and now President & CEO of Project Concern International
For International Day of the Girl 2020, Girl Rising hosted a 12-hour summit called “Rising Together” on October 10th. While it was virtual due to COVID-19, there was an upside: nearly 1,700 people tuned in from around the world, which was far more than would have been able to attend in person.
There are 1 billion girls under age 18 in the world.
They are the next generation of changemakers.
Educating girls is an investment in our future.
Carrie Hessler-Radelet
Session 3: East Africa
Girls from Kenya gave their impressions of about this motivating short film from Sierra Leone. Here are some of their comments about Mariama, who was the main character in the movie. Mariama is very relatable to all teenage girls. She is a youth host of a radio show and she has big dreams.
- One girl with courage is a revolution.
- She has a growth-mindset.
- She self-advocates.
- She copes with challenges through education.
- She becomes a problem solver.
- She gives us hope that it doesn’t matter where you come from. She comes from an informal settlement.
- She learned to speak up – to her parents and others.
- It shoes show family support and harmonious polygamy can make a difference.
- She was patient and persistent.
- She organized a life plan.
Girl Rising stories give girls the chance to understand each other as they relate to common experiences. Even very young girls can make real change. Girl Rising clubs at schools believe that students are changemakers. When they go home, they start conversations in communities.
Dr. Sara Ruto from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development said that International Day of the Girl is a day of celebration of girls’ rights and gains. At the same time, it is a time to reflect that many girls remain behind due to cultural practices. There must be gains for ALL girls, not just SOME girls. Claim your right to an education – you must grab it, sometimes it is not given to you. Identify what you want – use your inner resources of resilience, determination, and focus to achieve your dreams.
Session 4: Global Girl Rising
Actor and activist David Oyelowo simply said “keep going” so that girls can have a future of their own choosing. He spoke of the important role that men and boys play in gender equality. He said that even small organizations that are a “drop in the ocean” of this challenge can join together to form a mighty sea that is a solution. (African Girls Can!)
Beyond School Walls Panel
Adolescence is a time of extreme vulnerability for many girls. Social norms dictate expectations for how their lives should go, coupled with the risks of early marriage and violence. Carol Owala from Kenya Big Picture Learning said “it’s not enough to just get girls into school. We need to prepare kids for opportunities in the global market. We need to build a critical mass of people in the community who can act as mentors.” Kids in class in Africa spend a lot of time cramming facts and need to be out of class and into the world. Also, health information can be integrated in many places – sports facilities, youth centers, churches etc.
Jennifer Cooper of UN Women spoke about a girl’s right to participate in sports. Sports offer so many benefits: self-esteem increases quickly, life skills are acquired, and there is peer to peer learning. Sports have a measurable impact on the formation of leadership skills. 96% of c-suite women played on a high school or college sports team. There needs to be more investment in opportunities for girls to participate in sports. Strong female role models will be built from within the communities. For more information.
