-
GGM Greece wins Mediterranean Women’s Fund for Climate Project
GGM Greece recently received a grant from the Mediterranean Women’s Fund to launch a project in the UNESCO protected eco zone of Zagorochoria, a remote mountain region in Northern Greece. The project, titled DIAVA, or ‘road,’ will feature a media training and documentary on ‘transhumance’ historically practiced in the region.
An ancestral practice, transhumance relates to the seasonal driving of livestock and entails social practices and rituals related to the care, breeding and training of animals and the management of natural resources. Transmitted informally within families and communities, the practice strengthens cultural identity and ties between families, communities and territories while counteracting the effects of rural de-population. The project is in partnership with the Eco Museum of Zagori: https://ecomuseumzagori.gr/ -
GlobalGirl from Greece gets credit in The Guardian
We are proud to announce Andriana Theochari, one of our global girl reporters from Greece worked on a photo-journalism project this summer about the devastating wildfires on the Greek island of Evia, with award-winning photojournalist Gideon Mendel. Their work garnered a huge spread in the U.K. paper, The Guardian, and has gone on to be featured in photo festivals. Stay tuned for more from Andriana! She is a rising star!
-
NEWSWEEK: SOPHIA RISING: THE STORY OF ONE GIRL DEFYING THE ODDS
FROM NEWSWEEK
Author: Laura Powers
A new film is changing the narrative of young woman and girls in Africa. Produced by young women, “Sophia Rising” follows the story of Sophia, a nineteen year old in Northern Kenya, as she escapes child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM) and limited access to education to graduate high school and apply for university. The film was written, filmed and produced by Kenyan and Tanzanian girls, as part of the UNEARTH project, is a collaboration between BRAVE, Global Girl Media, and Samburu Girls Foundation, and puts young women and girls at the center both as the subject and as the storytellers.
The challenges that Sophia has faced are not uncommon. At 14, her family (predominantly her uncles) pressured her to marry a 58 year old man. With the support of her father, she was able to avoid that life and attend school instead but not all have been as lucky. According to UNICEF, in 2014, 23% of women in Kenya were married before the age of 18. Sophia’s older sisters were married by the age of ten, and there is pressure for her younger sister to follow suit.
With the pressure to marry at a young age, receiving an education can be challenging. In Northern Kenya, 19% of girls start school, let alone finish. But studies have shown that higher rates of young women with an education and an independent income reduce violence against women and improve overall economic strength. Women often bear the brunt of negative impact from climate change, political violence and economic downturns, but without access to education, it is difficult for them to enter spaces where there voice will be heard on these issues.
As the film and Sophia’s story highlights, women in these difficult situations are not without agency. Without being handed the space to speak out, women in places like Kenya are increasingly creating their own spaces to tell their stories. Non profits are supporting these efforts, like Fempo in Democratic Republic of Congo, which gives women the training and tools necessary to run for public office.
One of the co-producers of the project, BRAVE, has discovered a unique way to support young girls and provide them with skills and self-confidence to speak out: Travel. BRAVE takes young women and girls facing violence, child marriage and FGM and takes them on a trip across their country, which is often the first time these girls have left their communities. India Baird, the founder and director of BRAVE, says, “BRAVE uses the challenge of travel and adventure in wild places to create opportunities for girls, and works with those who can provide the resources, knowledge, experience, and safety that girls need to lead.” The trips create a safe space for them to speak about their experiences, while learning about things like conservation, advocacy and even filmmaking. By learning from other girls in different situations, as well as discovering the experiences of people in other parts of the country, these young women gain understanding of issues that they face, and brainstorm solutions.
-
GGM WINS BLACK GIRLS FREEDOM FUND!
We’re proud to be one of 68 grantee partners of the @BlackGirlFreedomFund (BGFF), an initiative of @GrantmakersForGirlsOfColor. Selected by their Grantmaking Council of Black girls, femmes and gender-expansive youth ages 14-22, these grants will support the leadership and organizing capacity of Black girls in 23 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Along with BGFF, the #1Billion4BlackGirls campaign aims to mobilize $1 billion by 2030 to uplift Black girls.
Join us in celebrating Black girl leadership!
Visit https://bit.ly/BGFFGrantees22 to learn more!
Within the framework of women and youth empowerment through digital media, Salma TAKKY- Global Girl from Morocco – has been part of the American Middle Eastern Network for Dialogue at Stanford 2017 (AMENDS).The American Middle Eastern Network for Dialogue at Stanford (AMENDS) is a collaborative student-led initiative interested in the promotion of understanding and respect around the Middle East, and the support of a generation of leaders who are working to ignite concrete social and economic development in the MENA region.
From June 19-24 2017, Salma Takky attended a series of workshops at Oxford university, followed by a TED-style talk where she described the journey of Global Girl Media & Network. Salma closely introduced the different activities and programs that enable her and all the Moroccan women and youth to take a new and favored attitude within the Moroccan culture.
