In honor of International Day of the Girl in October, we held a virtual event highlighting why it is critical to support and invest in girls’ education and leadership if we want to make real progress toward gender equality. The event featured visionary leaders from Rise Up and our event co-host, She’s the First, who are transforming girls’ lives in Africa and beyond. The event tied perfectly with this year’s theme for International Day of the Girl on October 11, “Girls’ vision for the future,” which highlights the need for “urgent action and persistent hope, driven by the power of girls’ vision and voices for the future.”

We know from our 15 years of experience that the potential for the 1.1 billion girls across the world is limitless – but too often barriers like child marriage, physical and sexual violence, and gender norms prevent girls from achieving their dreams. The urgency to invest in girls’ education and skills is clear. Globally, young women between the ages of 15 and 29 are three times more likely than their male counterparts to not attend school or higher education, and be outside the labor force, according to UNICEF. The inspiring women leaders and girl activists featured at our event are working hard to change this reality. 

“Looking ahead, I envision a world where every girl has access to quality education, can confidently pursue her dreams, and become a leader in her community,” Rukia Sebit, a Rise Up Leader in Kenya, said at the event. 

Rukia shared her moving personal story about how she has committed herself to helping women and girls overcome the very barriers she faced growing up as part of a marginalized ethnic group. With leadership training and funding from Rise Up, she has worked to influence mentorship policy for girls through The Sunflower Trust, the organization she co-founded and leads. Rukia also said Rise Up helped her connect with key decision makers, increasing her organization’s visibility and community impact. 

At the event, Rise Up Founder and Executive Director Dr. Denise R. Dunning was joined by Rise Up Leader Margaret Bolaji in Nigeria and Diakhoumba Gassama, a Program Officer in Gender Equity and Governance at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to discuss the significance of recognizing girls’ agency and their diversity. 

“Girls are not just beneficiaries, but partners, leaders, and actors on their own issues,” Margaret, the Executive Director of the Stand With A Girl (SWAG) Initiative, said. 

Margaret noted that girls are diverse, not homogeneous. And, she explained that girls from rural areas or girls with disabilities, for example, face different challenges and are best equipped to determine solutions to their specific issues. Margaret’s organization, SWAG Initiative, is a youth-led organization that focuses on the areas of women and girls’ empowerment, access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, and girls’ education.

Diakhoumba, with the Hewlett Foundation, highlighted the critical role of philanthropy in supporting girl-led initiatives. 

“We can’t continue saying that we are working to build better societies, to promote better futures for humanity without addressing the incredible gap that there is in terms of access both to funding, to services and to rights [for women and girls],” she said.  

We also had the opportunity to hear from Sukeji Modi, a She’s the First Board Member in South Sudan and Njeri Gladys, a She’s the First Girls Advisory Council Member in Kenya. 

Both Sukeji and Gladys are girl activists in their early twenties who are leading their own initiatives. Sukeji leads Girls Voice for Change, a girl-centered organization in South Sudan that promotes girls’ education and reproductive health through advocacy and mentorship programs. Njeri founded Her Voice Matters, a mentorship initiative empowering adolescent girls and young women. 

“When we give girls pens, when we make them students, not brides,” Sukeji said. “We give them the opportunity to become our voices in global spaces.” 

To hear more from our incredible speakers, you can watch the 1-hour Power of Girls’ Education & Leadership event here.