THE PROBLEM

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There’s an enormous accessibility problem in girls’ education worldwide, with 130 million girls not in schooling, over half that missing a high school education.

 

Meaningful girls’ education means more than access to schools. It means safe environments supporting girls in all careers, including underrepresented ones. Obstacles to girls’ education (poverty, child marriage, trafficking and gendered violence) vary among communities. Many schools aren’t gender-responsive, resulting in developmental gaps. Others lack safety or hygiene standards, with girls in puberty missing school due to stigmatization. Poor families invest more in boys’ education, with girls spending 40% more time in domestic labor (as many as 26 hours weekly in Somalia), affecting their self-esteem, with undue burdens like childcare, and perpetuating a cycle of inequity.

 

By investing in girls’ education, we catalyze a positive cycle of development. Educated girls marry later in life, have healthy futures, earn more money, engage in their communities, and create better lives for their families. All this leads to a more stable, thriving world for everyone – including boys – giving all the opportunity to fulfill their potential. Most importantly, education is valuable for girls in and of itself, enriching their lives, leading to personal growth, self-fulfillment, and empowerment!

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WHAT WE DO

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GPI functions as a nexus of resources for education, developing girls into future female leaders. Different environments require a multidisciplinary and individually-tailored approach. There are four elements to GPI’s work: Building, Protecting, Connecting, and Reinvesting, though in practice they intersectionally influence each other.

 

1. Building: Taking care of physiological needs (shelter, female hygiene, etc.) and creating infrastructure (classrooms, libraries, etc.) enables a safe learning environment. GPI also provides scholarships, varied workshops, leadership opportunities, and more, working with grassroots orgs to determine local needs.

 

2. Protecting: Countries in crises report that girls are over twice as likely to lack schooling. Our job is to mitigate the strains which deter girls’ education, through advocacy, legal protection, counseling, creating maternity homes, and other crisis prevention. In Kenya, we have already prevented child marriage.

 

3. Connecting: A crucial component is connecting girls with role models and with each other, cultivating a community that fosters love and belonging. Our Crossing Borders pen pal program connects girls around the globe. As more chapters arise, we hope to foster an international network of girls, inspiring and helping each other and developing lifelong relationships.

 

4. Re-investing: GPI Ambassadors do service projects within their communities and uplift each other and those around them. In the long run, the compounding effect of GPI’s efforts is an exponential return, where Ambassadors then continue the work we started, and likely even better! By guaranteeing a path to higher education, GPI Ambassadors are equipped with both the tools and personal experience to return to their communities, uplifting their peers.

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HOW TO GET INVOLVED... soon to come!

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Regardless of where you are in the world, establishing a GPI chapter in your community is possible! While it takes a bit of work, lots of spirit, and the help of local adult community leader, Girl Pride Int'l is here to help every step of the the way!

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Students who are interested in creating a Girl Pride International Chapter should have demonstrated a commitment to the values and mission of Girl Pride International, to the best of their ability and current capacity, circumstances considered. While we are in the process of creating a formalized process for the establishing of chapters, please feel free to contact us with your interest and the permission of an adult in your community! We look forward to hearing from you!