Ananke - Day of the Girl

EMPOWER HER ASKILLED GIRLFORCE

Speci al Edi ti on on Day of th e Gi rl

Edit or ial Execu t ive Edit or Sabi n M uzaf f ar Edit or At Lar ge M el ani e Bubl yk Con t r ibu t or s M ary M sh ai Li z Guantai Joseph i ne A deti Collabor at or s M andy Sangh era Of f i ce 411, Bl ue Tow er Sh ei k h Z ayed Road PO BOX 125344 Reach us @ medi a@anank emag.com Website w w w .anank emagcom Social Media Handle @anank emag LinkedIn A nank e M agazi ne

On t h e Day of t h e Gir l Th e I nternati onal Day of th e Gi rl , h el d ev ery year on October 11, stri v es to f ocus and h i gh l i gh t th e needs and ch al l enges gi rl s f ace al l across th e gl obe.

Look ed upon as a v ul nerabl e group, th e w orl d h as sl ow l y come to real i ze th e i mmense potenti al gi rl s, our f uture, possess. Termed as th e nex t bi l l i on, af ter I ndi a and Ch i na, gi rl s and w omen are al l set to di srupt and transf orm economi es th rough th e pow ers of l earni ng, di v ersi ty, i ncl usi on i nnov ati on and automati on ? w h en gi v en access and opportuni ti es.

A ccordi ng to th e Uni ted Nati ons: ?Of th e 1 bi l l i on young peopl e ? i ncl udi ng 600 mi l l i on adol escent gi rl s ? th at w i l l enter th e w ork f orce i n th e nex t decade, more th an 90% of th ose l i v i ng i n dev el opi ng countri es w i l l w ork i n th e i nf ormal sector, w h ere l ow or no pay, abuse and ex pl oi tati on are common.?

I t i s ti me to carv e out th e posi ti v es and push back th e negati v es. So, al i gni ng our speci al edi ti on w i th th e UN 2018 th eme ? Wi th Her: A Sk i l l ed Gi rl Force ? to cel ebrate ?Day of th e Gi rl ?, w e stri v e to sh ow case and f ocus on some of th e most amazi ng tal ents, trai l bl azers across many countri es around th e w orl d as w el l as stak eh ol ders and enabl ers w h o are k ey components of a better, f ai rer and eq ui tabl e w orl d!

- Sabi n

Women?s empowerment and enabling girls are some of the buzzwords used in spaces online and off with much fervor and fanfare.

Reams of paper have been inked, bits and bytes covered all in the name of empowering girls through education, mentoring, advocacy and awareness. While progress is discernable, ground realities are still somewhat different. Serious battles need to be fought, challenges faced on every level and every step of the way.

It has become almost perfunctory to say women and girls are half of the population of the world and its copious game-changing implications. But what it really suggests is development will remain a distant notion until their potential is acknowledged and consequently unleashed. Lifting society from the depths of poverty and ignorance rests on the shoulders of today?s generation of girls, as future mothers, educators, caregivers, trailblazers, innovators and more.

In reality, tapping into this cornucopia of talent-pool takes everyone out from the systemic socio-economic and political cesspool.

On Ch am pion in g

Gir ls Sabin Muzaffar ponders on what empowerment ent ails while celebrat ing t he Day of t he Girl.

But to undo eons of deeply entrenched, perverse mindset as to the position of a girl or a woman in society, we need to look deeper within ourselves, both collectively as well as individually as to where we stand, and a say in their own lives, they will what needs to be done and the way forward. be on a path to healthy, productive Access to education is not only a adulthood. When girls stay in school, fundamental right but lack of access is the they gain skills and knowledge, are biggest hurdle to not just a girl?s less likely to become pregnant, and empowerment. Research has shown the key have more earning power.? catalyst for a positive transformation in an adolescent girl?s life is to keep her safe and in school. According to Population Council, a New York based organization that conducts research to address critical health and development issues, ?Give them critical skills

According to a UNESCO Institute For Statistics (UIS), one in five children, adolescents and youth are out of school, meaning 263 million children

worldwide; making it one-fifth of the global population of this particular age group ? with more girls likely to be excluded than boys. ?For every 100 boys out of primary school age out of school, there are 123 girls denied of the right to education.?

Statistics also confirm women and girls tend to be more vulnerable in countries where their access to education is limited, restricted or even boxed in gender stereotype. Enablers like Sadaf Ahmad,

founder of the Robotics Club, Pakistan ? an organization that encourages STEM education, daily faces tough challenges in her efforts to empower girls in areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Obstacles come in every shape and size from lack of girls? and adolescents? participation in such disruptive programs either because parents think it is a useless exercise especially for girls; schools deem it unnecessary to be a part of their

curriculum or girls being vociferously discouraged to opt for STEM subjects.

True, there are numerous disruptive program that girls can indeed take advantage of ? from the innovative Technovation program, which encourages diversity and inclusion for girls to BizWorld with its plethora of educational programs for kidspreneurs, but crux of the matter is the mindset which needs a revolutionary overhaul.

According to renowned Human Rights advocate, Mandy Sanghera: ?Attitudes towards girls need to change. We need to look at their immense contribution especially when encouraged and lifted instead of seeing them as a burden.?

Agreeing with Mandy, another eminent Human Rights advocate and Planet 5050 champion, Kerry Gibson opines: ?All girls can be leaders. We don?t need to be exalted into positions of titles, of

Kerry Gibson opines: ?All girls can be leaders. We don?t need t o be exalt ed int o posit ions of t it les, of import ? girls and women who are born t o lead must simply be given t he opport unit y t o execut e t heir birt hright t o change out world.?

import? girls and women who are born to lead must simply be given the opportunity to execute their birthright to change out world.?

