About Us

The notoriously conflict-ridden country of Afghanistan has suffered serious injury to its infrastructure, particularly in education, during several decades of war. However, Afghanistan is in the midst of massive change and, after decades of exclusion, girls are being allowed to go to school again. The tragedy and hope of girls’ education are writ large in the mountains of Afghanistan.

Zarghuna Kargar tells Amina’s story. The Kabul-born journalist and author of the heart wrenching book of stories, Dear Zari, has done as much to expand our understanding of women in Afghanistan as any writer in the world.

Amina’s story is narrated by Freida Pinto, Girl Rising Ambassador and award-winning actress. Pinto says, “Too often, it is social and traditional ideas that are holding girls back. People just can’t imagine a different future for girls. Girl Rising changes that.”

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer any update on Amina. Ongoing communication with the NGO, which aids her, could endanger both Amina’s safety and the very work of the organization. Although, there is some good news. Today, there are more girls in school than in any time during Afghanistan’s history, and strides of progress in girls’ education continue to be made.

A land of vast skies and an ancient, rich culture, Ethiopia consistently ranks as one of the most difficult places on earth to be a girl. In a country of nearly 95 million people, girls sit at the very bottom of the social structure – and, sadly, anything but the most rudimentary education remains out of reach for most.

Maaza Mengiste tells Azmera’s story. A Fulbright scholar whose critically acclaimed debut novel, Beneath the Lion’s Gaze, appeared on several notable bestseller lists, Mengiste writes with empathy for her characters as well as an understanding of the complex forces that shape their world.

Azmera’s story is narrated by actress Madhuri Dixit, Hindi cinema’s leading actress, an accomplished dancer, and a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

Azmera is in high school now. As there is no secondary school in her village, she attends school in a nearby city, where she lives with her mother. World Vision works with Girl Rising to support Azmera so she can continue her education and realize her ambitions to become a teacher and a community leader, working against child marriage and supporting other female children who aren’t able to attend school.

A 10-year civil war and the 2015 Ebola epidemic leaves a country broken. Sierra Leone has struggled to rebound and is still among the world’s poorest nations, with education being a primary casualty of crises. Two-thirds of adults are illiterate and only half of young girls are in primary school. Far fewer make it through secondary school. Severe teaching shortages, classroom overcrowding, and a weak institutional system characterize the state of education in Sierra Leone today.

Aminatta Forna tells Mariama’s story. Forna’s novel, The Memory of Love, won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best Book Award 2011 and was short-listed for the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Warwick Prize. Forna was a finalist for the 2016 Neustadt International Prize for Literature.

Mariama’s story is narrated by actress Parineeti Chopra, an investment banker turned critically acclaimed actress and the former ambassador of Prime Minister Modi’s “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” campaign.

Mariama is still living in Freetown, Sierra Leone, with her four siblings, mother, and father. She passed her senior exams in her first sitting—a real accomplishment since some students have to take the exam two or three times before passing. KoCEPO, the organization that helps Girl Rising support Mariama, shared that Mariama chose to take her exams a second time to try to score even higher to give herself more options for university. It paid off, and Mariama is now at university studying engineering.

Mariama hopes to advocate for education for girls from lower income families, as she thinks education is the key to fight women’s marginalization in society. Her role models are Sia Koroma, the former First Lady of Sierra Leone, whom she admires for her work promoting girls’ education and reducing maternal mortality; Christiana Thorpe, the former chief electoral commissioner for the National Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone, for her success in conducting an election with no violence and for her work in establishing the Forum of African Women Educationists (FAWE); and Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the United States, for her campaign to get girls in school.

In her free time, Mariama likes to read, pursue media-related work, and spend time with her friends. Mariama and her family remain safe following Sierra Leone’s devastating mudslides in 2017.

India has one of the world’s fastest growing economies, but an equally rapidly growing population, resulting in one of the lowest per-capita incomes worldwide. The complexity and scope of both problems and opportunities for disadvantaged girls in India are as vast as its size, but if the country enrolled just 1% more girls in secondary school, its GDP would rise by $5.5 billion.

Ruksana’s story is told by Sooni Taraporevala, the award-winning screenwriter of Mississippi Masala, The Namesake, and the Academy Award-nominated Salaam Bombay. She was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honor, in 2014.

Priyanka Chopra narrates Ruksana’s story. The singer, actor, Padma Shri awardee, and a Girl Rising India producer says, “It is a global issue and it will take everyone coming together, across international borders and cultural divides, to support those who are standing up for equality in education.”

Ruksana continues to live in Kolkata with her parents, three sisters, and a brother. She attends school and, along with her academics, takes drama, drawing and dance lessons. World Vision works with Girl Rising to support Ruksana and her siblings with school supplies, tutoring, tuition support, and medical assistance. In addition, they, and other neighborhood girls, receive extracurricular coaching. It includes English classes, which help to boost their confidence and school performance, and computer classes.

As part of the empowerment initiative, the girls starting in 2018 began hosting screenings of Girl Rising at schools and colleges in Kolkata.

After joining our team in Mumbai for the launch of Girl Rising India, Ruksana had this to say: “Flying high up in the air was a dream come true for me. I had never thought I will be able to fly like birds and meet celebrities in Mumbai.”

