Global Partners Series
Marking International Day of the Girl with Global Partners in East Africa
We celebrated International Day of the Girl with our Global Partners in East Africa! Our partners, Kakenya’s Dream and Girl Up Initiative, work to empower women and girls in their communities. Their work addresses longstanding gender inequalities by improving young girls’ access to education and healthcare services. By opening opportunities for social and economic development, child marriage and poverty rates decline, leading to a brighter, more equitable future for the entire community.
During this event, our speakers delved deeper into their impactful work. They shared how they address barriers, enabling young Ugandan and Kenyan women to realize their full potential. Their transformative initiatives include scholarship programs, leadership training, and college and career guidance.
Presentation Date: October 10th, 2023
Monica Nyiraguhabwa
Executive Director, Girl Up Initiative Uganda
Monica Nyiraguhabwa, an innovative social entrepreneur and nonprofit leader, co-founded Girl Up Initiative Uganda in 2012 to empower underserved adolescent girls and young women in Uganda.
She’s a globally recognized advocate for girls’ education, holding numerous prestigious awards and fellowships. Under her leadership, GUIU gained international acclaim, including recognition by Michelle Obama’s Girls Opportunity Alliance and a feature on NBC’s The Today Show. Monica envisions GUIU expanding its transformative work beyond Uganda. She’s a Commonwealth Scholar with an MA in Education, Gender, and International Development from the University College of London and a BA in Adult and Community Education from Makerere University.
Dr. Kakenya Ntaiya
Founder and President, Kakenya’s Dream
Dr. Kakenya Ntaiya, a Maasai woman, defied tradition after experiencing female genital mutilation (FGM) as a teenager. She negotiated her return to school and later earned a PhD in education in the US. She founded Kakenya’s Dream, an NGO dedicated to educating girls and ending harmful practices.
Kakenya’s remarkable journey earned her recognition as a CNN Hero Finalist, a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, and inclusion in Bill Gates’ Heroes in the Field series. She received the Feminist Majority Global Women’s Rights Award in 2013 and the Vital Voices Global Leadership Award in 2008. Kakenya is celebrated as a “Woman of Impact” by Women in the World and among the Women Deliver 100 Most Inspiring People Delivering for Girls and Women.
For over a decade, GUIU has helped to empower young girls to make their own decisions through health, education, and job training programs 
GUIU's Adolescent Girls Program is an in-school program that centers on building girls’ capacities to make informed decisions about their bodies and their futures 
Through GUIU's Big Sisters Network, alumni stay engaged and are given support to continue to develop their leadership and mentorship skills 
The Kakenya Centers for Excellence
are located in remote Maasai villages, almost 250 miles west of Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi. Built on land donated by the village elders, the campuses are beacons of hope in the community 
Hundreds of girls have received life-altering support and education at Kakenya's Center for Excellence boarding schools 
Kakenya's Centers for Excellence are full-support boarding schools that provide high-quality education to the vulnerable girls in rural Kenya