Indeed, this access and opportunity is central to uplifting girls ? be it a child, an adolescent or a millennial. But this very perverse mindset takes a viselike hold when it comes to empowerment even later in a girls? life. All due to the pervading, obsolete belief systems and socio-cultural traditions about a woman?s place at home and in society ? or in other words, in the hegemonic strata.

Empowerment beckons champions! And champions should be every man and woman. It is about us believing that the only way forward is for USto enable our future generation by offering them access, opportunities - and as Mandy Sanghera vehemently says, lifting girls from the sticky floors. It is about saying #IBelieve #WeBelieve in girls (and women) and actually walk the talk!

Empowerment beckons champions! And champions should be every man and woman. It is about us believing t hat t he only way forward is for USt o enable our fut ure generat ion by offering t hem access, opport unit ies - and as Mandy Sanghera vehement ly says, lift ing girls from t he st icky floors. It is about saying #IBelieve #WeBelieve in girls (and women) and act ually walk t he t alk!

Day of t h e Gir l: An Au st r alian Per spect ive Melanie Bublyk celebrat es day of t he Girl Child by focusing on girls?and women?s?empowerment in Aust ralia. ?Girls are one of t he most powerful forces for change in t he world: When t heir right s are recognized, t heir needs are met , and t heir voices are heard, t hey drive posit ive change in t heir families, t heir communit ies, and t he world.?

- Kat hy Calvin, Unit ed Nat ions Foundat ion President & CEO "We must underst and t he role of human right s as empowering of individuals and communit ies. By prot ect ing t hese right s, we can help prevent t he many conflict s based on povert y, discriminat ion and exclusion (social, economic and polit ical) t hat cont inue t o plague humanit y and dest roy decades of development effort s. I believe we can break it only by ensuring respect for all human right s."

- former Unit ed Nat ions High Commissioner for Human Right s, Mary Robinson

October 11 marks the International Day of the Girl Child, a day dedicated to the promotion of empowering girls and fulfilling their human rights. It also focuses on the challenges that remain. This year ?s theme is With Her: A Skilled GirlForce. Over the next decade, it is anticipated that 600 million girls will enter the workforce. During the previous year ?s International Day of the Girl Child, Plan International Australia set out to ask girls aged between 10 and 17 their thoughts on gender equality in Australia. The results were staggering, the majority felt that they were judged on appearance rather than their skills or talents, that they weren?t treated equally, and that gender is the biggest barrier to their

chances of leadership roles.

Girls see their potential to lead but are aware that this diminishes as they become young adults and enter the workforce. The biggest barrier in their potential to lead is their gender and only increases with age. Some of the key human rights issues for Australian women and girls include: Hom elessn ess Currently, there are more than 330.000 women aged 45 and over in Australia whom are living in conditions of serious economic stress, statistically due to experiences of inequality over the lifecycle, women are more likely to be accumulating poverty.

Violen ce Again st Wom en 1 in 3 Australian women have experienced physical violence since the age of 15. Young women (18 ? 24 years) experience significantly higher rates of physical and sexual violence than women in older age groups.

Equ al par t icipat ion Australia scores very high on educational attainment however this is overshadowed by disparities in economic participation and empowerment, opportunity and political empowerment Th e Gen der Pay Gap Having children and undertaking unpaid care work, profoundly impacts on women?s savings over their life course.

The disadvantage, marginalisation and vulnerabilities that Australian women and girls face are a consequence of the entrenched social, economic and cultural norms. The most recent Global Gender Gap report stats reveal that women?s economicparticipation and opportunity was at a high point of 12thin 2006 and has fallen thirty places over the past twelve years to 42ndplace in 2017. Whilst women?s workforce participation has grown nine times the rate of

Aust ralia scores very high on educat ional at t ainment however t his is overshadowed by disparit ies in economic part icipat ion and empowerment , opport unit y and polit ical empowerment .

men?s over the course of the past three decades engagement in the workforce differs for men and women, it is highly segregated and historically undervalued. With an aging population, women?s labour force participation is dominated by the low paid care and social services sector and many women combine that with unpaid care responsibilities, raising their own children or taking care of aging parents.

Globally, poverty continues to disproportionally effect women and girls. Human rights-based approaches seek to address gender-based poverty by setting normative standards. Gender-based poverty can undermine economic, social and cultural rights that lead to human rights violations. Nation states have a duty of care to ensure the protection and fulfilment of the rights of all people. Australia is party to numerous conventions that commits to upholding human rights standards. Australia is the only common law country that is absent of a Bill of Rights for its citizens and performs inadequately on domestic avenues to address human rights violations. Without the structures and systems in place to support girls, it is futile to tell her that she can be empowered. May International Day of the Girl Child, serve as a moment to reflect on the value of our girls, the progress achieved and the work still to do and above all, let?s celebrate incredible girls of all ages, all races, all shapes and sizes, here at home and across the globe.

Aust ralia is t he only common law count ry t hat is absent of a Bill of Right s for it s cit izens and performs inadequat ely on domest ic avenues t o address human right s violat ions. Wit hout t he st ruct ures and syst ems in place t o support girls, it is fut ile t o t ell her t hat she can be empowered.

Celebr at in g

Tr ailblazer s

A Bet t er Wor ld For Ever y Ch ild!

Elizabet h Njambi - Kenya Elizabeth Njambi, 23, just finished law school with the urge to make the world a better place, one child at a time. She describes herself as a human rights champion, with interest in alternative dispute resolution (ADR), diplomacy and conflict management. During her last year of law school, Elizabeth discovered that many children in Kenya were facing criminal charges without legal representation. Most of these children came from poor backgrounds, with no means to afford legal services, which are extremely expensive. She was deeply moved by the fact that by being born into poor backgrounds, these children's fate was seemingly sealed: a life of doom. "Life shouldn't be like this," she says. She gathered up a few of her friends and formed Wakilisha Initiative.

