Naserian: Our first programme integrating RISE and the Girls First Institute

This month, Girl Rising and She's the First merged into one organisation. One name. One mission. Built on more than a decade of combined experience working alongside girls, families and communities to remove the structural barriers that stand between girls and their aspirations.

Earlier this year, a February workshop in Narok County, Kenya brought the meaning of our merger into sharp focus. Mentors. Community leaders. Educators. All in the same room together, preparing to deliver Naserian: Girls Rising in Narok — our first programme to bring both organisations' research-proven approaches together as one.

Emma Mogaka, Training Manager, was there. "The programme works with girls in and out of school, ensuring we leave no one behind," Emma explains. "Both the community-based and school-based approaches are tailored to address the needs of the girls, recognising that girls are not homogeneous. That is what enables real transformation."

For the first time in Narok, in-school and out-of-school girls are part of the same programme, moving in the same direction at the same time.

Isolation is one of the deepest barriers out-of-school girls face. Not just physical isolation — social and emotional exclusion too. The feeling of being left behind. Of being forgotten.

"Bringing together girls in school and out of school removes an invisible boundary that girls often feel but don't name," Emma says. "It means a lot to a girl who is out of school to know that her peers in school are also going through a similar programme at the same time. She's not behind. She's not forgotten. This makes a huge difference."

The tools Naserian uses are designed for this. The What Would You Do? card game creates space for conversations about boundaries, peer pressure and consent — topics that remain taboo in many communities — through guided play rather than instruction. The Period Diary builds body literacy and reduces stigma around menstruation. These aren't abstract resources. They are designed for specific, often vulnerable moments in a girl's life.

"Out-of-school programmes for girls are flexible and adaptable," Emma explains. "As we continually create spaces for self-exploration and listen to the girls, we redesign the programme to ensure it meets their needs."

There was a moment during the February training that Emma has not forgotten.

One of the mentors — a woman from the community, training to work alongside the girls of Narok County — shared that most of the mentors in the room had themselves undergone female genital mutiation. That was why, she said, they were there. That was why they were so committed. They had lived it. Now they were there to make sure the girls coming after them had something different.

"This captured the essence of what this programme is becoming," Emma reflects. "A system that supports girls across spaces, not just within one. Equipping teachers and community-based organisations ensures that girls receive support from multiple stakeholders within their ecosystem."

What she experienced in that training room felt different from anything that came before it. "The merger has enabled us to engage teachers and mentors not just as participants but as collaborators in something integrated. It felt less like delivering a programme and more like co-creating an ecosystem around girls. Before the merger, we were strong in community engagement," Emma says. "Now, we are equally strong in institutional engagement."

That combination changes what's possible for a girl going through Naserian. "She doesn't just gain knowledge. She gains a community. She gains confidence in navigating her environment. Her family begins to shift alongside her, which is critical. And importantly, she develops a sense of agency that is reinforced across multiple spaces in her life — not just in one setting."

What comes next

Naserian runs for two years in Narok County, Kenya. It will reach more than 10,000 people — in-school girls, out-of-school girls, teenage mothers, teachers, mentors, parents and community leaders. All part of one programme. All moving in one direction.