Ten Years of Girls First Summit: A Decade of Proof in Collective Action

By Emma Mogaka and Kate Kiama

Ten years ago, the Girls First Summit (GFS) began with a remarkably simple, counter-cultural idea: that organisations working with girls wanted something deeper than just another standard industry conference. They wanted a genuine, breathing space to learn from one another, share what was working, and build the trusted relationships required to create lasting change.

The goal was never simply to gather people in a room. It was to equip grassroots leaders with practical tools, reliable networks, and true opportunities to collaborate in ways that would fundamentally strengthen their daily work for girls.

What has surprised me most over this past decade is how deeply that collaboration has taken root. At our very first summit, I hoped organisations would connect. But I did not yet anticipate how entirely willing people would be to throw open their doors—openly sharing funding leads, program models, hard-won lessons, and the precise templates and resources they had spent years developing on their own.

Today, the competitive walls of the non-profit sector are down at GFS. It is now common to see summit participants jointly advocating for policy, designing programs together, and pursuing funding as true partners rather than competitors. That systemic shift from scarcity to community may be one of the summit’s most important achievements.

Inside the Room: Nairobi, June 5

As the Training Manager at Girl Rising, I spend months working alongside my colleagues to plan agendas, define strict learning objectives, coordinate logistics, and polish the participant experience. Everything came together beautifully on the 5th of June here in Nairobi. But the moment the doors opened, the agenda took a backseat to the sheer energy of the people who filled the room.

The room was alive with practitioners who have spent decades showing up for girls in some of the most under-resourced communities; mentors who have walked alongside girls through every vulnerable phase of their lives; and young women who first walked into GFS years ago as quiet participants and have since returned as formidable leaders in their own right.

This year’s summit felt exceptionally heavy with meaning because it marked our tenth anniversary. But it also marked a historic new chapter: it was our first major convening as the newly merged Girl Rising and She’s the First organisation. Formally introducing our expanded, combined team to this community felt less like a corporate update and more like a family reunion.

Throughout the day, the magic happened entirely outside the bullet points of the official schedule. It was found in the unscripted spaces where practitioners shared lived experiences, leaned across tables to trade best practices, and asked the raw, uncomfortable questions that will actually transform their girls' programs back home.

Ten years on, GFS remains exactly what it has always aspired to be: a space where we come together not because we pretend to have all the answers, but because we fiercely believe in building a world where girls are educated, respected, and heard.

The Next Decade: Our Commitment

As we look back on ten years and step forward into our first official chapter as the newly unified Girl Rising, this milestone feels less like a traditional celebration and more like a profound commitment.

The global demand for these safe, collaborative, and practical spaces is skyrocketing. For anyone encountering Girl Rising for the first time, this is what makes our approach distinct: we don't just advocate from afar; we build the collective infrastructure that allows local leaders to thrive.

Our next chapter is to intentionally bring the summit even closer to the communities that are too often left completely out of global development conversations. We are actively expanding into new regions, creating deeper opportunities for grassroots organisations to connect, learn, and lead on their own terms.

If the last decade proved anything, it is that when you put girls first, something real and irreversible changes. When we invest in collective action rather than isolated silos, the impact reaches far beyond the scope of any single organisation. Here’s to the next ten years.