Real change happens when individual leaders become catalysts for transformation that ripples across entire communities, institutions, and systems. At Rise Up, we’ve developed a proven model that doesn’t just strengthen local leaders – it fundamentally shifts how communities and countries value and respond to women and girls. Through targeted support, training, and funding, Rise Up Leaders consistently demonstrate their ability to shift behavior, practices, and systems in ways that generate lasting impact.
Shifting Access to Health Information
In India, Gayatri Parameswaran launched the country’s first Hindi website focused on ending gender-based violence, reaching 1.5 million people monthly – a transformative shift in how women access health information.
Her WhatsApp messaging strategy fundamentally changed how women access sexual and reproductive health information, normalizing conversations about previously taboo topics and enabling informed health decision-making. Gayatri’s work is advancing digital health literacy and creating accessible, trusted channels for women to receive and share vital information and better advocate for their health and rights.
Transforming Institutions in Nigeria
Rise Up Leader Anastesia Ezeolisa is leading a bold shift in how Anambra State responds to climate emergencies. Her advocacy for gender-sensitive policy reform is reshaping state-level emergency response to prioritize the safety and recovery of women and girls affected by annual flooding.
With Rise Up’s funding and support, she is advancing policies that move beyond reactive, one-size-fits-all approaches toward proactive, inclusive planning that will persist beyond individual flooding events. This transformation has the potential to protect more than 1 million residents and ensure long-term economic recovery for women and girls. Anastesia’s work is a powerful example of how policy advocacy can drive lasting systemic change.
Changing Cultural Attitudes
In rural and tribal communities across India, Rise Up Leader Ashwani Tiwari’s Maker Labs program demonstrates profound cultural behavioral change. Maker Labs is an initiative dedicated to providing accessible STEM education to young learners, regardless of gender, geography, or socioeconomic background.
With support from Rise Up, Ashwani has expanded the Maker Labs program to 21 schools in India and has the goal of serving more than 150,000 girls from marginalized backgrounds with STEM education, coaching, and assistance to strengthen their leadership potential. Families who once held limiting stereotypes about girls’ capabilities now actively support their daughters’ STEM education – resulting in innovative solutions like Manisha’s fertilizer machine that doubled local farmers’ incomes, or Harshita’s driver safety glasses that automatically shut off the engine if the driver falls asleep. Communities now recognize girls as the next generation of inventors whose solutions will drive real economic growth.
These powerful stories show how Rise Up drives meaningful behavior change at every level – individual, institutional, and societal – to build a more just and equitable world for all.
