Educate girls and fight poverty in Senegal

Thanks to your generous support, our Our Sisters Lead program in Senegal has continued to thrive. We asked two of our 405 leadership program participants to share how the program has impacted their lives:

Fatima, 18 years old, based in Sokone, Senegal: “Our Sisters Lead trains girls and boys with leadership tools so they can get out there and serve their community to bring about positive change. I joined the program to serve my society and develop my leadership to be seen as a role model… I wanted to develop public speaking skills so that I could

communicate better. The issues that matter most to me in my community are violence against women and girls, substance abuse, and motor safety. The program helps solve these problems by training young people like us who will then carry out awareness-raising activities within their community through radio broadcasts, social mobilizations, and talks. I am happy and proud to be among the leaders of the program!”

Modou, 17 years old, based in Sokone, Senegal: “I joined the Our Sisters Lead program because I saw the positive impact it had on our predecessors who are now role models for our community. I especially wanted to perfect my communication and break my shyness. What issues do you see in the community that need to change? I am passionate about solving several problems facing society, including ending gender-based violence and fighting climate change. It’s important to me that we take action on these issues and sensitize our communities so that we can live in more perfect harmony. I will make the most of the knowledge I’ve gained from the program and will be a role model for the next generation. Thank you, WGEP, for including

boys in the program through the framework of positive masculinity.”

Our holistic program model works– over 99% of our scholars stay in school each year– in remote, rural regions where fewer than 15% of girls graduate high school. Your continued support is critical to the success of this program and the girls we serve. We are grateful for your ongoing commitment to breaking down barriers and expanding opportunities for girls in Senegal. Together, we are creating a brighter future where every girl can decide for herself what her future holds!

As part of our ongoing program expansion, we are now serving the remote island communities along the Sine-Saloum Delta of Senegal, including Bassoul, Djirnda, and Bassar! For the 2022-2023 Senegal school year, we are supporting 778 girls from primary school through university with comprehensive school scholarships, health education, and mentoring, including dozens of girls in these remote regions.

Bassoul, Djirnda, and Bassar are only accessible by boat, and girls face many challenges to attending and succeeding in school. When we expand our program to a new region, our local team members conduct a large-scale engagement meeting to introduce the goals of the program to the community, complete with drumming, dancing, and support from influential community leaders, such as school principals and local government officials. This engagement helps to build trust, and create community buy-in for our work.

Thank you for making this support possible. Together, we can envision a world where every girl has access to a high-quality education, and can decide for herself what her future holds.

October 11th marked the 10th annual International Day of the Girl, a day to recognize girls' rights and the unique challenges that girls face around the world.

To celebrate, we hosted several community mobilization meetings across the Fatick region of Senegal, where adolescent girls and their parents were invited to speak up and share how their education has transformed their lives, and to advocate for the issues that matter to them, such as eradicating gender-based violence.  

Thank you for supporting Women’s Global Education Project in rural Senegal, and for advocating for global, gender equality. To learn more about how our programs support women and girls, watch this special video!

Women’s Global Education Project’s Our Sisters Lead leadership and development program encourages high school students in Fatick, Senegal, to become role models for younger generations, and promote gender equality in their communities!  Our Sisters Lead participants attend workshops on the leadership skills that most interest them, including conflict resolution, public speaking, advocacy, and women’s rights. Awa, a high school leader in the program, shared, “Thanks to this program, today, I know my rights because I did training on communication on the priority issues of rights.” Awa dreams of becoming a lawyer, so she can eradicate violence against women and girls. 

Not only does this program promote women in leadership roles, but it also teaches boys how to support girls in their fight for gender equality! Yaya, a male participant in the program, commented, “I want to speak up alongside my sisters to give them courage to help them accomplish their tasks.” He went on to discuss the importance of taking on domestic tasks and supporting girls on their educational journey. Our Sisters Lead is vital because in the rural communities where WGEP work, boys often remain in school while girls are forced to drop out to help with household chores, or move to cities like Dakar to become domestic workers. This phenomenon leads to a lack of women in positions of power and authority in local communities.

Each year, Our Sisters Lead serves 300 girls and 60 boys, helping them to gain critical leadership skills, and empowering them to design community service projects! Khadidiatou, another high school leader, stated, “This program helped me a lot to strengthen my commitment, determination, and conviction to achieve my dream in the future through the training we received on public speaking, girls and women's rights issues and leadership.” Khadidatou is already making change in her community, and helped to organize a community march on International Women’s Day to spread the word to end gender-based violence! 

To learn more about Our Sisters Lead, check out our recent video with interviews from Awa, Yaya, Khadidiatou, and their classmates:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC34cqE1I0Y&feature=youtu.be!