#StandWithGirls in the Philippines!

Dear friends,

I am writing to share an update report showing all the developments we have done so far.

Currently, schools have been closed for over 464 days. Unicef states that 1 in 7 have missed more than three-quarters of their in-person learning. School closures have devastating consequences for children’s learning and wellbeing. The most vulnerable children and those unable to access remote learning are at an increased risk of never returning to the classroom, and even being forced into child marriage or child labor.

With our #standwithgirls campaign, we aim to help adolescent girls and young women with safe-at-home packs, mentorship sessions, champion sessions, programming classes and economic empowerment classes to keep girls engaged in their education as well as finding dignified employment in the future. Since last time we spoke we have had many more interesting female guest speakers. Gabbi Carballo (Miss Cebu 2018), Cathy Chiong (female entrepreneur), Regine Guevara (UN advisor of Asian Youth Council) and Nidal Benali (Secretary-General of AJD Football Team) all inspired our girls on the topics mental health, work and employment and making your own opportunities.

On International Women's Day we partnered with Charma, a high-end activewear brand based in the Philippines, to raise awareness for economic empowerment for young women during the pandemic. Every top sold helped a Filipina in need by funding her for a job skill three month program that will empower her with the knowledge and skill necessary before meeting potential employers. The campaign was successful, over 35 high end influencers across the Philippines joined to advocate for the rights for these women and encourage people to buy a top to help these young women.

Since the 20th of February, 8 young women have been following our Girls Got This 'Works' program, a job skill program that supports young women in enhancing their business skills and finding dignified employment for the future. During these sessions the girls enhance their marketing and business skills as well as their entrepreneur skills. We had female guest speakers who did workshops on ''how to start your own business'' and ''how to set up your own Shopee Shop''. The first group of young women have finished the job skill training program and some have even found dignified employment in the job market in the Philippines.

On March 21, 2021 GirlsGotThis, partnered with Bidlisiw Foundation, handed out over a 100 Fiesta Packs to the chosen beneficiaries of the A Thousand Smile Project by JP Morgan and Chase. The activity was done to coincide with the 2-day learning session initiated by Bidlisiw Foundation. It was held at the Intosan Resort in Danao City.

We are still going strong with our 'stay at home' videos and 'educational' videos, which are shared on our social media platforms twice a week, to keep children informed on social issues like social media awareness, poverty awareness and building good family relationships. These videos are not only created to educate children about certain topics but also to keep them sane and healthy while in lockdown.

We also continued with our community based session, and extended our mentorship sessions in more communities in Metro Cebu. We have been delivering mentorship sessions twice a month in several communities in Cebu focussing on the topics like friendship, team work but also 'Self mapping' and 'Who am I?'.The girls expressed that they are learning more about themselves and find the sessions useful in terms of getting different insights in life.

On the 22nd and 23rd May 2021, Fundlife International distributed 100 gift boxes from JP Morgan & Chase in two barangays of Olango Island, Lapu-Lapu City. The gift boxes were given to 5- to 8-year-old girls and boys in Barangay Sta. Rosa and Barangay Tungasan.

Thank you for all your support, which is what makes our work possible. I hope we can do more good together in the next couple of months.

For more information, follow our Girls Got This on Facebook or Instagram!

Stay safe, healthy and active during these very difficult times. 

Best wishes,

Melissa Karadana