Girl Power + Giving Tuesday = Positive Change

This week the Grumeti Fund hosted a series of women’s and girl’s empowerment sessions.  Over the three days 700 girls and women joined together to hear about topics ranging from the importance of confidence and career development to menstrual health and female genital mutilation (FGM).  The inspiration coming from these sessions was palpable.  Having invited three strong and courageous speakers – all women running successful empowerment related programs – allowed the girls to remain enthusiastic and engaged throughout the whole session.  Speakers featured the Grumeti Fund’s Community Outreach Program manager Frida Mollel, the founder of Shule Direct and Miss Tanzania 2004 Faraja Kotta Nyalandu, the founder of the center Hope for Girls and Women Serengeti Rhobi Samwel and Mary Mwakyusa from the John’s Hopkins non-profit health organization JHPIEGO, and several other Singita Grumeti women.

In the Serengeti region many girls are not well educated on topics like reproductive health, menstrual hygiene or about their options to opt out of practices such as FGM. Giving the girls, all of whom were from local high schools, the tools to understand how they can take their health into their own hands was a major focus during the sessions.  Inspiration also played a critical role throughout the event, where messages about the importance of confidence and bouncing back after failure were conveyed. Both days closed with an interactive lesson on career development, where women from Singita Grumeti engaged with the girls on becoming the person you envision.

These days were filled with dancing, laughter, questions, jokes and new friendships.  Now, the Grumeti Fund looks to carry on this movement, and to create a space where women and girls are empowered to be who they dream to be.  We aim to do this through our ongoing scholarship program, through a new livelihood development program and by creating more opportunities like this event where women and girls have access to more information.

On this #GivingTuesday, please join the Grumeti Fund on a journey to give the women and girls of the Serengeti the power to take their future into their own hands. To donate to our Community Outreach Programme – click here!