Build a girl leader

Twenty-four young women in our third cohort recently completed the Pathway to Lead program. After joining as Colorful Girls, they reconnected with us as young adults to grow their leadership skills, actively organize girls in their communities, and explore their own potential.

Lay Lay, a young woman leader in Mandalay, had to flee into the jungle several times last year due to fighting in her village. But she was determined to help other girls find strength together and to share her love of volleyball with them.

She reflected on her time in the two-year Pathway to Lead program:

“I learned how to manage my time and use IT tools, like email and Google Drive. Knowing how to use these safely makes me calmer while travelling through security checkpoints with my phone.

I know I’m not the best at volleyball handling skills, but there is still a lot I can share with other girls to help them benefit from sport and play well together.

I also learned how to make practical and realistic goals for myself. I make new goals every month and feel motivated when I check to see if my real-life actions align with my goals. When I set both long-term and short-term goals, I feel empowered and like I am a better person who is more responsible. I already have clear plans for what to pursue next.

I want to improve my public speaking and communication. I am more confident and know how to stay calm, so I will work on these things when talking with community leaders and peers.

I know that I can lead myself. And I know my talents better. This experience will help me in other workplaces and situations.”

We look forward to seeing where young women like Lay Lay go from here. Some will continue working with us in various roles, while the majority will go on to influence other aspects of their communities, equipped with greater confidence and ability to contribute toward peaceful progress.

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We are also happy to share with you, Girl Determined 2024: Joy is Still Possible. Inside, you can read about:

• How young women organized Myanmar’s largest film festival. 33 screenings on topics like gender, sexuality, and discrimination. Over 1,000 community members showed up—many of them adults learning from twenty-year-olds.
• A former Girl Determined participant named Hnin called our emergency line from Oman, where she was being held captive and extorted after following what seemed like a legitimate job posting online.
• In addition to these stories, there is a summary of our 2024 program data; what girls face right now - from girls’ perspectives; and impacts from the year.

Unique stories like these show what's really happening for girls in Myanmar. Both have hopeful endings. And both exist because of you.

Links:

• Early to wed: Myanmar girls marry to avoid military service
• In War-Torn Nations, Trump's Travel Ban Brings a New Hardship
• War, displacement and disaster: The mental health toll on girls