The Girl-Centered Incubator is a program for female, community-based, youth founders who are working to secure rights and transform outcomes for girls in their community.
Our fellows started their projects with a passion for fighting injustice and their own lived experiences—not with formal business training or a resume of past professional experience. Their teams largely consist of volunteers or part-time support, and the fellows themselves have yet to fund their own full-time salaries; they need to become financially sustainable to ensure they can address the girls’ needs.
Over the course of three years, leaders embark on a journey where they are trained on topics such as non-profit governance, capacity building, financial management, program design, and impact evaluation, with the ultimate purpose of sustaining themselves independently. Girl-Centered Incubator organizations are able to raise funds through She’s the First and will receive mentorship and guidance from our program.
Training is co-designed with the fellows to address their most pressing needs, and it is aimed at building the leadership capacity of fellows as well as strengthening their organization and the ecosystem they operate in. At the end of each workshop, the fellows are given a project to work on that will help them incorporate and implement learnings in their organizations.
Meet the Newest Cohort (2023-2026 Fellows)
Japnit Ahuja, Go Girl Organization
Delhi | India
Go Girl Organization aims to change individual lives by making an incremental but long-lasting impact. We want to be immersed in the lives we touch and ensure our students get the best education the world has to offer. Not just any knowledge but education for today's world is the key to breaking intergenerational poverty.
Moraa Beryl, She Deserves to Soar
Kisumu | Kenya
She Deserves to Soar invests in the transformative power of holistic empowerment and mentorship for girls and young women to enable them to evolve, emerge, and reach their fullest potential.
Lizza Marie Kawooya, Dwona Initiative
Nwoya District | Uganda
Dwona Initiative amplifies girls' and women's voices in society. They envision a world where girls and women are free from all forms of violence, inequality, and poverty with their voices heard in all spheres of socio-economic development.
Joan Kembabazi, Gufasha Girls Foundation
Kayunga | Uganda
Gufasha Girls Foundation prepares, supports, inspires, and empowers the girl-child through counseling, education support, and resources. Their vision is a world in which every girl attains the opportunity to achieve her fullest potential, participate, and contribute to all aspects of life.
Ausmiita Sarkar, RANG (Research & Action for Nurturing Gender & Other Identities)
Kolkata | India
RANG strengthens the gender and sexual minority community (especially the intersectionally marginalized) to alter the current queer-exclusionary paradigm built in our institutions by creating safe & supportive spaces and ensuring the basic human rights to a dignified life through access to education, healthcare, livelihoods, and safeguard the members of the community from gender-based violence and human rights violations.
Peace Tizaru, Hope Peace Gift of Life
Arua | Uganda
Hope Peace Gift of Life champions and betters the lives of vulnerable teenage mothers through education. Her vision is to create and be change-makers to create a conducive environment for teenage mothers and support them in having a sustainable livelihood.
Meet Our First Fellows! (2021-2024)
Aminata Seilloh Conteh, Glowing Embers Network
Freetown, Western Area | Sierra Leone
Glowing Embers Network promotes the social and economic empowerment of girls in rural communities in Sierra Leone through arts and leadership training with a special focus on mental health.
Awa Gai, She Awards Gambia
Banjul, West Coast Region | The Gambia
She Awards Gambia sheds light on the incredible achievements of girls and women in The Gambia, ensuring that girls have role models to inspire them.
“In the first year, I have been able to learn how to clearly define the goals of my organization by setting out the mission and vision in a more elaborate manner. Through the sessions… I have also learned about the different processes involved in writing grant proposals and how to write a good one.”
Isha Godara, JIVAM Foundation
Sirsa, Haryana | India
JIVAM Foundation is a grassroots organization that believes in the strength and resiliency of rural people. The Foundation's goal is to work closely with community members to bring holistic development to villages and other rural communities.
“There are a lot of incubation programs for startups and for-profit organizations, but what I find really impressive about this Girl-Centered Incubator is that it provides an opportunity for not-for-profit organizations from different parts of the world who work with young girls to come together and collaboratively problem solve, to provide the best resources to empower young girls, and create a future generation of leaders.”
Ellie Kaaya, Her Journey to School
Arusha, Arusha Mjini | Tanzania
Her Journey to School fights gender inequality in education in Tanzania through mentorship on sexual reproductive health and rights, a community awareness program, and by providing tools and materials for girls to stay in school.
“Through the Girl-Centered Incubator, we have been able to move from developing our objectives in the organization to developing a very good framework for monitoring and evaluation and learning how to write very good grant proposals.
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Cynthia Muhonja, Life Lifters Kenya
Elderot, Nandi County | Kenya
Life Lifters Kenya builds the next generation of economically empowered women in Africa through investment in girls' education, girl-centered programming, and providing a safe space.
“It’s not just about building leaders, but about building women leaders who are intentional about creating change for their communities and the world in general.”
Vandana Kumari Pandey, Rang Kaarwan Foundation
Champawat, Uttarakhand | India
Rang Karwan is a theatre and arts-based endeavor that encourages Indian adolescents to build and share the process of knowledge creation and exploration.
“As a young woman from India, I faced various issues when I was growing up, and I really wanted to address them, and I didn’t know how. So the Girl-Centered Incubator has been a support that has actually helped me shape my organization in a way where we can reach out to more girls of India and actually give them the power that they need.”
With special thanks to
for supporting the Girl-Centered Incubator
Girl-Centered Incubator Fellows earn Advanced Certification from our Girls First Institute, a skills-building, outcomes-improving professional development program for women who uplift girls in their communities, led by and for women from the Global South. Join the Institute now to start your pathway to certification and improve outcomes for girls in your community!