Help girls become leaders in their communities!

Empowering girls to become leaders is a key strategy for promoting gender equality, improving education outcomes, and preventing harmful traditional practices such as child marriage. One powerful example of this approach in action comes from the Grandmother Project – Change through Culture, where young girls and grandmother leaders worked together to protect a 14-year-old girl from being forced into early marriage. 

In Senegal, girls face numerous barriers to their development, including:

• Poor quality education
• Limited family support due to gender inequality
• High school dropout rates, especially among girls
• Early and forced marriage (before the age of 18)

A Story of Leadership and Change

When two girl leaders participating in the leadership training program learned that their friend Fatou was at risk of being forced into marriage by her father, they acted swiftly. Empowered by the confidence and skills gained from the training, they turned to three respected grandmother leaders in their community for help.

Together with three additional grandmother leaders, they approached Fatou’s father and successfully convinced him to cancel the marriage plans. This story reflects the real impact of empowering girls and grandmothers: increased knowledge, stronger communication, and the courage to challenge harmful traditions.

Strengthening Intergenerational Bonds

The leadership training not only empowered girls but also fostered stronger, more open relationships between girls and grandmothers. Today, grandmothers are recognized as vital agents of change, with an enhanced role in the education, protection, and guidance of young girls.

Lasting Impact

This story shows that supporting girls to become leaders—alongside empowering grandmothers—can be a powerful and culturally rooted strategy to promote girls' rights, education, and well-being. These efforts have already contributed to a notable reduction in child marriages and early pregnancies as well.