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The Girl Squad Mentorship Group(TGSM) is one of the new Non-Governmental Organizations in Kenya. Though relatively new, TGSM is poised to impact positively on the society as revealed by its Founder. TGSM’s CEO, Susan Nasipwoni, explains what made her to float the NGO: ‘’The fact that girls are still left behind in this century is both annoying and a hindrance to development. The Girl Squad Mentorship Group was formed because of the need for gender equality. . ‘’Having come from a girls only family in rural Kenya, it was obvious for people to ask whether I miss having a brother and how we manage home chores believed to be done by boys. ‘’Supported by my mother all through, I learnt from her that the strength of a woman can change the society. What if she was given a better chance? What if she could make her own investment decisions? What if every family supported their girls and women? Positive societal change would be the answer. ‘’For a long time, it bothered me to see the society looking at boys as more important than girls. After my education, I went back to the village but the girl child was still way below what I expected. I saw most of them dropping out of school, victims of teenage pregnancy and early marriages. With all these, I felt something had to be done. I talked to my close friends who agreed to be part of the change we need in our society and that was it’’. TGSM is led by a team of 18-26 year old ladies, the group seeks to empower females especially young girls. Our objectives are: * Reach out to girls/women of all ages and to empower them through motivational talks. * Find sponsors for needy girls with promising academic records to see them through school/training *Teach girls about financial freedom by promoting talent and hobbies that can help generate income. *Promote talent among the girls by helping them come up. The CEO explains further “Our long term goal is to one day become an international NGO that will change lives of young women around the globe , to organize meetings, training courses and events. We equally plan to work with similar groups and exchange information and ideas. “To ensure that the organization does not result to endangering the boy child, we work hand in hand with other gender based organizations. We let the boy child understand why the girl child is being empowered and how they can be part of the act for a better society. “For the seven months in operation, we have been able to talk to over 1200 school girls and looking forward to reaching more. We also have one girl in secondary level who receives full sponsorship through TGSM sponsors and well-wishers. We are looking forward to building a home where needy girls can come and live together peacefully. ‘’In August 2017, we held our very first public gathering. It was a colorful event that attracted many people including donors and partners. ‘’To improve our society more, we visit children homes and engage in clean-up activities as well as other activities for bonding purposes. It is our long-term goal to grow and partner with other organizations to achieve TGSM’s core agenda of gender equality and quality education for all among other sustainable development goals’’. Contact of TGSM CEO, Susan Nasipwoni, Tel +254710262319 PRO , Marlene Ajiambo, Tel +254790057096