Wakilisha Initiative is a non-profit organization aimed at achieving access to justice and recidivism through free legal representation and Mentorship & Talent Development programs. It operates on three main pillars; Legal Representation, Mentorship & Talent Development (MTD) and Advocacy. Following approval from the relevant authorities, the organization will start its MTD and Advocacy activities this week! In addition, they already have advocates willing to take up cases on a pro bono basis and are awaiting approval to kick-start their legal aid activities. Elizabeth says the youth are the leaders of today.

They must be protected and their rights secured, including the right to a fair trial. Indeed, au di alt er am par t em !

Am plif yin g Voices in Black & Wh it e

MIRABELLE MORAH- Nigeria Born in Calabar,Nigeria, MIRABELLE MORAH is the Editor-in-Chief of BlankPaperz.com, a growing community of young African writers who are using words and stories to address issues in their communities. Through BlankPaperz, Mirabelle coaches young writers on the power of social media, storytelling, personal leadership and also supports writers through BlankPaperz's online platform and in-person workshops. Her honors include being an Ashoka Changemaker, an Ashoka Africa Youth Champion, an Obama YALI Alumni, and a 2018 British Council Study UK Ambassador.

In 2017, Mirabelle received the Study of the United States Institutes for Student Leaders Scholarship Honor from the US Department of State to study Social Entrepreneurship at California State University, Chico. And in 2018 she was selected as one of the thirty-three 2018 Global Teen Leaders from around the world for her contributions to peace and education.

Finally, Mirabelle is currently concluding her undergraduate studies and will of f icially, be graduating from the University of Calabar in a few months' time.

INSPIRING CHANGE

Th e Dagor et t i Gir ls Reh abilit at ion Sch ool cu r r en t ly h ost s abou t 70 bet w een t h e age of 10-17 year s.

I(KENYA) NSPIRE@: This is an initiative which was launched to inspire people to ?blossom where planted,? in a bid to drive change within their own sphere of influence; in whatever capacity and in any small way. The effort was pioneered by Mary Mshai and Yvonne Mutunga who sought to do something meaningful for their 30th birthday. ?We collected books and money from family and friends that we could then give out to children who need them,? the duo explain.

What started out small but GREW? ? . ?Together with a group of friends, we have committed to show care and make a difference in lives of children specifically young girls in contact with the law. So far, we have supported the Operation Jaza Shelf Book Club project, a book club campaign that was started in July 2017 in Kenya with an aim to ensure that all rehabilitation schools have well stocked libraries. We have had numerous visits to the Dagoretti Girls Rehabilitation School and have helped raise hundreds of books for the school?s library. We have also taken part in their tree planting activities among others thus freely interacting with the girls in a bid to inspire them and raise their confidence.? ?Our core message being that a t r ou bled begin n in g is n ot n ecessar ily a r ef lect ion of t h e f u t u r e an d t h at t h e gir ls t h r ou gh dedicat ion , edu cat ion an d h ar d-w or k can h ave a gr eat en din g. We believe in t h em .? ?Special thanks goes out to Linda Muthoni, Alice Kisilu, Nina Lisanza, Damaris Odityo , Lydia Marira, Samantha Cuppie, Irene Gitau, Lily Ndirangu and many others who we cannot mention owning the vision and always being available to support and reach out.? ?We do have the passion to keep getting involved in supporting girls in contact with the law and hope to expand to reach out to more girls thus emPOWER.?

JEANNE UWIMANA- Burundi Jeanne Uwimana is a student pursuing Economic Sciences and Management at the East African Leadership University in Burundi. She is passionate about education of young ladies in rural regions. She aims to encourage and motivate them to go to school by starting social businesses and entrepreneurship initiatives which would make them self-independent. She created Urunani Club which comprises of 20 ladies in her village, all who are in high school.

They make small contributions each month with the aim of buying and rearing animals like pigs and to later sell them in order to find capital to start big businesses.

For gin g For w ar d

CHARLINE M UIAKen ya Charline Muia serves as t he Kenyan Chapt er Leader of St rong African Women Organizat ion, wit h it s headquart ers in Accra, Ghana.

The organizat ion focuses on creat ing spaces for young women and girls across Africa t hrough influencing policies. Charline present ly spearheads influencing policy change in t he access to sexual reproduct ive healt h informat ion for women in East Africa. Ms. Muia is passionat e about creat ing an impact on young people's lives in Africa t hrough her educat ion and work experience. She int ends t o cont inue impact ing t he societ y t hrough environment al conservat ion, sexual reproduct ive healt h right s, and yout h development programs.

Out side workspace, Charline loves spending t ime wit h family, doing communit y service, t raveling and exploring food t ourism.

JOSEPHINE ADETI- Kenya Josephine Adeti is an article writer and a staunch gender equity advocate. She presently serves as the Head of Partnerships and Engagement at Opportunity Desk where she helps to bridge the gap to education by connecting young people all over the world to global opportunities. Josephine also advocates for gender equity using writing and journalism as primary tools. She conducts interviews and writes articles about people in and outside her community who are on the forefront to pioneer for women's inclusion for a sustainable development. Josephine was selected as the 2016/2017 UN Global Champion for Change for Women's Economic Empowerment by the United Nations' Empower Women. During her period of the championship, she began an initiative AFLEE in her community to help advocate for women's inclusion in economic participation. She has interned with other organizations advocating for gender equality such as Ananke, Circle Women Pakistan and Women Engineers Pakistan.

Josephine presently pursues her undergraduate degree in Telecommunications and Information Engineering at JKUAT University and she is a Young African Leaders Initiative- YALI- alumni.

