North Star. ✨ She saw that when a girl’s basic needs are met, she gains the strength to dream bigger.
Gladys (right) holds the painting Grace (left) created for a girl-led art show in Nairobi, Kenya; the piece depicts a girl breaking free from chains.
Gladys developed her leadership skills in She’s the First’s inaugural Girl Activist Fellowship cohort. (Her claim to fame: co-organizing a global art show for reproductive rights with other girls!)
Along the way, Gladys dreamed of growing Her Voice Matters — a grassroots organization she started to help girls in Kibera manage their periods with dignity and confidence. Kibera is a large informal settlement within Nairobi, Kenya, where many families survive on less than $2 a day. Girls face steep barriers to education. Teenage pregnancy and limited access to menstrual care often force them out of school before they can chase their dreams.
But Gladys was having a difficult time funding Her Voice Matters. Rather than quit, she decided to lean into her most abundant resource: training and coaching from She’s the First.
“Learning was never an issue in all this; She’s the First was always there. All the information I’m using to run Her Voice Matters has come from She’s the First. I learned that listening to girls goes beyond asking questions. You have to immerse yourself in girls’ environments, understand their daily challenges, and co-create solutions with them.”
Pictured above: In October, just before International Day of the Girl, Gladys led a session inviting girls to celebrate themselves.
Persistence paid off. In 2025, She’s the First helped Gladys secure a grant! Gladys used it to register Her Voice Matters with the Kenyan government. She has since mentored over 340 girls to support their education and agency.
Gladys recently hosted a conference to inspire girls from three under-resourced neighborhoods in Nairobi with local role models. She's stretched a modest budget far enough to help girls see a bigger future for themselves and believe they're worthy of it.
One of the most powerful forces in a girl’s life is a woman she can look up to — especially a young role model like Gladys. Gladys is proof that an educated girl can become a woman who pays it forward.
“I feel inspired that kids can believe in me, despite the fact that I cannot give them much. Just the little resources — pads, a small lunch — makes them feel like they can open up to me and believe that I have a solution to their problems.”
Gladys has leveraged this trust to go beyond the “don’t talk to boys” advice that older adults give girls. Through resources like our What Would You Do? game, which sparks conversations about relationships, she’s been able to broach sensitive topics, such as consent, safe sex, pregnancy, and safety from violence. Gladys’ voice matters: girls usually aren’t hearing those messages anywhere else.
Blessing and Gladys - photo by Sarah Waiswa
Gladys now reaches hundreds of girls each year. Each one represents a life with more choices, a more confident voice — like 12-year-old Blessing.
Blessing felt incredibly shy and unsure of herself before meeting Gladys this past March. But when Her Voice Matters showed up on weekends, she started to open up. Blessing began speaking in front of her class and learning coping mechanisms, like deep breaths and journaling, to help process feelings and feel in control. She even takes what she learns about menstrual hygiene back home, to teach other girls.
“When I get the chance to answer questions from Gladys during our mentorship sessions, and she appreciates what I say, and says, ‘Very good! That’s awesome,’ it makes me feel really good, like I can do anything.”
For Gladys, Blessing is what success looks like: it’s not the size of her organization, but the trust and belief her girls give her.
“My biggest accomplishment isn’t getting a grant. It’s that kids believe in what I do.”
Just as Blessing is stronger with Gladys, She’s the First is stronger with you.
This holiday season, would you invest in girls’ education, mentorship, and safe spaces? Your donations will fund transformative grants for our community partners.