Girl Move – A woman can change the world

How do you rewrite progress? In the words – and in the will – of Girl MOVE it is through education, leadership and training.

The Mozambican leadership academy focuses on a circular inter-generational mentoring model, recognized by UNESCO, and prepares young women to develop their impactful careers, placing community development at the center. The limit? It doesn’t exist.

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It is from Nampula that the organization promotes positive transformation in Mozambique, with a particular mission and vision on female education. All in all, Girl Move has already impacted more than 15 thousand young women in the last decade, always counting on partners and organizations that believed in the commitment to a more plural and fair Mozambique through investment in female talent.

In the words of Rita Megre, Academic Director of Girl MOVE, “in an increasingly competitive world, we need new leaders with clarity of vision, a sense of purpose and effective action. Finding them, developing them and elevating them is the main objective of Girl MOVE Academy”.

The organization divides its focus into two dimensions, the promotion of education and the development of female leadership, through an inter-generational circular mentoring model where talent is enhanced and new female role models are developed, creating a virtuous cycle of positive change and impact between generations. With this, it contributes to a clear reduction in the percentage of early pregnancies, premature marriages and school dropouts, while at the same time promoting active citizenship in these areas and awareness of the difference they can make in their communities, in their country, and in the world.

The recognition of Girl MOVE’s methodology and the success of its programs leads the organization to reflect on the responsibility of scaling the impact of its mission, having in 2021 begun the process of disseminating its methodology with strategic implementation partners. In 2021, it launched its first digital program – SHINE – for young women between the ages of 17 and 30, secondary school graduates, technical-vocational education students, university students and graduates, enrolled from across the country, with the mission to activate and further enhance female talent. Young women have the possibility of attending online training with self-development and community leadership content through an online platform.

CHANGE, a leadership and training program in social innovation, is aimed at women aged between 20 and 30, university finalists, graduates or masters who fly to Nampula to have an immersive and experiential training experience to develop specific skills that all great leaders need: conscious empathy, dynamic teamwork, transformative action and new leadership.

“At CHANGE, I went through a process of change and transformation on a personal and professional level. After the program, I began to believe more in my potential to transform the world and create a positive impact for my community. I am able to develop ideas and sustainable solutions to current problems in my community and lead by being an example for other women who, like me, want to develop their country and the world”, tells us Yara Benedito Chidiamassamba, Program Manager at SCDS and Founder of Maquetheia. For Chelsea Marlen, SADC Youth Parliamentary Member and HR Assistant at Hollard Seguros, the experience at Girl MOVE was challenging. “In 2021, I joined Girl MOVE Academy’s CHANGE program, which allowed me to develop my skills as a leader and implement them in community involvement projects such as Changemaker’s LAB. I was challenged to leave my comfort zone and connect with the communities of Nampula, in search of solutions suited to their needs”, shared the young woman.

More than believing in education, Girl MOVE operationalizes the difference. By calling on each young person to step out of their comfort zone and invest in their training as changemakers, the Academy opens up countless opportunities for them and their communities.

At the end of the international experience, in Portugal, which lasts 7 weeks, every year around 30 young Girl Movers return to Mozambique with the awareness, responsibility and desire to make an impact and leave their mark on their country.

Edição 80 Jul/Ago/ Set| Download.