Fat ima-Zahra Morocco

(Fat i)

Un leash in g

Pot en t ial

Ma-el-ainin

Fatima-Zahra (Fati) Ma-el-ainin is a young 21 year old Moroccan girl who is a psychology practitioner and a partner at a mental health social enterprise. Her work is centered around prevention in mental health by teaching teens emotional skills and how to build supportive relationships and engage in personal interests that will strengthen their resilience and psychological immune system. Her journey with mental health began with her own struggles and the effort and passion she put into developing herself and unleashing her potential. She now empowers other girls through the FairyLights community, a mental health support program that advocates for mental health and teaches girls the skills they need to unleash their potential too. She has worked in Istanbul, Turkey and Morocco and even spoke about her work at Parliament in the UK. Fati has a curious spirit and a quirky personality and is into Kung Fu, Photography, Dance, and exploring new countries and foods.

Mercy Nzuki - Kenya Mercy is a final year student at Daystar university pursuing masters in counselling psychology. She is aggressive, result oriented and passionate about developing people.

She has two initiatives that targets children and adolescents. One is a community based organization called DIP-CO that offers four services:mentorship, talent exploration, motivational talk and counselling.

The other is a business called Just Mercy that deals with three services: after school programs, training of trainers and counselling.

We Em pow er Nzambi Mat ee With an academic background in Physics and interest material science, Nzambi founded by Gjenge Makers in 2017. The venture addresses the challenge of sustainable and affordable housing by manufacturing construction products made from both traditional and

alternative materials, such as building tiles from recycled plastic.

In effect, recycling material also serves the purpose of keeping the environment clean and healthy. She is currently attending an incubation program at Watson Institute in the United States with the view to improve her skills and expertise.

Boost in g Bodily Au t on om y Lulu Ameir Lulu is an I.T programmer and developer. She is the co-owner and Founder of L.K.J Tech LTD, whose product BELA VENDOR, is an innovative sanitary dispenser that provides free sanitary towels to school girls from disadvantaged backgrounds. Since the day she started school, she made it a point to strive for her goals and work hard to accomplish them. After school, she joined Buni-hub for an internship program. While at the hub, Lulu established herself as a self-starter and leader through her volunteer experiences.

She has worked with Sahara ventures and vision company. She was awarded an innovation grant from Data for local impact Innovation challenge (DLIIC)in collaboration with PEPFAR and MCC for her project "BE A LADY(BELA)' and product "BELA VENDR, which she is currently progressing.

Nyambura Kamau Nyambura describes herself as a multipotentialite and is perhaps one of the most resilient girl you will interact with. She wears a 24/7 smile and charming attitude that shrewdly covers her tough upbringing that has moulded her to the intentional person she is. Passionate about personal and social change since a young age, Nyambura, at only 25 years, is a trailblazer in helping young people unleash their inherent potential for positive social transformation. Nyambura has extensive experience in leading teams towards cultural understanding, team building, managing expectations, decision making and conflict resolution. She is a global citizen at heart with vast volunteering experience.

She has volunteered with Voluntary Service Overseas as a team leader for the International Citizen Service program, leading young volunteers from Kenya and the UK to become active citizens and helping build capacity of youth-led organisations in enabling meaningful youth participation. She has been involved with advocacy around violent extremism and radicalisation having been immersed in an exchange program with Norwegian Youth and Children Council where she learnt a great deal in dialogue having received a short course at the Nansen School of Peace and Dialogue. She is a social inclusion facilitator with Umoja na Usawa through which she helps people address structured and latent discrimination. If you don't catch Nyambura facilitating a topic on social impact in a training, she is probably teaching a choreography to her dance team, debating politics of the day or out in nature deeply engrossed in a book.

Facilit at in g In clu sion

Pr om ot in g M en t al Healt h Am on gst GIRLS Saumu Saumu is a Community Development worker, Regional YALI Alumni - Cohort 12 and ignite the Youth Alumni with passion of advocating for gender equality towards economic development. She is a leader with sincere desire to apply skills and experiences to the challenges of achieving sustainable development through gender equality. She is also a Co ? Founder of Simama Imara Initiative which focusing on creating safe space for young girls on Gender Equality, Mental health, psychosocial support, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights. Through her initiative Saumu is addressing some of the gender inequalities that exist within the society that lead to depression and frustrations to the young girls, as well as build their capacities to become more self-aware, independent and productive.

Elizabet h Zahabu Elizabeth is a youth advocate, talking about her work, she says: ?I advocate for youth empowerment and rights, rights to live and rights to obtain basic needs. I began my work as a youth activist at 19 after volunteering with different charity organizations in rural and urban communities in Tanzania and realizing challenges that youth in my communities are facing, I now lead a nonprofit organization known as Shining Hearts Foundation with the mission of Helping the needy, providing for unprivileged people and Empowering youth from poverty by providing entrepreneurship to the youth and helping them to start their businesses and generate incomes.?

En ablin g M illen n ials Social Media: @shiningheartsfoundation

Tet e-a-t et e w it h a Kidpr en eu r Hi, my name is Naba Sarfraz, I'm 11 years old, I study in grade 6. My passion is to make Organic soaps and cosmetics. People say I am too young... Well, I want to be different from the others and my goal is to be one of the youngest Entrepreneur! With the help of my supportive parents, I am able to fulfil my dream !! Introducing my online store..."Gold N" soaps and more." nabasarfraz13.wixsite.com/gold-n

Nashwa Ahmed AbdelBadie Sudan Nashwa is the Finance Director of Abwab, a Sudanese youth development organization.

She aspires to empower youth and help them realize their potential through improving the financial capabilities of Abwab and enhancing its? operations.

Driven by her strong finance background, she passionately provides financial assistance to other youth led initiatives. She is a nerd, critical thinker, strategist, and planner. She believes that investments in education is the key for achieving sustainable prosperity.

