Africa, Asia, East Africa, Latin America, South Asia, West Africa
She's the First
Hot Off the Presses: The Girl Gazette!

Check out the newest issue of The Girl Gazette: Volume 5, Issue 1 for Winter 2024! The Girl Gazette amplifies the voices of girls globally and empowers them through art, poetry, and more. We highlight girls around the globe who are a part of our Partner Coalition organizations.

Hot Off the Presses: The Girl Gazette!
Africa, East Africa
She's the First
A Youth Ambassador’s Reflections on the Girls ...

Youth Ambassador Gladys Njeri shares her experience participating in the Girls First Summit, She’s the First’s annual event that brings together organizations for knowledge-sharing and targeted training, with local and global insights on best practices for supporting girls’ rights.

A Youth Ambassador’s Reflections on the Girls First Summit
Africa, East Africa
She's the First
Equal Access for ALL Girls to Period Products

While menstrual stigma has long been a political topic, one Hon. Gloria Orwoba made a very public plea for women’s and girls’ rights this year in a new and different way. A first-time senator, Hon. Orwoba made her way to the Kenya Parliamentary session on 14th February 2023 in clothing that had menstrual blood. She was asked to leave halfway through the session after her fellow parliamentarians requested the speaker to eject her for supposedly violating the house’s “dress code.” Hon. Orwoba’s actions made a strong statement to advocate for free pads for school girls and female prisoners. As a young woman at the forefront of addressing Period Poverty, this was such a relief for me.

Equal Access for ALL Girls to Period Products
Latin America
She's the First
Seré quien soy / I will be who I am
Asia
She's the First
The War Crime During War Time: Remembering the ...

The month of April memorializes sexual violence awareness month. For generations, women have heavily yet wholeheartedly shared the stories of their battles and redemption—empowering other girls to be unafraid to do the same. In the Philippines, a haunting history still lingers: the sexual enslavement of women during the occupation of the Japanese Imperial Army in World War II. 

The War Crime During War Time: Remembering the Stories of Filipina “Comfort Women”

Nepal

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The Joy of Learning

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Author: Aliza Puri, She’s the First Youth Ambassador

My grandmother learnt the first letter at 65
I remember her strive
To write her name
Thinking about how signing her name instead of thumb prints
Would be a changed game
For her.
I remember her eye beaming with pride
As she tried
To remember the letter and what they look like
And what they sound like
And I couldn't be happier for her.

My mom was married off in 9th grade.
The exchange of her education with household responsibility was not a fair trade.
Reading and writing Nepali is no big deal
But English is the real deal.
My mother can't understand my English poems
But she will still watch the whole video
And it has become a norm
For her to ask me for a translation
"K vaneko yo video ma Aliza?"
What are you saying in this video, Aliza?
But she is learning and even though she doesn't like to believe
At the age of 50 she is growing.
She is learning to read English
The words probably sound rubbish to her
She recently learnt to post her comments in social media
And she needs no body's help
Sometimes she may comment
"Beuteful" instead of "beautiful"
Under my picture
But I know what she meant
And I am proud of her

For me,
I love learning Maths and Sciences,
I love to read poems and stories in Nepali and english
I am amazed by learning how our body works in perfect coordination
How the systems in the earth work
And how this universe work
Thanks to the education that I have received

I learnt about the stars and sky
And the ants and fly
and moons and sun
and our heart and our brain
and men and women
and the rock and mountain
and the river and sea
and also about you and me.

But I also learnt that maybe you aren't as blessed as me.
And that makes me feel a little bit guilty
I feel greedy
For not being able to share everything that I have learnt so far
I feel angry
That sometimes those who can
Choose not to.

I hope someday,
All of us would learn about this amazing world, and our amazing body,
And amazing people in this world.
I hope one day,
All of us would learn and grow
Not just academically
But also as person
We will learn to be kinder and braver
And world would really be this amazing place
That I believe it is.

A girl with an education is unstoppable—but barriers like gender discrimination, poverty, and exploitation prevent many girls from reaching graduation. Our Youth Ambassadors created the Power of Poetry campaign to amplify girls' voices about this issue for Poetry Month and the Global Action Week for Education.

Aliza Puri, 20, is a She's the First Youth Ambassador (and co-creator of the Power of Poetry campaign!). Currently studying medicine in Nepal, Aliza has been involved with She's the First since she was a student at our graduated partner Kopila Valley School! Aliza sees poetry as a creative outlet for her activism. Read her poem, "Dear World," a letter to the world from every girl who has been abused, who finds it hard to come forward and ask for justice because she is too scared and embarrassed—until she decides to fight for herself.

The Power of Technology in a Pandemic: From Four Girls in Nepal

The Power of Technology in a Pandemic: From Four Girls in Nepal

In a report from the Bookings Institution, only 25 percent of low-income countries have been able to continue education remotely with access to technology, compared to 90 percent in higher-income countries. At Blink Now, our STF partner in Nepal, girls have access to technology tools, and even then the internet connection can be unstable or inconsistent. Without regular, sustained technology available, that means limited access to safe spaces, regular mentorship, and continued education.

Hear from four girls in Nepal—Jharana, Roshni, Sarita, and Aliza—on how COVID-19 and access to technology has affected their education over the last few months, and what remote connection can make possible in their communities.