Our Needs, Demands and Dreams
Girls and youth show-up with bravery and resilience every single day to protect and defend our human rights. Inspired by their activism and to honour their vital efforts on #HumanRightsDay, the Global Resilience Fund and the With and For Girls Fund launched the #OurNeedsDemandsDreams campaign. We invite you to learn about the stories of these brave activists and join us in amplifying their needs, demands and dreams!
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Click here to access the text only version | Campaign illustrations by DAPENHA
Ariane Cor
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She/her
brazil
My need, demand, and dream: Multiply knowledge, and spread the feeling that we can all create and think about technology.
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My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Ariane is a Brazilian feminist activist and technologist based in São Paulo, Brazil. She is a co-founder and project director of minasprogramam.com, which, since 2015, has been carrying out projects to integrate more girls and women into technology. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences at the University of São Paulo. Currently, her main interests are related to contemporary Latin American political struggles, black feminism, agroforestry, and technology. Ariane loves music, cooking, and spending time at the beach with friends.
Dani Prisacariu
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they/them
Romania/Belgium
My need, demand, and dream: I dream of a world where being in the right relationship with ourselves, each other and the planet is central in our journey to shaping change. I want us all to break free from binaries that limit and divide us.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Dani is a coach, facilitation, and collaboration practitioner focused on participatory capacity building for social change. Much of their work so far has been in LGBTQI+ and feminist activism in Romania and internationally, and in community organizing for social justice. For the past five years, they have coordinated Gender Talk, a community initiative of gender explorers and rebels that works to create more space and possibilities for us all to exist and thrive outside the gender binary. They support the Global Resilience Fund's accompaniment program and the grantmaking process in Europe and Central Asia.
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The Value of Trusting the Expertise and Self-Determination of Groups
Favour Uzoma Chukwugolum
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She/Her
nigeria
My need, demand, and dream: I hope to amplify the Rights of girls. Girls should be given equal opportunities and a seat at the decision-making table because GIRLS CAN!
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Favour Uzoma Chukwugolum is a 20-year-old Girl Leader, Intern, and Chair of the Adolescent Girls Advisory Board at Girls Voices Initiative in Nigeria. Her passion for activism drives her active participation in the Girls’ Rights Movement that has impacted over 800,000 adolescent girls, and through the Girls on the Airwaves project – a digital action campaign to end violence against girls and women- has reached over 200 million people.
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Marija Jakovljevic
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She/her
serbia
My need, demand, and dream: We need a human-centered & environmental-friendly economy, where our labor rights are protected and working conditions are decent and enable us to thrive and contribute to our societies. For starters, I want to see the philanthropic and development sector supporting progressive women’s groups on the ground to go beyond precarity and scarcity. Guarantee labor rights and fair payment in women’s and girls’ groups around the world!
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Marija is a Sociologist with 15 years of engagement connecting feminism, human and environmental rights, peacebuilding, social and solidarity economy, and progressive philanthropy. Marija’s activism started in high school fighting against sexual harassment after which she became a peer educator on SRHR. As a journalist, researcher, educator, facilitator, and coordinator she supported progressive social struggles, knowledge, and capacity building. She is currently a Social Change Initiative Fellow exploring the intersection of peacebuilding and solidarity economy for resourcing progressive social change.
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Esther Girón Flete
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She/Her
Dominican Republic
My need, demand, and dream: I dream that Black women and women from popular sectors can live with dignity and be free of persecution from the state. We need to decolonize feminism and fight for the autonomy of the people. I dream of a political project of liberation that returns to the fabric of the community, reclaims wisdom, and confronts this capitalist, patriarchal and colonial system of death.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Esther is an Afrofeminist, lawyer and Dominican organizer, co-founder of Aquelarre RD, a youth-led group that promotes organizing with an anti-racist feminist perspective in the northern part of the country and the full exercise of the bodily autonomy of women, girls, and adolescents, in Monsignor Nouel province. Environmental justice and the defense of the territory are central axes of the work of Aquelarre RD. Aquelarre RD is also a member of the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Young People for Sexual and Reproductive Rights REDLAC.
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Fatmata Kamassie
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She/Her
Sierra Leone
My need, demand, and dream: As an activist, I need support, commitment, and willingness to do my job. I demand respect, gender equality, and safe space in my community. My dream is to see that we have a Feminist world, a society free from all harmful practices, and an environment free from all sorts of discrimination.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Fatmata is a feminist activist and UNFPA youth champion. She is also the co-founder and president of the Sierra Leone Uncut Girls Association, a girls’ advocacy organisation working against female genital mutilation and other gender-based violence against women and girls. Mandigo by tribe, Fatmata was born and raised in Kono District, in a small and vulnerable village called Beudu Town, in Kissy Tongi Chiefdom. She is a member of the Tar Kura Youth Advisory Panel, and also currently works as an intern with Girls Empowered Sierra Leone.