Aspir in g t o In spir e Mariam Tanzania

Abdulat if

Salum

-

My name is Mariam Abdulatif Salum. I am a proud Tanzanian. I have worked with different organizations in my country to support my community; including volunteer work with Raleigh Tanzania. I am also member of World Merit community in Tanzania. I work to support orphaned children by providing resources through donations. My dream is to become a Model and build orphanage. I believe one day my dream will become a reality and to align my vision I launched the Ray Hope foundation. So far I support 40 students and strive to use my voice to help girls and children. I believe one girl can make changes by influencing and inspiring others

Salha Aziz - Tanzania Salha is a social activist and visionary young lady in Leadership. She is an SDGs Champion and advocate on Adolescent girls? and Young Women?s rights to quality education and Sexual and Reproductive Health information and services. She has a passion on education and she is currently pursuing her Bachelor Degree of Arts with education (BAED) at Dar-es-salaam University College of Education (DUCE). She believes when a young girl is empowered, a community is also empowered, thus, she is committed to be a change agent on empowering other young ladies like her through her professional career. She is the Executive Director for Binti Salha Foundation (BSF) that advicates for Adolescent Girls and Young Women's Right to Education(Basic & Non-Basic) and access friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health information and services.

She has been engaged and involved in various youth advocacy works focusing on Sustainable Development Goals and Sexual reproductive health and Rights since 2013 to date. She has been excelling her volunteerism spirit as a member of different youth organizations and platforms such as Youth of United Nations Association (YUNA), Tanzania Youth Vision Association (TYVA), and Youth Action Movement (YAM) under UMATI. In 2017 during Teaching Practice (Field), she organized a charity movement with Secondary School girls in rural Iringa to participate in community work by cleaning a health centre and create awareness among young girls focusing Sustainable development goals No.3, 4 &5.

Salha has a wide range of Leadership experiences. She has recently, been appointed member of Engender Youth Advisory Panel (E-YAP). She is also an executive committee member of Youth of United Nations Association (YUNA), Dar es Salaam YAM Chapters Regional Coordinator under UMATI and as General Secretary for Ministry of Sports and Games at the Dar es salaam University College of Education (DUCE).

She considers herself as determined and motivated young lady who looks forward to build her capacity on working in a team and learn from others.

Outside of work, Salha enjoys chatting and connecting to new people. She also likes interacting on social media, mostly on Twitterwhere she has more than 2,000+ engaging Followers.

Edu cat e to Em pow er

An an k e f eels pr ivileged t o h ave par t n er ed w it h em in en t Hu m an Righ t s Advocat e M an dy San gh er a f or t h e #IBelieve #WeBelieve in Gir ls Cam paign . It gar n er ed m or e t h an 300 su bm ission s f r om all over t h e w or ld. Visit ou r w ebsit e t o ch eck ou t t h e im ages

#IBELIEVE #WEBELIEVE sssss

Sh ow casi ng

ENABLERS

Petronilla Nzomo Maria, the founder of Pad-a-Dada Initiative talks to Ananke?s Josephine Adeti Otieno about her initiative that helps girls stay in school by donating sanitary towels.

ACTIVATING CONFIDENCE INGIRLS

Tell u s w h at Pad-a-Dada In it iat ive is all abou t .

Dada is a Swahili word for sister. It is an initiative that helps girls stay in school by donating sanitary towels to those who can?t afford to buy them. We also donate pads to women who live on the streets. Our aim is to increase access to education, health and human rights for women and girls through advocacy and sanitary provision. This will help them live more meaningful lives. I mobilize resources and get like-minded individuals to see and understand the challenges young girls in society face in their day-to-day lives.

Wh at m ot ivat ed you t o st ar t pad a dada?

I was saddened when I saw some girls passing by my home, their clothes soiled with menstrual blood just because they couldn?t afford to buy sanitary towels.

Others are even forced to exchange sexual favors for money to buy these essentials.

Girls can miss between four to seven school days each month, which negatively affects their school performance. Together with my team, Eddie Mutunga, Said Shaban, Dorris Nyale and Dhea Kenny we formed Pad a Dada Initiative in 2014.

Does t h e in it iat ive h ave an y spon sor s?

m ajor

At the moment, we don?t have any major sponsors. We entirely rely on contribution from well-wishers, friends plus a cut from my pay. We all raise funds and buy sanitary towels, which we later distribute to school-going girls from marginalized areas.

Currently, we only distribute sanitary towels to girls in Kilifi County, Kenya. I am focusing on padding one dada at a time. I also hold charity walks from time to time to raise funds. Our biggest challenge remains getting finances to support our activities.

Wh at is you r opin ion abou t em pow er m en t ?

w om en

Even though we have come a long way

societally, we still tend to overlook the extraordinary impact women have or their phenomenal abilities to lead in the toughest circumstances. Women can juggle multiple responsibilities and multitask far better than most men. And if we pay attention, we could all learn a lot from them about being a great leader both professionally and personally.

Wou ld you say t h at t h e com m u n it y h as n eglect ed t h e gir l-ch ild?

Teenage pregnancies are increasing each and every day especially in my hometown.

Girls are no longer forced to marry, but they themselves are ?taking to men?. It is important for parents to have a heart-to-heart conversation with their children but often leave it to the teachers to do the talking, completely shunning their responsibilities. And teachers obviously cannot do everything. It is high time parents stand up and own their responsibilities. The community too has a role to play. It?s about time we guide our girls properly and tell them the truth. If we don?t teach them, the harsh realities of this world will do that for us.

An y advice t o people w h o w an t t o f ollow you r pat h ?

Be a dreamer and tell yourself there won?t be anyone to save you. You have to save yourself so stand up for what you believe in and know that you are going to make it.

That should be the song in your head every time.

Be a dreamer and t ell yourself t here won?t be anyone t o save you. You have t o save yourself so st and up for what you believe in and know t hat you are going t o make it .

That should be t he song in your head every t ime.

