International Day of the Girl Message from Chantale
Every year on October 11th, we celebrate the International Day of the Girl – a day that recognizes girls' rights and the unique challenges they face and promotes girls' empowerment. You can guess why this day is near and dear to our hearts.
When a girl is given the right tools during her adolescent years, she has the potential to become an entrepreneur, innovator, mentor, teacher, and even a political leader, if she chooses. Girls are breaking boundaries and barriers to create a world that views them as equal. They are the changemakers of tomorrow.
On this International Day of the Girl, hear from RefuSHE's global changemaker, Senior Fellow of Student and Alumni Relations Chantale Zuzi, as she shares with us about her first two months of mentoring the young girls in our program.
“It has been a privilege to have the opportunity to work as a Senior Fellow, mentoring young women at RefuSHE. I see a future where every single young woman the world over is granted the opportunities she deserves.
When I began my first two months as Senior Fellow, I knew it was important to create an orientation packet to help the young women at RefuSHE take full advantage of the opportunities they are offered in order to prepare them to strive and flourish wherever they land in the world. I also knew it was important to make myself available when needed for individual mentoring and provide guidance on different aspects of their lives since I have experienced it myself as a resettled RefuSHE alumna. I am so proud to work with these young women and am looking forward to seeing how they will flourish in life. The opportunity I have been granted to help impact others' lives has also been a gift to me.
One story that sticks out to me is when my fellow alumna, Agnes, and her sister Lucy got resettled to Los Angeles. I encouraged them to use everything they learned at RefuSHE to support their life in this new world and help them in their progress. Both of them are very intelligent and had been well-prepared by RefuSHE to advance their education. I pushed them to prioritize educational opportunities above everything else. They have graduated high school and I am excited to share they are now studying in college! I continue to mentor them and am so proud of their progress. When I see girls like Agnes and Lucy thrive despite their past, I wish every single young woman around the world could be given the opportunity to meet her full potential. When a girl is supported, she feels empowered to make a difference in her life and the community around her.
No woman should ever be left behind or denied equal opportunity. International Day of the Girl is a reminder that girls are still facing difficulties worldwide, trying to find hope even in societies where they face continued oppression. The world will never change if we cannot recognize the value of women and empower them with an education.
My goal is to create a safe and equal world for all women everywhere, and my role at RefuSHE is supporting me to work toward this goal!”
Celebrate International Day of the Girl with us and make a donation in honor of a girl in your life that you know has the power to become a changemaker for the world!