Doha Ali
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She/her
sudan
My need, demand, and dream: Challenging the notion that has been casted upon adolescents and youth for so long starts with giving them agency and the proper tools for them to be their own drivers of change.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Doha Ali is 23 years old Sudanese woman, MBBS holder with over 5 years experience in adolescent & youth engagement, gender, and SRHR mainstreaming, gamification, and bridging the generational gap. She’s the founder and CEO of Tayf, an adolescent & youth-led initiative dedicated to Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights in Sudan. Doha was Sudan’s representative for UNDP’s Youth Leadership Programme in Civil Society in 2018, she remains involved with the organisation as a co-founder and advisory committee member of the YLP E-platform. Additionally, she is an advisory committee member of the With & For Girls Fund aiming to make the funding process suited to girls and young women-led initiatives.
Altynay
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She/Her
Kazakhstan
My need, demand, and dream: I hope that our actions for human rights will be centered upon the notions of care, the one that starts from ourselves and stems to the whole community.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Altynay Kambekova is a queer feminist activist and an independent researcher from Kazakhstan. Until recently, Altynay has been a prominent member of “Feminita” Kazakhstani feminist initiative, leading Research and Campaigns program. Currently a fellow of Rainbow Advocacy Program (RFSL), Altynay organized a Coalition of LGBTQ+ activists to advocate for SOGIE-related issues in the country. Apart from social and human rights activism, Altynay leads workshops, seminars, and lectures on decolonial and intersectional issues in feminism and social movements in the post-Soviet region.
Jayaa Jaggi
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She/Her
pakistan
My need, demand, and dream: 1. Dream to pursue education 2. Inclusion in decision making.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Jayaa is a human rights activist, a peace agent and a policy advocate. She has a wide range of experience in community services and advocating and promoting SDGs. She is a Youth Icon 2019 by Bargad and govt. of Punjab and an alumnus of Harvard Crossroads Emerging leaders Program. She is also Certified in IAG by UkVersity.
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Yande Banda
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She/her
Zambia
My need, demand, and dream: Girls need to be in key decision-making spaces and we can no longer negotiate this. We must amplify our collective voices to ensure true representation in all decision-making spaces.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Yande Banda is a vibrant and passionate girls’ rights activist from Zambia. Yande Banda is the Co-Chairperson of Transform Education, a youth-led coalition hosted by the United Nations Girls Education initiative where she champions education issues and uses her voice for change. Yande Banda is also a member of the Adolescent Girls’ Advisory Council under the Global Fund for Women as its youngest member where she facilitates grant-making processes and advises the global fund for women on their work. She is a core member of the organizing committee where she began her work with engaging adolescent girls from all over Africa in collaboration with the UN women. In addition to this, she works actively as a member of the adolescents' mobilization team of UN Women to advocate for adolescent engagement, education, girls and women's rights issues. Click here to read her full biography.
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Melinda Anne Sharlini
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She/Her
Malaysia
My need, demand, and dream: I dream of a world where women, girls and queer and non-binary youth have autonomy in the private, public and civic sphere, living a life free from stereotypes, harm and violence.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Melinda is a gender justice advocate that works on the reform for gender-equal citizenship rights and immigration policies concerning Malaysian binational and transnational families in her capacity as the programme manager for Family Frontiers. Family Frontiers is the umbrella body for the Foreign Spouses Support Group (FSSG) and the Malaysian Campaign for Equal Citizenship. Melinda also leads the ‘Right to Belong’ project, which is Family Frontiers’ youth network for gender-equal citizenship. She identifies as an intersectional feminist and strongly believes in the need for gender mainstreaming in governance, and is passionate about contributing towards the strengthening of feminist movements. She is currently an advisor for the Asia Pacific Committee of FRIDA | The Young Feminist Fund and was part of the Strategic Planning & Design team for With & For Girls. Nationally, she is also part of the Campaign team of 111initiative powered by Undi18 that advocates for increased women’s political participation in Malaysia.
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www.instagram.com/familyfrontiersmy/
Menuka Gurung
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She/Her
Nepal
My need, demand, and dream: Have more support for female-led grassroots community organisations. A safe space where equal opportunities are provided where we bridge the gap for those who don't have access to resources beyond their gender and regions. More young female leaders and mentors representation is needed.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Menuka is an activist and outdoor enthusiast from Nepal. She graduated from Bangkok University, where she studied Entrepreneurship and Management. She will be starting her Master’s in the UK as a Chevening Scholar in 2021. Menuka believes in creating a safe space for young women to share their opinions and challenge themselves to create a sustainable environment to lead and be a changemaker. She is a co-founder of a travel podcast called Duluwa Talks and is an active alumnus of organisations like Women LEAD Nepal and Wedu.
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Biljana
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She/her
Serbia
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Biljana is a kindergarten teacher who is completing her Masters degree in Education. She has worked in the NGO sector for the past 6 years, working in education and gender equality. Biljana is passionate about amplifying the voices of young people.
