Building a Future Where Girls Lead

For Monica Nyiraguhabwa, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Girl Up Initiative Uganda, the heart of her work in girls’ education and empowerment lies in creating spaces where girls not only find their voice, but use it to lead.

Growing up in the urban slums of Kampala, Monica witnessed firsthand how being a girl could mean a lifetime of limited opportunity and tough social expectations. “Growing up,” she recalled, “very few girls went to university, very few girls did not get pregnant. Most organizations were focused on women, and there weren’t many organizations investing in girls’ rights and education.” 

That awareness shaped her conviction that girls are not a problem to be solved but instead a source of untapped potential. When even one girl is given the space to grow, she carries within her the possibility to transform her community.

Monica founded Girl Up Initiative Uganda to challenge the patriarchal narratives she grew up with, beginning from what she describes as “a place of love and a burning desire that girls can push back and create a movement.”

What began as a small grassroots effort to “help girls shine” has evolved into a vibrant, community-rooted organization reaching tens of thousands of adolescents across Uganda. The girls go on to be leaders in their community, many of whom are positioned to advocate for girls’ rights at the highest levels of government, even impacting national policy. 

“Our vision has grown from simply empowering girls,” she explained, “to building an equitable society for both girls and boys because we’ve learned if we are to go far, we need to go together.”

Change Begins with Empowerment from Within

At the center of Girl Up’s approach is the belief that empowerment begins from within. “You cannot empower a girl unless she’s in touch with herself,” Monica shared. 

Through initiatives aimed at improving the educational, financial, and health outcomes for girls, Girl Up creates spaces where girls can build self-esteem and see themselves beyond gender stereotypes and societal expectations. 

By 2026, the organization will have contributed to the increased and sustained well-being of 34,000 girls, young women, and boys through quality education, skill building for workforce development— especially its renowned social enterprise, the Mazuri Designs Hub— and gender-responsive sexual and reproductive health and rights education.

Monica wants to give girls the power to be who they are, rather than who their community tells them to be. In a society that still teaches a girl to be humble and looks down on her when she speaks out, every act of confident self-expression is impactful. “When a girl learns to speak with confidence,” she said, “she shifts not only her own story but the culture around her.” 

The Big Sister Camp: Creating a Space to Lead

Over a decade of work empowering girls and building self-esteem shaped Monica’s understanding of what leadership looks like both in her organization and in the girls she serves. Perhaps nowhere is Monica’s philosophy more visible than in the Big Sister Camp, a leadership accelerator and mentorship space for the alumni of Girl Up’s adolescent girl programming. The camp gathers young women from across cities and villages in Uganda for several days of learning, laughter, and sisterhood. 

“It’s not just a camp,” Monica said with a smile. “It’s a movement.” Girls who once hesitated to raise their hands in class, now stand to advocate for policy in Parliament and speak on international panels. Together, they learn how to advocate for themselves and for the future they want to see.

Big Sisters Camp Image Courtesy of Girl Up Initiative Uganda

This conviction guides every element of her leadership. In her own organization, she makes room for her team to step forward, take risks, and grow. “Building confidence,” she explained, “is about creating space for everyone to shine.” Whether it’s inviting staff members to lead meetings with funders or encouraging a 14-year-old girl to address a full room of adults, Monica sees leadership not as authority but as a shared light.

Hope for the Future

To Monica, the world’s greatest challenges, from climate change to poverty, are symptoms of deeper imbalances. “The real solution is investing in girls,” she said. “Because when you invest in one girl, you invest in the generations that follow her. And one girl can build a massive movement that will impact millions of girls.”

This year’s International Day of the Girl Child theme, The Girl I Am, the Change I Lead, Girls on the Frontlines of Crises, reminds Monica that investment in every single girl matters. “For me, investing in girls isn’t just for philanthropists. Everyone who interacts with a girl—parents, teachers, or anyone who simply believes in her— holds the power to unlock her untapped potential.” 

Even amid shifting global priorities and limited funding for gender-focused initiatives, Monica remains hopeful. “Girls can no longer be ignored,” she said firmly. “Their issues are still valid, and there are still people who care deeply about seeing them rise.”

As October closes and we reflect on the critical work of investing in girls’ rights and education, Monica offers one final piece of wisdom for those working towards girls’ empowerment. “In this work, we should all go in ready to be into it for the long journey,” she shared. “We’re unmasking a system that was here for years before us, and helping people to live past that system takes time. For those who are really invested in this, the returns are high. They’re not immediate, but they are long-term.”