MOVINGTHE GOALPOSTS

EMPOWERING GIRLS THROUGH FOOTBALL

Tell u s abou t you r jou r n ey; h ow w as M ovin g t h e Goalpost s (M TG) lau n ch ed an d w h at w as you r sou r ce of in spir at ion ?

I worked as a radio presenter, producer and reporter for the BBC world service, BBC Radio Four and BBC Radio Five; covering the women?s football World Cup in the United States in 1999 before I came to Kenya as a volunteer. At that time, many girls in Mnarani (a coastal town) were not enrolled in school.

My friend and I came up with the idea of forming Moving the Goalposts to address the issue. I was a trained football coach. Together with a committed group of teachers, researchers and some members of the community, MTG was formed.

Wh at does M TG in volve?

Moving the Goalposts uses football to empower girls in Kilifi and Kwale Counties in Kenya. MTG?s aim is to have a more inclusive, just, and peaceful world where girls? and women?s full human rights are realized and protected. We focus mainly on sexual health, reproductive rights health and choice. We target girls between nine and twenty five years of age to participate in tournaments and

on-going leagues. MTG is known to be an innovative unique sport and development project for girls and women.

How is f oot ball a sou r ce of em pow er m en t f or gir ls?

Sarah Forde Owuor, founder of Moving The Goalpost s (MTG) t alks t o Ananke?s Josephine Adet i about her journey in empowering girls t hrough foot ball.

Football brings girls together. They show their communities they are able and can do things people might not expect from girls and young women. Football brings girls together in safe places where they receive information about reproductive health, their rights and discuss issues that are important to them.

AT MTG, girls are encouraged to take up leadership roles in their communities. There is a peer led health education program, which gives girls opportunities to learn about their rights and to claim them. Girls are given information about their health and are offered counseling. Economic empowerment program helps improve their livelihood.

Wh y do you t h in k m an y gir ls sh y aw ay f r om f oot ball?

I don?t think girls are shying away from football. Many don?t like to play it as a sport. Sometimes, parents may prevent their girls from playing the game but it doesn?t happen often.

Wh at do you con sider as you r gr eat est ach ievem en t so f ar ?

I would say being able to keep football as the main activity here at MTG. After Moving the Goalposts grew to become one of the largest NGO?s in coast province, it was easy to divert our focus to other issues but I was able to keep football as the main activity in the organization.

In 2007, you h ad a pr oject t h at en t ailed pr ovidin g aff or dable san it ar y pads for gir ls in East Afr ica, How did it go?

Yes, we were working hand in hand with Professor M.K. Musaazi at the Makerere University in Uganda. We wanted to start a social enterprise to produce affordable sanitary pads made of papyrus grass. We intended to sell them at half the price of sanitary pads in Kenyan market, but unfortunately papyrus wasn?t available in Kenyan coast. The cost of transporting papyrus plus the technology required made it impossible for us to sell the pads at the price we had intended. In the end, we would force sell it at the normal prices in the market, which wasn?t profitable, hence we abandoned the project. It still pains me to see girls missing school, unable to play

football because of lack of sanitary towels. Others are even forced to exchange sexual favors in order to buy these indispensible commodities.

Wh at is you r opin ion abou t w om en em pow er m en t ?

Wh at do you t h in k is h oldin g m an y w om en back f r om ach ievin g t h eir f u ll pot en t ial?

Structures in culture discriminate against women, social norms have led us to believe there are some things we can?t do. We are ?strangled? by what other people think about us.

Wh at do you t h in k t h e com m u n it y; gover n m en t an d n on -gover n m en t al or gan izat ion s sh ou ld do t o pr om ot e f oot ball am on g t h e f em ale gen der ?

The best way to promote football is through schools.

Unfortunately, many educational institutions do not even have a playground. The government needs to create such facilities and allow girls to play football.

The best way t o promot e foot ball is t hrough schools.

Unfort unat ely, many educat ional inst it ut ions do not even have a playground. The government needs t o creat e such facilit ies and allow girls t o play foot ball.

Tell u s abou t you r car eer in w r it in g, t h e book s you h ave w r it t en I have written three non-fiction books, the first one ?Playing by Their Rules ? published in 2008 is about coastal teenage girls in Kenya talking about life, love and football.

Ford Foundation, one of our major sponsors knew I was an experienced journalist and a writer so they asked me to write my experiences with the girls and I did. The second book, ?Let me Tell You? published in 2011 by Story Moja is an improved version of my first book. It is available in various bookshops in Kenya and also online as an e-book.

My third book ?Do not let it break you? is about personal stories on gender-based violence. I wrote for GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft fĂźr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany's leading provider of international cooperation services) and I wrote it together with the late Magaret Ogola.

To people w h o h ave iden t if ied a pr essin g pr oblem in t h eir com m u n it ies an d t h ey w ish t o begin an in it iat ive t h at of f er s a solu t ion , w h at advice do you h ave f or t h em ?

Just do it! There is no prescribed formula. You will learn along the way. When I began MTG, I wasn?t experienced in starting and running organizations but I just did it. So just do it.

St ruct ures in cult ure discriminat e against women, social norms have led us t o believe t here are some t hings we can?t do. We are ?st rangled? by what ot her people t hink about us.

Being a female, I always feel there?s no evidence that girls are any less capable in Science, Engineering and Math, but rather that they often ?feel less capable due to labelling that girls can?t do it. We have a tendency for the STEM sector to have higher paying jobs, meaning that the lack of women in these roles is contributing to gender salary gap. Also lack of women in these fields means fewer female role models, both for current female STEM employees, and for girls still forming career choices. What about the whole growth of STEM jobs in the future thing, which is expected to skyrocket.

How The Robotics Club Pakistan in spir e gir ls?

