Programs for Girls

Through subtle activities and discussions that address gender discrimination, we teach the girls how to express themselves when they feel they are being treated unfairly. We also help de-stigmatize menstruation so they don’t miss school once a month, and teach them about safe hygienic practices. We further empower our girls through Wenlido (personal safety) training. Taught only by women to women and girls, Wenlido doesn’t just teach girls how to protect themselves from physical and emotional abuse, it focuses on the development of their overall well-being. More importantly, the training allows them to find their inner strength, and shows them how to use it to take charge of their own lives..

Programs for Boys

A crucial, often-overlooked element to empowering girls is the sensitization of boys. Through monthly sessions for adolescent boys, we instill in them empathy for girls, which in turn instills respect, which makes them view girls as equals. Our activities and discussions help them internalize the struggles girls and women undergo during menstruation, childbirth, or even walking down a dark alleyway by themselves.

The impact

We see with our own eyes boys and girls playing and working together as equals. We see boys encouraging girls participate and take the lead. Our Wenlido personal safety trainings have increased the confidence of adolescent girls, which helps them feel safer when being out in the community, because they know they have the power to defend themselves. For girls who were previously not allowed to continue on to secondary school for fear of what would happen to them during the long commute outside their communities, they reported being able to convince their families that they could take care of themselves and continue their education. Several alumni have said our programs helped them resist premature marriage for themselves or their siblings, opting for higher education before marriage.