By Ana Rafaela Proaño Calderon, Girl Rising Fellow, Ecuador A universal experience many women share from their childhood is not being allowed to carry something heavy because they’ve been told that “only boys can do it”. Unfortunately, this isn’t an innocent commentary, but a reflection of how society thinks of women: whether it is that we are not “strong” or “perceptive” enough to know how to do a simple thing such as carrying a heavy object. Therefore, globally, girls’ and

Fathers introducing children to their childhood passion projects is not unheard of. So when Japnit’s father sat her down to show her Facebook’s source code, it felt like a natural extension of that. Turns out it was much more; it was the seed of the Go Girls Organisation. Hooked on coding and all things computers, Japnit joined her school's computer club. However, little did she know she was seen only as an inclusivity representative, not a serious learner. Over the course o

A school teacher in Nwoya discreetly set aside part of her meagre salary and bought cotton cloths and soap for her 20 female students. Without a care for attention, Ms Mary Aciro continued doing what she felt would put her students at ease and not become a reason for them to drop out of school. But her efforts didn't go unnoticed. Lizza Kawooya met her, saw her work, and shared it with the world through her podcast. However, neither Ms Aciro nor Lizza saw the ripple effect ma

Gufasha Maureen was only 13 years old when she was forced out of school and married to a 62-year-old man. Gufasha lost her life to childbirth, not before being sexually abused in a forced marriage. For Joan Kembabazi, Gufasha's best friend, Gufasha lives on through the Gufasha Girls Foundation. “I envision a world where every girl is free from child marriage, educated, and empowered,” explains Joan. The foundation works to ensure no girl is married before the age of 18. With

Aura, Uganda witnessed a surge in school dropouts and teen pregnancies during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. During that period, Tizaru Peace was a student, completing her internship with UN Women Uganda. Here, “I saw firsthand how widespread teenage pregnancy had become and the stigma and limited opportunities that many young mothers faced, explains Tizaru. Tizaru and her co-founder understood that the young mothers they met had aspirations for the future, but they lacked p

A child learns many of its firsts at home. Moraa Beryl was no different; the exception being what she learned and what it led to. Moraa's first brush with gender-based violence was at her home. Witnessing her mother and aunt face economic, physical, and emotional abuse at home left Moraa facing post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Throughout this ordeal, sitting with her chain of thoughts, Moraa battled countless emotions and questions. However, as she made her way

The first wave of COVID-19 was at its peak. Fear and uncertainty were omnipresent. For Ausmita Sarkar, though, a hot cup of chai (tea) and candid conversations with her friends became a haven away from the negativity unravelling outside. Soon, a realisation dawned on Ausmita: the safe space she enjoyed was rare. And with that realisation came a resolve: she wouldn’t let it remain rare. She would make it her mission to make such spaces accessible to queer individuals and girl

By Rabia Kamran Sometimes, “How are you?” is the easiest question in the world to answer. “I'm fine.” It takes two seconds. Nobody asks too many questions, and the conversation moves on. But sometimes, “fine” is simply the word we use when we don't know how to explain everything else. Being young can feel like standing in the middle of a hundred expectations. Get good grades. Choose the right career. Make your family proud. Build friendships. Take opportunities. Be confident.

By Doreen Bushoke There is a girl who is always okay. At least, that's what everyone thinks. Maybe because, in some ways, I am that girl. She knows how to say I'm fine before anyone has finished asking. She knows how to meet deadlines, show up for her friends, make her family proud, and keep going even when something inside her feels heavy. But what she doesn't always know is how to stop and ask: What am I actually feeling? Growing up as a girl can come with an invisible curr

Growing up, I always felt a deep pull toward advocacy and making a difference, but I faced a silent, heavy barrier: I was terrified of my own voice. Before I stepped into leadership and community spaces, I was the girl who sat at the back of the room. I held brilliant, burning ideas in my mind, but whenever the opportunity arose to share them, self-doubt would take over. That was me every single week. I had so much passion inside me, but whenever I joined our She'sTheFirst (G

