Girl Effect Fund

Your generous support has enabled The Girl Effect Fund to continue empowering girls all around the world. Check out what some of the projects in the fund have been up to below..

The SOLD Project managed to achieve a 95% retention rate of students staying in school in a village where more than half of the children are expected to drop out of grade school and are at high risk of sex trafficking. Moreover 84 of the 129 children in their scholarship program are now pursuing higher education. Faa, one of the students, shared her story about the  impact of The SOLD Project's work in Thailand.

Girl Determined in Burma facilitated a group of 70 girls, half of which were buddhist nuns, in a campaign to bring awareness to the taboo issue of domestic violence. This campaign was the foundation for an ongoing conversation that could hopefully change attitudes in homes and communities. Additionally, by late 2014, Girl Determined managed to attract 2000 girls in their weekly leadership circles that strive to address the issues of trafficking, dangerous labor, and other forms of violence that young girls face in Burma.

The Zimkids Orphan Trust continues to challenge traditional gender roles by training 100 orphan Zimbabwean girls in personal and vocational skills typically characterized as male. This includes courses in electrical wiring and tiling.  ZimKids is also in negotiations with a local motorcycle manufacturing company to train girls to build component parts.

Days For Girls International provided information about washable menstrual hygiene kits to approximately 30,000 girls and  9,040 girls received the necessary materials to make a shield, a liner and a bag. Furthermore, all target schools have been trained in reproductive health and many of the trained womens groups are now selling kits. Days for Girls recently organized a training session in Nansana. Not only were eight secondary school teachers trained in kit making, but they were also prompted to engage in the very important conversation of reproductive health and gender equity.

The Mariposa DR Foundation offered therapeutic art classes to 120 girls. The girls participated in a variety of projects such as creating personal journals, wrap dolls, self-affirming cards, and self-care boxes. The various mediums of art tackled the crucial themes of self-care, body and consent, self-esteem, and self-empowerment among several others. Mariposa has also been busy building a teaching kitchen that will further develop cooking and hospitality skills. According to the Mariposa project leader, tourism and hospitality is the number one industry in the Dominican Republic. Thus cultivating these skills can be a great career option for many of the girls.

Once again, thank you for your invaluable support ! Without generous donors like you, none of this would be possible.