https://www.girlsglobe.org Gender equality, human rights and social justice. Wed, 11 Jun 2025 17:27:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 https://i0.wp.com/www.girlsglobe.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/girlsglobe_icon_green2-1.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 https://www.girlsglobe.org 32 32 128553070 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/06/11/greta-gaza-and-genocide-how-silence-shouts-racism-and-complicity/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/06/11/greta-gaza-and-genocide-how-silence-shouts-racism-and-complicity/#respond Wed, 11 Jun 2025 17:27:16 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=66598 Swedish activist, Greta Thunberg made headlines upon her return to Sweden yesterday after being forcibly detained on international waters by Israel. She was a part of the crew of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla's boat Madleen, which attempted to break Israel's illegal blockade on the occupied Gaza Strip to supply humanitarian aid.

Since the ceasefire collapsed in Gaza, Israeli forces have escalated their attack, killing and injuring tens of thousands of civilians. The UN estimates that over 640,000 have been forcibly displaced, with people confined to an ever-shrinking space.

Israel has previously attacked boats part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and intercepted the Madleen on international waters and detained its crew earlier this week.

Greta explained that she's most worried about the continued development of the crisis in Gaza, the crimes against humanity that we're witnessing and the war crimes that Israel is guilty of. ]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/06/11/greta-gaza-and-genocide-how-silence-shouts-racism-and-complicity/feed/ 0 66598 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/05/23/neha-mankani-midwifery-and-the-climate-crisis/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/05/23/neha-mankani-midwifery-and-the-climate-crisis/#respond Fri, 23 May 2025 11:35:50 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=66577 Neha Mankani is a community midwife and global health practitioner from Pakistan with a strong focus on reproductive health and rights in crisis situations, emergency response and climate-affected communities. 

Neha is the Humanitarian and Climate Engagement Advisor at the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and the founder of the Mama Baby Fund; a financial emergency fund for maternal and neonatal healthcare in Pakistan. She has extensive experience in SRHR and maternal and neonatal health clinical practice, programming, and midwifery advocacy both at the local and global levels.

In this episode, Neha shares stories from her work with the coastal communities outside of Karachi, Pakistan and why she stared Mama Baby Fund. As a midwife with the ICM, Julia and Neha talk about how to build resilience in communities affected by the climate crisis and the critical role that midwives have.]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/05/23/neha-mankani-midwifery-and-the-climate-crisis/feed/ 0 66577 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/05/09/susan-jeremy-usa/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/05/09/susan-jeremy-usa/#respond Fri, 09 May 2025 07:29:58 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=66529 Susan Jeremy is a solo performer, stand-up, playwright and public school teacher in New York City.

As a performer, she keeps her audiences laughing with many characters, music, observations, and dry wit. She is the author of seven solo shows which she performs internationally. Susan’s works have been featured around the world at comedy festivals, including the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. She is the recipient of the Best Comedy and Best Production award at Montreal Fringe Festival along with Best touring show at Hamilton Fringe. 

In this episode, Susan discusses her seventh solo show, Robert Will Show You the Door (Tales of Being Fired), and how being fired from a series of jobs led her to becoming a special education teacher. She reveals that she is an undiagnosed person with dyslexia and how this affected what she thought was possible. She discusses how performing led her to find her confidence and overcome her learning disability.

When she started substitute teaching she used her daily experiences to write her first a solo show. She brought the show to Montreal and it was an instant hit, landing her a contract to tour the show nationally, only to have it cancelled when 9/11 happened. Susan took this as a sign that she was supposed to work with kids. When she was offered a full time teaching job, she took it, walked away from show business and went to grad school at night. A feat that she never saw was possible.

Susan learned that the way forward is to not listen to people who say “you can’t do this” and never to doubt yourself. The mere act of trying is brave and will lead you on a path to accomplish things.

As a breast cancer survivor, Susan discusses how facing a life challenging illness made her  even more determined to accomplish her goals. She used humor as a survival technique and inspired others who were going through treatment. This led her to teaching children who were in the hospital. Having already survived cancer, she knew that these kids wanted to have a normal school session and not be seen as patients. 

She wants our listeners to trust themselves if they are uncertain, and if you don’t know how to do something, just act as if you do and the confidence will lead you through. 

You can learn more about Susan Jeremy and find information about her upcoming performances, at https://www.susanjeremy.net/]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/05/09/susan-jeremy-usa/feed/ 0 66529 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/03/18/asad-dhunna-diversity-equity-inclusion-in-2025/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/03/18/asad-dhunna-diversity-equity-inclusion-in-2025/#respond Tue, 18 Mar 2025 10:00:45 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=66452 What are the impacts of the Trump administration's attack on DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion)? And can consumers really make a difference through boycotts? Is DEI the new woke? Is solidarity political? These are just some of the questions that are discussed in this episode of the Hey Changemaker! Podcast. 

Asad Dhunna is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of The Unmistakables, an award-winning and B Corp certified consultancy that builds cultural confidence and relevance for some of the world’s most well known brands and businesses.

Asad and Julia speak about diversity, equity and inclusion and its status and role in 2025. They discuss what Trump's attack on DEI means for organizations, companies and individuals - not only in the US, but also in Europe and the rest of the world. Asad shares how The Unmistakables do their work and how their Inside Out Inclusion model works. Asad shares his insights and opinions on the boycott and on citizens ability to keep pushing for policies that are grounded in diversity, equity and inclusion.

This episode also digs into the language we use when talking about diversity, equity and inclusion. Asad and Julia discuss things like “economic growth” as an indicator for success, and about the connotations of the word "solidarity". 

