Imagine being a teenage girl who just arrived in the U.S. after fleeing your homeland. You want to embrace all the opportunities your new freedom presents, but it’s not that easy. You have to learn English. You have to succeed in school, which is tough, because you haven’t been in school before. You have to help take care of your family. That’s where GirlForward comes in. GirlForward empowers refugee girls to achieve their goals through mentoring and education.
“When I come to GirlForward, I feel like I am home.” – Karidja, 16, Ivory Coast.
It started with one girl…
After spending her whole life in a refugee camp in Tanzania, she was resettled in the United States at age 15. Three years later, she was still struggling to learn English, succeed in school, and adjust to her new life in the U.S. Overwhelming challenges – poverty, language barrier, and social isolation, among others – stood between her and a dream of going to college to become a nurse.
Flash forward to today. With support from a GirlForward mentor, she became the first person in her family to graduate from high school. Through a GirlForward community partnership, she secured a part-time job where she earns money to help support her family. She is in college and working toward her goal of becoming a nurse.
GirlForward was inspired by her and serves refugee girls ages 12-21 through a Mentorship Program, Camp GirlForward, and Safe Spaces Project. Each GirlForward program addresses the five key challenges faced by refugee girls: poverty, limited/interrupted education, social isolation, language barrier and a need for positive role models.
Why Bhakti Chai loves this project
What’s not to love? GirlForward is empowering refugee girls to be strong, confident and independent. Mentorship Programs, camps and the Safe Spaces Project empower girls to set and achieve short and long-term goals, helps them understand who they are, where they come from, and how they can make a difference in the world while building critical literacy skills and student confidence, and offers a supportive network of peers and mentors.