Mahjabeen
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she/her
india
My need, demand, and dream: Valuing each and every human, demanding that there is no more violence against others rights, and dreaming of a peaceful, equitable and nonviolent world, where we respect and value everyone.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Mahjabeen is from Kolkata, India. She is 22 years old and lives in a community in Rajabazar. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree and is pursuing a Master's in social work. She is the core member of Roshni which is a youth group for and by young girls in her community. All the core members are girls and they also reach peers adolescent girls in the community empowering them towards their rights. She has experience working as a youth mentor or peer educator with other external organisations. Through her volunteering and working with organisations she has an understanding of rights including women's rights, child rights. She also has experience working on gender equality and different forms of inequality and violence faced by women and girls.
Oumaima Guezir
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She/Her
Morocco
My need, demand, and dream: As a student in journalism and communication, I want to take advantage of this profession to amplify the voices of girls who are suffering.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Oumaima is from Marrakech, Morocco. She is a second-year baccalaureate student and has and worked with Project Soar, which works to help girls to develop leadership skills. Her journey with feminism started when she was moved by stories of girls especially those who had a difficult background, and she has continued to amplify the voices of girls in her community. She is a public speaker, is involved in theatre, and is developing her skills in voiceover acting.
Farah K
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She/her
Jordanian-Palestina
My need, demand, and dream: I hope for organisations that are starting to target adolescent girls, and young women in general, to start including a separate budget for workshops that will help AGs and young women to build their capacities. It can be said that they have maybe no prior experience in writing proposals for funds, reaching out to other organisations, or simply knowing the simplicities such as the correct terminologies associated with their campaign idea/initiative. Guiding them in the preliminary stages of their activism through interactive workshops is an essential part of sculpting the path of the new generation of women's rights activists.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Farah Kassab is a 19-year-old law student from Jordan. Farah aspires to become an international lawyer in order to legitimize and implement global treaties that are to be for the benefit of women and girls all around the world. She hopes to become a role model to Middle-Eastern women and girls to ignite their passion for advocacy. Being a part of the WFGF Advisory, Farah wants to support girls to erupt a wave of positive and effective change in their communities through funding.
Rebecca Sarah Jawara
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She/HerSierra Leone
My need, demand, and dream: More resources to girls and their allies.
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My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Rebecca Sarah Jawara is a 19-year-old from Freetown, Sierra Leone. An outspoken activist, she also has a passion for music and creative arts. Apart from being on the Tar Kura panel, she also currently works with Purposeful by providing content in the form of poems and songs for our weekly Karo Kura Konnection radio show and is a collaborative member of the Children's Rights Innovation Fund.
Anna Pickett
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She/Her
UNITED STATES
My need, demand, and dream: Rest and care, both for oneself and in the community, are critical parts of sustainable activism. A dream I wish to amplify is one where activists embrace rest as we work toward a more inclusive and accessible world where young people with disabilities are able to actively participate in their communities and in the decisions that most impact them.
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www.instagram.com/diversability/
www.instagram.com/differentlyanna/
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Anna is a disability rights activist with a passion for improving the access and inclusion for youth with disabilities and designing initiatives that drive positive social change toward more just, equitable, and inclusive societies. She believes in the power of story and relationships and enjoys creating content and projects that foster empathy and build community. Her career and experiences thus far have allowed Anna to deepen her activism and to work alongside grassroots organizers in Central America and Mexico to amplify their impact. Currently, Anna serves as a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and is thrilled to be selected as a William H. Gates Public Service Law Scholar at the University of Washington School of Law where she is studying to become an international human rights attorney. Prior to these roles, Anna was a Fulbright Research Fellow to Nicaragua where she analyzed national disability law and policy in relation to disability perception and stigma in an effort to improve inclusion for people with disabilities. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Humanities for Leadership from Seattle University with a specialization in Equality Rights & Advocacy. She speaks English and Spanish.
Evdokia Romanova
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She/her
russia
My need, demand, and dream: A need to object and fight against patriarchy and capitalism. Invest not only money but other resources in feminist movements that think and act radically to challenge and change the existing systems of oppression. Rethinking and remaking history in order to create a new one where we constantly review and challenge the existing reality.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Evdokia aka Dunia is an intersectional queer feminist originally from Samara, Russia. Dunia has centered her work on the topics related to sexual and reproductive health and rights, artivism, and theatre as well as alternative ways of funding outside of the mainstream model and sustainability of radical human rights collectives. Dunia holds an MA in sociology and is inspired by the solidarity of grassroots organising.
Laura Sofía Leiva
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She/Her
El Salvador
My need, demand, and dream: Construction of non-violent realities that enable new ways of life in which our rights are guaranteed.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
My need, demand, and dream: Open opportunities and create safe spaces for Roma girls to freely express their ideas, opinions and do whatever they want to do.
Laura is a Salvadoran youth activist, internationalist interested in the Latinamerican region. Laura studied gender affairs, feminism, politics and debate. Her experience is based on volunteer work with adolescents and children, youth organisations and activism, as well as management of funds and work with non-governmental organisations.
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