https://www.girlsglobe.org Gender equality, human rights and social justice. Thu, 12 Jun 2025 07:04:53 +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/2025/06/12/francisca-sequeira-surf-therapy-and-girls-mental-wellbeing/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/06/12/francisca-sequeira-surf-therapy-and-girls-mental-wellbeing/#respond Thu, 12 Jun 2025 06:54:21 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=66605 Francisca Sequeira is the founder and president of SOMA (Sufers Proud of African Women), the first surf therapy organization in Africa dedicated exclusively to girls.

Francisca, from Portugal, embarked on a new journey in 2020 during the pandemic. She was experiencing anxiety and panic attacks after losing her job as a flight attendant, and discovered surf therapy—a combination of surfing, mental well-being, and empowerment.

What started as a solo trip of self-discovery turned into a larger movement to support women and girls in the islands of São Tomé and Principe.

The organization’s vision is to create the next generation of independent and self-sustainable women, surfing infinite waves of well-being, opportunities, and equity across Africa.]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2025/06/12/francisca-sequeira-surf-therapy-and-girls-mental-wellbeing/feed/ 0 66605 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/04/26/river-savante-usa-and-nepal/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/04/26/river-savante-usa-and-nepal/#respond Fri, 26 Apr 2024 11:46:07 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=65760&preview=true&preview_id=65760 River Savante is 16 years old and has already set a world record as the youngest American female to summit Imja Tse in the Nepal Everest region, which is 20,500 ft.

River is training to be the youngest American female to summit Mount Everest, scheduled for next May/June 2025.

In this episode, River discusses:

- going with her mother leading trips to Kathmandu after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal to help with humanitarian aid, and building earthquake-proof homes, and sponsoring schools.
- adding an Everest Base Camp trip to their expedition company as it evolved into a trekking company.
- being asked by her mother to return to Everest in 2022 to represent their company.
- learning from her mother about the importance of adapting to any situation, and watching her accomplish “incredible things” in foreign countries.
- knowing that the life lessons and skills that she has learned will help her when she goes off to college.
- living in Ulaanbaatar now, the capital of Mongolia and loving the vibe and feeling of this city.
- summiting Imja Tse, a mountain in the Himalayas of eastern Nepal, with a Sherpa guide teaching her the skills to use on Everest.
- living in Malaysia and meeting a three-times Everest summitter representing Malaysia, and accepting his invitation to train with his Malaysian Everest summiting team.
- her upcoming season in Nepal in October.
- her focus on school online with her high school in North Carolina, USA, that has been very supportive of her pursuing her dreams.
- reminding us that we are even more capable than we think we are, and that we can lead by example and follow our dreams, and support and encourage each other.
- the importance of offering compassion,  understanding, and listening to each other.
- and wanting women to know that it's so important to speak their truth and to stand up for themselves and their dreams.]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/04/26/river-savante-usa-and-nepal/feed/ 0 65760 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2020/07/09/how-my-love-of-football-goes-against-my-feminism/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2020/07/09/how-my-love-of-football-goes-against-my-feminism/#respond Thu, 09 Jul 2020 12:03:39 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=56486 These are enough reasons to absolutely hate football but I simply cannot. I am optimistic about the future of women's football. It starts with investment and representation.]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2020/07/09/how-my-love-of-football-goes-against-my-feminism/feed/ 0 56486 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/07/04/womens-world-cup-transforming-attitudes/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/07/04/womens-world-cup-transforming-attitudes/#comments Thu, 04 Jul 2019 18:30:26 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=49324 Here are some things I have learnt from watching the Women's World Cup so far.]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/07/04/womens-world-cup-transforming-attitudes/feed/ 1 49324 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/07/01/serena-williams-only-woman-highest-paid-athletes/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/07/01/serena-williams-only-woman-highest-paid-athletes/#comments Mon, 01 Jul 2019 10:13:12 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=49232 American tennis player Serena Williams is the highest paid female athlete in the world. She holds 23 Grand Slam titles, and her $89 million in career prize money is twice as much as that won by any other female athlete. Williams, aged 37, has revolutionized tennis with her unique style of play. Off the court, […]]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/07/01/serena-williams-only-woman-highest-paid-athletes/feed/ 1 49232 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/05/16/do-cultural-values-hinder-womens-physical-activity/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/05/16/do-cultural-values-hinder-womens-physical-activity/#comments Thu, 16 May 2019 12:23:51 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=48464 Cultural values and traditions can influence levels of physical activity among women.]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/05/16/do-cultural-values-hinder-womens-physical-activity/feed/ 2 48464 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/04/15/running-women-only-marathon-japan/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/04/15/running-women-only-marathon-japan/#respond Mon, 15 Apr 2019 10:56:35 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=47546 This is crazy, I thought. My heavy feet pounded against the road. It was pouring rain and the cold air clung to my damp running attire. Who comes on holiday to Japan and decides to run a 42.2 km race in the cold? I was in pain. Sore, cold, damp and slightly limping, yet regret […]]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/04/15/running-women-only-marathon-japan/feed/ 0 47546 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/03/06/gym-feminist-space/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/03/06/gym-feminist-space/#respond Wed, 06 Mar 2019 11:37:14 +0000 https://www.girlsglobe.org/?p=46424 The same narrative applies whether women are occupying space on the streets or occupying space in the gym. Gyms are primarily considered male spaces, and men seem to inhabit them with comfortable entitlement.]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2019/03/06/gym-feminist-space/feed/ 0 46424 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2017/03/07/how-martial-arts-helped-me-get-back-on-my-feet/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2017/03/07/how-martial-arts-helped-me-get-back-on-my-feet/#respond Tue, 07 Mar 2017 12:00:00 +0000 http://girlsglobe.org/?p=32331 Content note: this post contains depictions of physical assault  After being attacked on my way home, I decided to start training in martial arts. I wanted to become stronger both physically and mentally, and eventually, I found my way to the Korean martial art of taekwondo. Today, the mental tools taekwondo has given me help […]]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2017/03/07/how-martial-arts-helped-me-get-back-on-my-feet/feed/ 0 32331 https://www.girlsglobe.org/2017/02/05/he-broke-her-face-but-kept-playing/ https://www.girlsglobe.org/2017/02/05/he-broke-her-face-but-kept-playing/#respond Sun, 05 Feb 2017 10:00:29 +0000 http://girlsglobe.org/?p=31271 When the 2014 World Cup finished, I wrote an article for an online youth outlet in the UK calling on men to stop asking women “But how come you love soccer, you’re a girl?” Not only is this attitude outdated, but it is also completely true that women love, watch and play sports as much […]]]> https://www.girlsglobe.org/2017/02/05/he-broke-her-face-but-kept-playing/feed/ 0 31271