Growing up, I often felt like I was navigating the world with a map that everyone else seemed to have except me. Social situations felt exhausting, making friends seemed impossible, and speaking up about what I wanted or thought felt terrifying. For a long time, I believed I would always be “the girl who stayed quiet, stayed hidden, and stayed on the sidelines.” Things began to change when I started understanding myself better. But understanding myself was only part of the jo

An Event Created and Hosted by the Binghamton University She's the First Chapter (now Girl Rising Chapter) By Chloe Chen, Ariana Eisner, Cloe Lefkon, Morgan Merritt, Amanda Nilsen, Fiona Reohr, Zoe Rodriguez and Christina Ye. The Beginnings of FemFest Binghamton University’s She’s the First Chapter (now Girl Rising Chapter) prides itself on the women-based community that they have fostered through fundraisers, bonding events, and volunteering in the broader community to give

By Faith Habu, former Girl Rising Student Ambassador “If the opportunity to greatness seems distant, start small”, said Napoleon Hill. Quotes people say are overrated—but not for me. They are windows to a world I am familiar with, an opening to someone else’s lens similar to mine. A few years ago, I was another girl filled with dreams, and that dream was to empower girls and children, especially vulnerable communities. What started from late-night imaginations, writing down i

by Rabia Kamran, Girls Advisory Council, for International Day of Play, June 11, 2026 When I think of childhood, I do not first remember classrooms, exams, or report cards. I remember play. I remember long afternoons spent inventing games with friends and cousins, turning ordinary spaces into entire worlds. A living room became a castle, a street became a race track, and a simple ball could keep us entertained for hours. At the time, it felt like nothing more than fun. Lookin

by Anoushka Poddar, Girls Advisory Council, for International Day of Play, June 11, 2026 I still remember the games I made up as a child, imagining different fantastical scenarios and acting them out with my friends. We were astronauts, lost in space after the cords connecting us to the shuttle suddenly snapped, and another day, we were actresses, strutting down Beverly Hills with yippity chihuahuas in our purses. One day, we were mermaid princesses on a quest to find the mag

By Athodonun Ewa, Girls Advisory Council, for International Day of Play, June 11, 2026. Growing up I used to count down to the holidays. I always looked forward to those days when I had absolutely no reason to bother about assignments, deadlines, or waking up by 5 a.m. to prep for school. The summer holidays were always my favourite because I got to spend more time playing with my siblings in our living room. We would do a mini Olympics in our living room—funny, right? But it

Gentle Visitations of the Feminine Moon By Zuri Gabrielle Neghest, Girls Advisory Council member, 2026 Did you know that women and girls have an average of 450 menstrual cycles in their lifetime? That is quite a few chocolate cravings and cozy blankets! Since time immemorial, women and girls have had to navigate the monthly rhythms of their bodies. Menstruation, commonly known as a period, is a monthly shedding of the uterine lining when an egg isn’t fertilised. Periods are u

Researched and written by Yamilah Bhyat Somewhere, in time immemorial, beneath an ancient sky, a young girl became a woman for the very first time. She experienced menstruation long before humanity had the language to explain what her blood meant, and we will never know what story was told around that first blood — whether it was met with fear, or reverence, or something in between. But since then, societies throughout history have endeavoured to shape our understanding o

To whisper the words and pretend to stay clean. To carry our pain with a smile on our face, As if something natural should be erased. But periods are normal, they’re part of our life, Not something disgusting, not shameful or strife. Yet girls miss their classes, feel fear and disgrace, Just because stigma still lingers in place. No more hiding pads in the sleeves of our shirts, No more laughing away all the cramps and the hurts. It’s time we speak loudly, let silence now end

By Abigail Eyo In too many regions, the message is clear: “Girls with disabilities are meaningless; they don’t deserve a seat at the table." Wait… what? If that sentence made your stomach turn, good. Because for too long, that’s exactly how society has treated our sisters. But earlier this month in Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire, 200 of us from 25 countries gathered at the Adolescent Girls Summit (AGS) 2026 to prove the world dead wrong. As a Junior Board Member at Girl Rising