We inspire them by making science and technology fun and attractive by conducting different activities. So, when it comes to pursuing their interests and dreams they could stand alongside with male candidates. We at The Robotics Club Pakistan are encouraging girls under the name ?HERCODE? to be competitive in technology industry.

I?m not trying to dictate which career direction my daughters and other girls end up taking but motivating them to follow their dreams which should be tending towards the technological advancements and learnings using the fields of STEM education.

Furthermore, I may also be damned if I let a lack of exposure and stereotypes when they are as young as five years old, cut off a whole cool, highly-skilled, highly-paid, high-growth sector industry, just because they are girls. ?if a girl says I can?t do it, remember its yet she can?t do it, but with practice, passion, positivity and inclination to succeed every girl can do it? just need a ?CAN DO? attitude Dream it and get it don?t stop because you are girl. Sky is a limit and Robotics is future.

Dismant ling St ereot ype Via STEM

Founder of the Robotics Club, Pakistan, Sadaf Ahmad talks about powering girls via STEM.

Technology has played a pivotal role empowering women not just digitally but socio-politically and economically as well. Through a parallel reality that is the World Wide Web women have already begun leaning in. That said, there is still a long way to go, many biases to be dealt with one step at a time and many ceilings to be smashed!

According to the Inclusive Internet Index 2018, the gender gap in Internet inclusion is still far too pervasive with more men having access to the internet than women (in the countries included in the study). While research shows that the tech sector is still considered a boy?s club especially in developing nations like Pakistan, countries like the UAE and organizations such as Cisco are breaking stereotype by creating a dynamic space for women and showcasing how diversity benefits all ? boosting profitability and triggering positive economic activity.

Having a diverse workforce drives innovation and creates an environment, where every employee feels respected and valued for their unique contributions. The benefits of gender diversity are reaped by everyone, not just women, and Cisco has a shared responsibility to do more to increase women?s

Cisco Fr om Em pow er m en t to Im pact Ananke t akes a deeper look int o Cisco Syst ems UAE?s effort s t o empower women for posit ive change. representation in the workforce. Greater inclusion means organizations and the industry as a whole gain diverse perspective, deeper understanding of customers and markets, and ultimately, better performance levels. At Cisco, the power of inclusion and diversity is harnessed to foster the best in our people, and to develop a robust community where our differences are our best assets.

In order to attract and retain women at all levels, organizations need to continue their efforts to hire, nurture, promote and support women, especially in technical fields and leadership roles.

Cisco has programs and resources for women to help them develop their skills as individual contributors,

level. They are designed to help Cisco?s leaders to look more broadly for female talent across the company, broadening our pipeline of diverse talent for the long term.

managers, and senior executives. These programs engage women in the spirit of connection and mentorship. They are given an equal chance to prove themselves, to work their way up the corporate ladder and hold executive leadership positions. A significant portion of Cisco?s Executive leadership team are women.

Cisco has designed specific programs for women at different level in their career at Cisco. DARE and JUMP are women?s development programs which aim to develop world-class, next-generation women leaders, who are authentic to themselves and armed with the skills and behaviors needed to excel in their current role and contribute to the future success of Cisco. Both programs are nominations only programs at a Global

The Cisco Empowered Women?s Network (CEWN) is a network of Cisco customers, partners, and employees joining together to make a difference for women in IT. This network of professionals seeks to create inclusion and diversity in technology and business by specifically enrolling and mentoring girls and women.

The year-round programs offer tools for our members to enrich and grow their careers, while paying it forward to empower women in our global community.

CEWN is the perfect platform that demonstrates how Cisco is redefining the technology space and our commitment to championing women.

The Women of Impact Conference globally and regionally is a day to focus on encouraging professional women to network, find mentors and role models, hear successful women executives talk, and connect globally through our day-long telepresence connection. It aims to connect, inspire and empower women in technology.

Every year, Cisco supports Girls in ICT Daywith its own event - Girls Power Tech - a global mentoring event that inspires 6000 young women each year to pursue careers in STEM and technology. Cisco employees worldwide spend the day with girls age 13 to 18, encouraging them to consider education and career paths in STEM. Girls Power Tech demonstrates our commitment towards improving gender diversity in the technology sector. Cisco recognizes that nurturing and generating interest in technology needs to start at an early age, and this is why so many of our colleagues volunteer their time and energy to make this annual event a success.

Cisco has been recognized across the world for making a meaningful difference for its employees and customers. The company featured in the World's 25 Best Multinational Workplaces and qualified only because it appeared on 12 national best companies? rankings last year, Saudi Arabia being one of them.

Cisco is also currently partnering with Reach, a non-profit mentoring program dedicated to supporting and developing the skills of young female professionals and help them unlock their true potential through structured mentoring and professional support. By partnering with Reach, Cisco can help develop and nurture a new generation of female leaders from and for the Middle East; confident, driven, knowledgeable, experienced, compassionate and inspiring.

In 1997, Cisco launched a Global education program Cisco Networking Academy (NetAcad) to teach individuals how to design, build, manage, and secure computer networks, and to meet the growing demand for ICT talent around the world. Through NetAcad, Cisco has helped over 295,000 students in the Middle East graduate from the program since its inception. The NetAcad

Cisco is also current ly part nering wit h Reach, a non-profit ment oring program dedicat ed t o support ing and developing t he skills of young female professionals and help t hem unlock t heir t rue pot ent ial t hrough st ruct ured ment oring and professional support . By part nering wit h Reach, Cisco can help develop and nurt ure a new generat ion of female leaders from and for t he Middle East .

program is licensed for free to nonprofit institutions worldwide and gives students the foundation for a digital career. The curriculum builds their core technical skills, while developing the communication, collaboration, and problem-solving abilities needed in today?s economy. Cisco Netacad strives to continually update its curriculum to stay current with employers? needs and the rapid pace of technology innovation. Since the program?s inception, the number of female students across the Middle East has been high, with women accounting for 48% of students in the UAE, 36% in Jordan, and 59% in Oman. With nearly 520 active academies in the Middle East across 14 countries, Cisco has over 55,000 active students and over 1170 instructorswith the average female student participation standing at 28%.

