Girl Rising

When filmmakers, journalists and writers came together with nine girls to create the documentary Girl Rising, they sparked something unexpected: a global movement proving that stories can change minds, shift cultures and open doors for millions of girls denied their right to education.

Girl Rising was born from that film, but it has grown into something far bigger. For over a decade, the organisation has been working in classrooms, communities and homes across 18 countries, using storytelling as a tool to challenge deep-rooted gender bias and create lasting change. Their approach is simple but transformative: when girls see themselves in stories, when they learn to tell their own stories, and when communities hear these stories, education stops being a distant dream and becomes a tangible right.

At the heart of their work is RISE—Resilient, Inclusive, Skilled, and Educated—a flagship program that goes beyond traditional education. RISE equips adolescent girls with life skills, critical thinking and the confidence to shape their futures. In India, where Girl Rising has worked since its founding, the program addresses gender bias head-on whilst building a strong community of advocates for girls' education. In Kenya, they collaborate with 10 grassroots organisations, providing educational and financial resources to support community-led solutions that help girls not just attend school, but thrive in it.

But their reach extends beyond India and Kenya. Girl Rising has created award-winning educational resources, available in multiple languages and freely accessible to educators worldwide. These materials use real stories to help young people understand their rights and contribute to a more equitable future. Through their Student Ambassador program, they've built a global community of passionate young leaders driving change in their own corners of the world. The Spark, their digital publication, showcases the voices and initiatives of these changemakers.

The numbers tell part of the story: 30,000 adolescents equipped with vital skills, 800,000 educators trained to create inclusive classrooms, 5,000 partners collaborating on innovative solutions, and 400 parents learning to champion their children's ambitions. But beyond the numbers are the individual girls whose trajectories have shifted—from silence to voice, from invisibility to possibility.

Educating girls isn't just the right thing to do; it's one of the world's smartest investments, creating ripple effects that transform families, communities and entire nations. Girl Rising is proof that sometimes all it takes is the right story, told at the right time, to change everything.