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

Gambia

FGM Must Remain Illegal in The Gambia - Girl-Centered Organizations Demand Better for Girls

We, the undersigned girl-centered organizations, vehemently oppose the ongoing efforts to repeal the ban against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in The Gambia. FGM—the partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons—is a profoundly harmful practice that violates the rights and dignity of girls. It is a form of violence that often results in long-term physical and psychological consequences.

The Women’s (Amendment) Act of 2015 is a crucial legislation, protecting the rights and well-being of girls in The Gambia. Reversing this significant step forward in ensuring girls' safety and health would constitute a grave injustice and a regression in the fight for gender equality and human rights.

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"To every Muslim woman; You are powerful": Meet Alum & Mentor Wuday Jaiteh!

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“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!