Peru is the most prosperous country in the film. But that fact can be deceptive. For many indigenous Peruvians, education remains an unattainable luxury. This is especially true for girls in the mountains and jungles where so much of Peru’s prosperity, in the form of natural resources, is being pulled from the ground.

Marie Arana tells Senna’s story. Born in Lima to a Peruvian father and an American mother, the author, editor and journalist is deeply engaged in both worlds. A writer of fiction and memoir, Arana has dedicated herself to explaining each culture to the other. Her commitment to Peru, and to the struggles of the disadvantaged there, permeates her work.

Senna’s story is narrated by acclaimed actress Sushmita Sen, an award-winning film star, India’s first Miss Universe, and founder of I Am Foundation.

With CARE’s help, Senna’s family moved off the mountaintop to a city with better housing and schools. Senna completed high school and is currently in college, studying business, engineering and computer science. In 2015, she gave birth to a beautiful daughter, named Ariana, and is now more determined than ever to complete her education. Her mother helps care for the baby, so Senna can focus on her studies and give Ariana the best future possible. Senna feels that Ariana makes her feel strong. Senna’s younger brother, Henry, is in school and doing well.

The geography of Nepal is at once the source of its mystique and its indomitable challenge. The towering Himalayas, running through the country like a spine, have created villages isolated from one another and the world. Life in Nepal is especially hard for girls, who continue to lag far behind boys in educational opportunity.

Manjushree Thapa tells Suma’s story. A writer and activist whose fiction and non-fiction help to elucidate the complicated world of modern Nepal, Thapa writes with a full heart and a sharp eye, and with a fierce commitment to protecting the vulnerable through her work.

Suma’s story is narrated by Nandita Das, an award-winning film actress, director and human rights advocate. She is also the first Indian to be inducted into the International Women’s Forum’s Hall of Fame

Suma was rescued by Nepal Youth Foundation in the year 2007 and put through a bridge course to make up for her lost studies before she was enrolled in school. Room to Read worked with Girl Rising to support Suma for several years until she left high school and aged out of their programs. The Nepal Youth Foundation is now managing Suma’s continuing education.

Suma is now a certified Community Medical Assistant, having completed a 29-month course in 2016, which included on the job training. She hopes to pursue a more advanced medical course that will allow her to open a medical clinic in her village, where there is currently no doctor. Suma’s goal is to become a social worker.

Suma continues to speak out against the practice of kamlari (bonded labour), and in support for former Kamlaris. In 2016, she shared her story with global leaders and educators at the Varkey Foundation’s international conference on education in Dubai. Suma is now taking English and computer lessons, so she can become a more effective advocate of gender equality.

Haiti is just a stone’s throw from Miami but had been shackled by poverty for generations even before the devastating earthquake of 2010. Recovery continues, but slowly. Getting an education is as hard as ever and Haiti still relies heavily on foreign aid. Hope remains but tinged with fear. Our cameraman described his country this way: “Haiti has a chance, but it’s Haiti’s last chance.”

Edwidge Danticat tells Wadley’s story. A finalist for both the PEN / Faulkner and National Book Awards, and winner of the American Book Award, Danticat’s Breath, Eyes, Memory was an Oprah Book Club selection. Her writing is a testament to the richness of Haitian life and to the power of language to bridge cultural divides.

Wadley’s story is narrated by award-winning actress, author, fashion designer and philanthropist Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Wadley keeps busy or, as she put it: “There’s a lot on the menu.”

Wadley, now in middle school is one of the top students in her class in Port-au-Prince. Her favorite subjects are math and especially science, which she believes will be the most useful in the future. She is hoping to realize her dream of becoming a doctor. Her academic day ends at 2 pm, but she stays at school until 5 pm to do her homework. She loves music, art, sports and computer science. During vacations, Wadley takes English classes – but she wishes she could take more frequently. She looks forward to the day she can communicate with the Girl Rising team in English.

She has also developed a love of photography, since Partners in Health gave her a camera. Her first question upon meeting someone is usually if she can take their picture; her second request is to look through the pictures they have taken on their phone.

Haiti often bears the brunt of natural disasters. But unlike the earthquake of 2010, which devastated Port au Prince and Wadley’s home, the family was largely unaffected by Hurricane Matthew in October 2016.

The Arab Spring drew the world’s eye, but Egypt was already in flux– not least in the changing roles of women. Egypt has free and compulsory education, but it is still unevenly distributed. The literacy rate for females is 65.4% compared to 82.2% for males (CIA World Factbook). Girls are poised to reap the rewards of a modern Egypt, but only if they gain the access to education and the freedom from gender violence they deserve.

Mona Eltahawy tells Yasmin’s story. An award-winning journalist and international public speaker on Arab and Muslim issues, New York-based Eltahawy is also an activist with a prominent voice both in the United States of America and her native Egypt.

Yasmin’s story is narrated by Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt, an award-winning film star.

When we were last in touch, Yasmin was engaged and had not been to school. The volatility of life for Cairo’s poor has only been amplified by the current climate, and despite our partner organization’s efforts to enroll Yasmin in literacy classes, her mother considered a marriage proposal to be a more secure investment in her daughter’s future. Our partners continue to work with us to create opportunities for girls like Yasmin to succeed, and to shift society’s perspectives of girls’ education to a positive one.