Cisco has always been committed to paying people fairly and equitably. Recently, an innovative and inclusive framework that introduces powerful analytics to evaluate the complex compensation system and its overall health was built. This has helped to build a trusted environment that drives the best teams, allows the company to retain the best talent, and positions Cisco as a top employer.

Wit h nearly 520 act ive academies in t he Middle East across 14 count ries, Cisco has over 55,000 act ive st udent s and over 1170 inst ruct orswit h t he average female st udent part icipat ion st anding at 28%.

BizWorld UAE is a groundbreaking CEO BIZWORLD, HELEN AL UZAIZI organization that seeks to ?ignite entrepreneurial spirit, developing students? aptitude for teamwork, leadership and critical and creative thinking and strengthening this with real world knowledge about entrepreneurship, business and financial responsibility; all the tools needed to flourish in the 21st Century.?

Brought to the UAE by eminent social entrepreneur, Helen Al Uzaizi, the venture is an innovative as it develops entrepreneurship education and financial literacy across the Middle East.

Talking about

Bizworld, Helen

had

told

En er gizin g Social Im pact IN FOCUS: BizWorld UAE, a project -based ent repreneurship program for kids bet ween t he ages of 7-15 and how it empowers fut ure leaders.

Ananke: ?I have set up Bizworld.org in the Middle East as a social enterprise to teach business and entrepreneurship to young children in schools through a world class project-based entrepreneur program for Primary and High School students.

By combining education and entrepreneurship, it offers exactly what our children, our schools and our region needs to thrive in the current economic climate and far into the future.

The original BizWorld program began as a grassroots movement in California?s Silicon

By combining educat ion and ent repreneurship, it offers exact ly what our children, our schools and our region needs t o t hrive in t he current economic climat e and far int o t he fut ure.

Valley to teach kids the important business skills that many of them were not being taught at home or in school.

Today, BizWorld.org is the largest teacher-led entrepreneurial program in the world, having taught and inspired over 600,000 children. This will be the first time the program is taught in the Middle East and although we are beginning in the UAE we have plans to expand further into the region.

Our goal is to integrate the program into schools throughout the region.

Not every child will be an entrepreneur when he or she grows up, but we can inspire every child to have an entrepreneurial spirit: to be resilient, to lead confidently, think critically and creatively, be financially responsible, and understand the value of teamwork? and finally giving back to the community.?

BizWorld UAE is a project-based entrepreneurship program for kids between the ages of 7-15 and although it has just been launched for the region, the universal impact of the international BizWorld program promises great things for kids in the Middle East.

The program is given over a12-15 week duration and to date is the most comprehensive and solid program when it comes to entrepreneurship education.

Since BizWorld.org was first established 19 years ago as a grassroots movement in California?s Silicon Valley, the program has reached over 600,000 children and 8,000 educators in more than 100 countries around the globe.

Data gathered from over 3,000 BizWorld students showed that 96% of classes demonstrated a positive increase in pre and post-assessment scores and, on average, classes increased their scores by 63% after participating in the program.

It also showed that low-income students made the biggest improvements after participating in the program, with an average percentage change of 76%. What?s more, 95% of teachers surveyed for BizWorld.org?s 2014-2015 Annual Report agreed that the programs develop students? leadership skills and a further 98% that said they help students learn to work together to solve problems.

In 2014, research by the University of Amsterdam into BizWorld?s impact on students in The Netherlands was documented in a World Bank report (see page 37).

It concluded that ?students who completed BizWorld showed much more developed non-cognitive skills than the control group ? in particular, they showed greater self-efficacy, need for achievement, risk-taking, propensity, and analytical skills.?

BizWorld programs expand not only a child?s knowledge base, but also their capability to interact successfully with themselves and others.

Talking about Women?s Economic Empowerment through women?s participation in technology, Helen opined: ?Everyone needs a

different kind of support and that?s why I always encourage mentoring as a great tool and way forward.

There isn?t a one-size-fits-all solution and having a good mentor is priceless.

Being mentored has helped me tremendously over the years (and still does every day) and I make it a part of my goals to always mentor at least two women at any given time. Sometimes the challenges that women are facing are personal (family, balance, children) and sometimes they need support in their career choices and development.

One cannot be disconnected from the other and I encourage every woman to mentor just one other young woman. If each one of us supports another, over time, we?ll develop a culture of support, compassion and ultimately success and empowerment.?

In 2017, BizWorld UAE received the Best Social Enterprise Award during the Ta?atheer Social Impact Awards ceremony. In addition, BizWorld UAE was recognized for its innovative entrepreneurship education programs for children with the goal of building their capacities and preparing them for the future job market.

CEO of BizWorld UAE, Helen Al Uzaizi, commented on receiving the award, ?We are proud to receive the Best Social Enterprise award during our first year of operation, reaffirming our efforts to make the

greatest impact by making entrepreneurship a key part of the region?s education curriculum.?

Al Uzaizi concluded, ?We believe that educating children about entrepreneurship, from how to establish and manage a business to dealing with the psychological challenges of being an entrepreneur will better prepare children for the future, no matter what career path they choose.?

It is also worth highlighting that as part of the growing social enterprise sector, Al Uzaizi has joined a working group of private and public-sector experts to develop a legal framework for social enterprises in UAE. The group aims to create a supportive and structured environment for social enterprises to thrive and expand, a truly forward-thinking approach to further develop the local entrepreneurship ecosystem.

"I encourage every woman to mentor just one other young woman. If each one of us supports another, over time, we?ll develop a culture of support, compassion and ultimately success and empowerment."

www.website.co