Asad Dhunna shares his own story that brought him to working with DEI and founding The Unmistakables.]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/03/18/asad-dhunna-diversity-equity-inclusion-in-2025/feed/ 0 66452 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/03/06/1-in-4-countries-worldwide-face-backlash-on-womens-rights-new-un-women-report-shows/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/03/06/1-in-4-countries-worldwide-face-backlash-on-womens-rights-new-un-women-report-shows/#respond Thu, 06 Mar 2025 12:20:57 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=66392 Ahead of the 50th official UN International Women's Day this year, UN Women reports that one in four countries face backlash on women's rights. Gender equality and the rights of women and girls are facing growing threats at unprecedented levels.

In a world where we're seeing the rise of authoritarianism, the power of big tech and AI, we're also witnessing the simultaneous rise of threats against women's and girls' rights.

These threats include higher levels of discrimination, weaker legal protections, less funding for programs and institutions that support and protect women. Global crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate emergency, conflicts and soaring prices, make the urgency to respond to these threats even greater.]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/03/06/1-in-4-countries-worldwide-face-backlash-on-womens-rights-new-un-women-report-shows/feed/ 0 66392 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/12/17/i-want-to-help-rural-women-in-india-own-the-land-they-work-on/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/12/17/i-want-to-help-rural-women-in-india-own-the-land-they-work-on/#comments Tue, 17 Dec 2024 12:04:19 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=66263 "In my community, women do all the farm work while the men are hardly seen.

It’s an unfortunate truth that most men have either migrated to cities in search of alternative livelihoods, have decreasing interest in farming, or have succumbed to alcoholism. Despite their hard work, only 1 in 6 rural Indian women own the land they work on.

When I meet women in the field, they often lack agency and have no place to call their own, with no rights to their parental or husband's homes. In cases of domestic violence, they have nothing of their own to fall back on. Most feel trapped and hopeless. They lack a voice. Without a voice, they have no income or means to make life decisions or achieve long-term financial security.

As I came across more and more women suffering this fate, I knew I had to do something."

written by Rachna Bagwan who works for Jan Sahas, an NGO partner of Womanity’s ‘Land for Women’ programme]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/12/17/i-want-to-help-rural-women-in-india-own-the-land-they-work-on/feed/ 1 66263 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/10/30/building-true-global-feminist-solidarity/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/10/30/building-true-global-feminist-solidarity/#respond Wed, 30 Oct 2024 07:33:22 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=66235&preview=true&preview_id=66235 This is a different episode of the podcast with host Julia Wiklander speaking about the global feminist solidarity movement, building resilience in the midst of deep pain, and why she started the podcast. This is an episode to remind us of why we’re doing this work. Julia talks about what feminist solidarity really means - and what inspired her to start Girls’ Globe to amplify the voices of so many people who go unrecognized or unheard. She encourages us that our voices matter and how important it is to reflect on our values and to let them lead in all aspects of our work - including our communications. Her new course Strategic Storytelling for Changemakers is an opportunity to create a powerful communications strategy that is aligned with our values and purpose, defined by our powerful stories and the people we want to reach. Learn more about Strategic Storytelling for Changemakers here: https://juliawiklander.com/storytelling/ Enroll by the end of October for 20% off using code LAUNCH. If you're one of the first 10 people to enroll you get a free 1:1 Strategic Storytelling Call with Julia.]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/10/30/building-true-global-feminist-solidarity/feed/ 0 66235 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/10/11/3-ways-to-support-girls-education-in-afghanistan/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/10/11/3-ways-to-support-girls-education-in-afghanistan/#respond Fri, 11 Oct 2024 11:46:04 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=66182&preview=true&preview_id=66182 Education is a powerful tool for transforming lives, especially for Afghan women and girls who have faced tremendous challenges. For many, education has become the key to unlocking their potential and breaking cycles of poverty.

As one Afghan student shared, "Education is our weapon against oppression. It opens doors to opportunities that we never thought were possible."

On this International Day of the Girl, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and pride of girls in Afghanistan—today and every day.]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/10/11/3-ways-to-support-girls-education-in-afghanistan/feed/ 0 66182 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/10/02/laura-somoggi-feminist-leadership-decolonization-and-resilience/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/10/02/laura-somoggi-feminist-leadership-decolonization-and-resilience/#respond Wed, 02 Oct 2024 09:10:32 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=66166&preview=true&preview_id=66166 Laura Somoggi, Co-CEO at Womanity, is an international development expert with a focus on gender equity, social impact, and trust-based philanthropy.

A feminist and strong advocate for devolution of power through equitable partnerships, Laura has overseen programmes with a presence in 15 countries. Coming from a colonised country and a family of refugees, the decolonisation of knowledge and development is especially personal to her.

In this episode, Julia and Laura speak about hope and resilience in the face of backlash, the status of gender equality around the world and about decolonizing development.

Laura shares her own stories - including about her career move - and talks about the work of Womanity at large and in Afghanistan specifically.]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/10/02/laura-somoggi-feminist-leadership-decolonization-and-resilience/feed/ 0 66166 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/08/26/solidarity-studio-neha-gurung-on-statelessness/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/08/26/solidarity-studio-neha-gurung-on-statelessness/#respond Mon, 26 Aug 2024 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=66068&preview=true&preview_id=66068 Neha Gurung is a human rights lawyer from Nepal and the Co-founder and Head of Legal Aid and Advocacy at the Citizenship Affected People's Network, Nepal.

She is also currently the Co-Lead at the Global Movement Against Statelessness.

In the Girls' Globe Solidarity Studio, Neha shares parts of her story. She speaks about how she was affected by statelessness and her calls to action for others. Neha shares what feminist solidarity looks like to her.

]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/08/26/solidarity-studio-neha-gurung-on-statelessness/feed/ 0 66068