Education Transformers are saving the world

July Newsletter 2022

28 Jul 2022

Young people everywhere are the driving force behind movements. In some territories, it is easier to gain visibility which for some can mean more support and public buy-in. In the world of advocacy, public buy-in is its own currency as you are able to gain notability and an even bigger movement. But for others, this is not possible. Within the Transform Education (TE) network, there are so many powerful young people driving change in their countries. From working to increase access to education in crisis to bridging the gender and digital divide, Education Transformers are getting the job done.

Education Transformers are saving the world!

We had the honor of catching up with a few Education Transformers for this month’s special edition newsletter to find out what drives their work and commitment to creating a gender-equal world in and through education.

Meet Selin, Turkey

Selin is working to end gender norms and stereotypes through feminist leadership. Witnessing the widening gender gap and the injustices that exist in the world as a result of culture and tradition motivates her to do more. As an activist she represents adolescent girls of her country on a global scale, hosting workshops and speaking on panels to highlight key issues that they are facing. In her earlier years, she was a competitive athlete, leading her volleyball team and participating in the 41st Istanbul Marathon representing the NGO, ‘Hope of Education for Children Receiving Cancer Treatment’.

Meet Hyelhara, Nigeria
Hyelhara is working to advance the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls with the hopes of ending stigmatisation and abuse. She is currently working with her organisation, H&H Balami Initiative to educate and provide a haven for children, women, and men suffering from abuse. Their latest project seeks to donate sanitary products, food, and stationery to refugee camps in Nigeria.

Meet Lynda, Uganda

Lynda is working to create a safer and equal world for women, girls, and other minority groups. Her hope in humanity keeps her going as she works as a Program Associate for Raising Teenagers, Uganda. Throughout her activism, she works with Raising Teenagers to promote the rights of children through providing sponsorship for girls to access education. Most recently, they launched the initiative, Hike For the Girl Child, an annual event to create awareness, break stigmas and promote menstrual health for girls in their country. They are also championing an end to child marriage by working with religious and cultural leaders and engaging in school outreach to address it.

Meet Anu, Mongolia

Anu is a storyteller, working in the field of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. Currently, she is a fellow for the annual Girls Rising Fellowship where they create films and media content as a part of a year-long journey of learning the basics of documentary making. One of their projects is a short mixed-media film about water scarcity in Mongolia.

Meet Maryada, Nepal

Maryada is working to create an inclusive and equitable world. She is a former trainer on Regional Academy 2.0, ICPD 30 youth, and a facilitator on Online Campaign: Acceptance, UNICEF. Her work is in the field of increasing access to sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Meet Karimot, Nigeria

Karimot is working toward creating a world where every child has access to quality education, a world where girls can dream without barriers. On International Women’s Day 2022, she was recognized as one of the 20 young women that are breaking the bias in her state.

For two years, Karimot, along with her team, organized the Ibadan Schools Debate Training and Competition in which they had more than 35 schools and 737 students participated. This is a project that seeks to transform education for teenagers especially girls by providing outside-of-classroom learning experiences that would not only improve their technical skills but also instill in them soft skills that would allow them to function in today's world.

Meet Armel, Comoros

Armel believes in change and transformation. Having faced several challenges in her work, the happiness, and talent of the children she works with inspire her to keep going. She was the first Comorian woman to build a robot and had the honor of participating in the World Olympics competition where she won a silver medal for her courageous achievement. She was a part of an NGO that organised the SRHR training on their island.

Meet Amanda, Brazil

Amanda is working to create a climate-just world. Being in activism allows her to watch and participate in people’s empowerment, to see them taking charge of their own lives, fighting for rights and fairer realities. The stories of the communities she works with inspire her to keep going and to raise awareness about not being alone in building a pathway for a better world. She received an invitation from Recife's Municipality to collaborate on different projects regarding the climate agenda and participate in different events as a speaker, such as the Local COY. One of her major achievements was being able to reach more than 300 community coordinators in the Brazilian community at ClimateScience and joining the Global Assembly.

Resources and Updates

The Black Feminist Fund (BFF) Grantmaking Window closes in 7 days. BFF is committed to providing funding access to Black feminists who are most often denied support from mainstream funders. Applications for the Sustain Fund close on August 1st. Apply here.

Women Fund Asia Grants are available for initiatives that promote women, girls, trans and intersex people's right to safe migration, labour rights, and economic justice. If you are working to advance the rights of those in vulnerable, informal, and stigmatised sectors such as sex work, garment factories, tea plantations, domestic work, and migrant labour. Apply here.

Transforming Education Summit Press Release

Education ministers and vice-ministers of 154 countries and nearly 2000 participants came together at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris in June to discuss transforming education, inspired by the rallying call from young people.

Read the initial outcomes via the press release here.

Upcoming

TES Regional Consultations

The United Nations Transforming Education Summit is a key advocacy moment for the education sector worldwide as it seeks to mobilise political ambition, action, solutions, and solidarity to transform education. It invites all education stakeholders to assess their realities, take stock of the losses before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and reimagine education systems.

At Transform Education (TE), we believe that gender equality can be achieved through Gender-Transformative Education as this approach is inclusive and addresses the root causes of gender inequality whilst engaging in all areas of the education system. As we move forward, it is imperative that we center on the needs of our regions; What are our key priorities? How are young feminists being included in this process? What do we need to move this work forward?

To answer these questions, we will host regional conversations led by members of the TE Network to take a greater look at the regional priorities as we lead up to the Summit.

Interested? Register for our regional consultations.

Care Corner

Yes, we have also heard it before, “if you don’t save the world, who’s gonna do it?”

But you can't create change if you are burnt out. This is the sign you have been looking for to take a rest.

We have been loving Frida Fund’s Happiness Manifesto! If you have not seen it yet, let us put you on.
Check it out here!

Remember in all things to care for yourself first! Ask yourself what are your needs and what you need to do to ensure that you are taken care of. We look forward to seeing you soon. Sending lots of love.

Cheers!

Wishing you rest & care now and beyond!

In solidarity,

Jona and Ashlee, Coordinators of Transform Education