Help put girls at the forefront of change

Rainy Season means back to school in Myanmar. This month also marked the start of another connective year of building girl leaders.

In late 2025, 14-year-old Khine moved with her family from rugged Karenni State, on Myanmar’s eastern border, to southern Shan State seeking reprieve from ongoing conflict. Many of the girls in her new community had also come for refuge from the violence. Their families sought a safer place to raise and educate their children. 

Due to the conflict, Khine hadn’t been to school in several years. She’d had little opportunity to connect with other girls. “I’ve been told not to trust strangers, that I should keep to myself,” she says.  

The Circle tells her otherwise. The centerpiece of Girl Determined's programming, the Circle meets girls where they’re at. In the case of Khine and the other girls who have relocated to Shan State, Girl Determined knew it needed to give them a slow start, so they could build their confidence and openness. It helped that the girls were surrounded by others who’d had similar experiences. 

We start with the Circle. 

2025 marked 15 years of our Circles in Myanmar. The Circle is our vehicle for delivering all elements of our curriculum, from safety to body confidence, from digital literacy to anti-trafficking, from emergency preparedness to relationships and more. 

But first and foremost, we focus on the girl. We start each Circle by ringing a bell and inviting one girl to deliver an opening message. We then check in, passing a talking stick around the Circle and giving each girl a chance to speak and share her feelings. This is a rare opportunity for girls in Myanmar, and we give it plenty of time. Many a girl needs time to get used to the sound of her own voice. 

In the Circle, girls find strength. 

The Circle is already emboldening Khine for the difficult path that lies before her. After all, Khine has lost a life she loved. Back in Karenni State, her mom sold snacks in the village. Her father tended their land and worked as an artist, making small clay figurines of cartoon characters at kids parties and festivals. There was joy in this life before conflict set in. 

Now, she’s years behind in school, entering fifth grade at age 14. “I am older than many of the others in my grade,” she says. “But in the Circle, I am not, and that keeps me motivated.”

Khine shows the strength and optimism we see in so many girls when they’re given a chance to be who they are. “Mostly I want to learn how to stand on my own, to be strong and thoughtful,” Khine says. 

You are a part of the Circle.

More than 4,700 girls are participating in Colorful Girls Circles in 2026, across 125 locations in six states of Myanmar. Of those girls, about 60 percent are returning members and 40 percent are new to the program like Thin Khine. 

The magic of the Circle is its reliability. Amid everyday uncertainties, girls know that twice weekly, the Circle will be there to bolster them and keep them going. The Circle, volleyball circles, and other year-long Girl Determined programming provides a predictable rhythm in otherwise unpredictable lives. 

Thank you for joining our Circle.