Spotlight on: Girls' Empowerment Center

JoHanna Jones started the Girl's Empowerment Centre as a community resource for families and organizations to unite over raising healthy happy girls. It's not just a focus on girls, but also their families. Girls are encouraged to find their inner strength so that they can grow up strong and empowered in whatever society that they live in.

Here at Goal we LOVE reading other blogs on girls empowerment so you must check theirs out. There's some great words of advice for girls growing up.


Here's my top 3 from their blog- what are yours?

No one likes a drama queen so admit when you are wrong or overreact. It builds on their trust that you have the ability to be rational

Nothing shows the respect towards others better than the willingness to communicate

To face fear is to trust in who we are at a level we didn't know we were capable of

Global Girls news: 21 April

Latest bite-sized news just for you!

• In a recent conference in Pakistan, Neva Khan, Oxfam Country Director said: “education for girls in particular is the key to building economies and overcoming social problems”. Pakistan Education Minister agreed that it’s “high time the government prioritised education”. Read more!
  
  


• The Girls’ Empowerment Centre- Check out their facebook page for regular words of wisdom to girls. Keep tuned and I’ll give you more on this great programme next week… Watch this space!
  
  


• Can empowering women end poverty? Gender equality can only be achieved when women have the opportunity to participate in making decisions. Can there be development if only half the population is prevented from fully benefiting from, and contributing to it? What do you think?

Women helping women

Check out this inspiring article on how empowering women to work for themselves is making a difference to women's lives in India.

Happy reading!

Spotlight: Deepika

At 16, Deepika is determined to make something of her life. She wants to be a leader, inspire others and play netball professionally.

Newly selected as a Goal Champion, Deepika came into Goal in Chennai a year ago, very shy and lacking in initiative. However, in the last year, she has not only picked up the game really well and made friends with girls from other age groups, but also assists the coaches whenever possible. As the coaches were stretched with multiple sessions at all the Goal sites, she took it upon herself to train the team from her site, to play in the International Netball tournament held in Chennai in December 2010! Deepika is determined to excel in netball, play tournaments, and teach it to others

The coaches and Goal staff have noticed her natural leadership abilities, and the way she is able to instill the same confidence in others, even though she comes from very humble family background. Her father is an autorickshaw driver, and the sole wage earner in the family. Deepika has a younger sister, whom she hopes to be a role model for.

It isn’t only the sport that inspires her. She quickly absorbs all the information in the life skills sessions too! In her words, “I would like to say that Goal Classes are the best! These classes are very useful in learning about taking care of our environment, hygiene, how to control our anger, and how to communicate and behave with others. I really like these classes.”

Not only have her friends and the Goal facilitators and coaches noticed these changes in her, but she has seen the change in herself: “Earlier I used to speak my mind to everyone, without wondering if it might hurt them. But now, I have learnt to think before I speak. I also learnt not to keep thinking about what we don’t like about ourselves, or our shortcomings, rather to think about what all we have and make the most of it.”

In June, Deepika goes to the 12th grade, and will have to put in a lot of hours studying and the program staff wondered if she would be able to do justice to being a Goal Champion as the academic pressure would be immense. However, her father came up to the team and assured them of his support- saying that he will be proud to send her to the Goal sessions, and even drop her and pick her up himself, in his auto!

Aspiring for a great career Deepika says “I want to become a software engineer. I want to work, and help others. Especially the aged. If I earn well, I will give some donation from that to an old age home.”

Spotlight on: Dream a Dream

Spotlight is back to let you know about the amazing work going on around the world with sports and empowerment. This time, we have "Dream a Dream", a charity founded in 1999 in Bangalore, India. This organisation gives children from vulnerable background the opportunity to participate in sports programmes for educational and empowerment purposes.

Over 2,200 children take part in its programmes each year which are delivered by 1,200 enthusiastic volunteers. Through the programmes, the kids learn valuable life skills like teamwork, communications, negotiation and coping skills, as well as problem-solving skills and developing their self-confidence and self-awareness.

Plus, there are lots of exciting sports to choose from: football, rugby, hockey and table tennis are some of the sports on offer.

Dream a Dream's vision is: "To empower children from vulnerable backgrounds by developing life skills and at the same time sensitising the community through active volunteering, leading to a non-discriminatory society where unique differences are appreciated".

If you would like to learn more about Dream a Dream and the children it helps, then please visit the website.