Activism Programs, Advocacy, Girl Activist Fellowship, Girls' Voices
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. 

Girl Activist Fellows Talk Sex Ed Misinformation
Advocacy
She's the First
Why Day of the Girl matters (I’ve seen them all)

Our Co-Founder and CEO, Tammy Tibbetts, reflects on the past 12 years since the first International Day of the Girl.

Why Day of the Girl matters (I’ve seen them all)
Advocacy
She's the First
Girls—and Malala!—Demonstrate to Let World ...

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.

Girls—and Malala!—Demonstrate to Let World Leaders Know What Girls Want!
Girls' Voices, Partner Coalition
She's the First
"Education is our weapon to confront society."

The latest edition of The Girl Gazette is here! This edition highlights an incredible poem about girls’ leadership, a critical essay about a patriarchal community, and body-positive artwork encouraging girls to end period stigma.

"Education is our weapon to confront society."
CBO Training, Events, Girls First Institute, Girls First Summit
She's the First
Girls First Summit 2024 Debuts in Uganda and ...

After months of meticulous preparation, the 8th iteration of the Girls First Summit in Nairobi and the first-ever Summit in Uganda finally arrived! Girls First Summit, hosted by She’s the First,  brings together courageous women who work with underserved girls to strengthen their programs, learn practical ways to build girls' power in their communities, and network.

Girls First Summit 2024 Debuts in Uganda and Shines in Nairobi
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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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Girl Activist Fellows Produce Pop-Up Gallery Shows with the Theme “My Body, My Choice”

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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.

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Girl Activist Fellows Write Children's Book to Help Girls Navigate Unsafe Situations

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Girl Activist Fellows Write Children's Book to Help Girls Navigate Unsafe Situations

In Safiya Speaks Up, Safiya learns the difference between safe and unsafe touch and identifies three trustworthy adults in her life. The accompanying Mentor’s Guide provides additional information, context, and resources so that trusted adults can help girls understand Safiya’s story and how they can use the tools that Safiya used. This project was created, written, and illustrated by fellows between the ages of 15 and 21 across Malaysia, Kenya, the Philippines, and the United States.

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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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Community-Centered Change: A Visit to Savana Kitui in Kenya

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Our partner Savana Kitui works with schools to create safe spaces for girls to mentor and address issues of gender-based violence, access to quality education, economic justice and rights, and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). They have done so by creating safe havens through the use of art, music, dance, and sports in order to build relationships with girls and address other more complex issues. 

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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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Girl Activist Fellows Launch Power of Poetry Campaign

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Girl Activist Fellows Launch Power of Poetry Campaign

A girl with an education is unstoppable—but barriers like gender discrimination, poverty, and exploitation prevent many girls from reaching graduation.

Our Youth Ambassadors created the Power of Poetry campaign to amplify girls' voices about this issue for National Poetry Month and the Global Week of Action for Education. Girls aged 11 to 22 from Afghanistan, India, Guatemala, Kenya, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, South Sudan, the U.K., and the U.S. submitted their work.

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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.

Our Co-Founder & CEO Represented STF at the White House!

Our Co-Founder & CEO Represented STF at the White House!

“This week, I had the honor of representing She's the First at the White House for Women's History Month! The President, First Lady, Vice President, and the Second Gentleman gave speeches that underscored the importance of investing in the economic freedom of women and defended girls' and women's rights, especially over their bodies.”

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The Girl Gazette: essays, interviews, and art from girls in the STF community

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The Girl Gazette: essays, interviews, and art from girls in the STF community

One key element of our mission at She’s the First is ensuring girls tell their own stories. With their permission, we share their creations with our community of supporters and partners through The Girl Gazette, a newsletter written entirely by girls!

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Q&A with the Girls on Our Board of Directors

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Q&A with the Girls on Our Board of Directors

At She’s the First, we believe in taking a girl-centered and anti-oppressive approach to all we do. Girls know their needs better than anyone, which is why we ethically include girls in our decision-making processes and in our program evaluation. To ensure that girls have a vote and a voice at the highest level within our organization, we reserve two seats on our Board of Directors for girls. Two girls are elected by their peers in the Girls Advisory Council to fill these roles.

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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!

Day of the Girl: 3 Ways to Support Girls' Rights

Day of the Girl: 3 Ways to Support Girls' Rights

Today is International Day of the Girl, a day recognized by the United Nations for the world to center girls' voices and needs. Right now, there's no need greater than ensuring that girls can make safe, informed choices about their relationships and bodies. Girls have a right to education about their health and bodies. Take action with She's the First today.