Across Africa, girls and young women are leading transformative movements despite shrinking civic space, declining funding, political instability, and growing resistance to feminist organising.
Yet too often, grassroots leaders and survivor-led organisations remain underfunded, under-recognised, and excluded from conversations about leadership, investment, and development.
At the Nalafem conversation on Power, Movements and Feminist Futures, advocates, survivors, and movement leaders challenged conventional approaches and shared a simple but powerful question:
What actually works for girls?
Their reflections echoed years of learning from The Girl Generation-ALM; lasting change is achieved when girls, survivors, and communities are trusted to lead.
Her message was a reminder that survivor leadership is not symbolic participation. Survivors bring lived experience, expertise, and solutions that should shape programmes, policies, and investments from the outset.
Creating opportunities for girls to speak is equally important. Reflecting on her work with girls, Sally emphasised the importance of safe spaces where girls can openly share their aspirations before conversations about gender-based violence or sexual and reproductive health begin.
“The best programmes begin by listening. Creating safe spaces where girls can speak openly about their aspirations allows us to tailor conversations on their hopes and dreams, then followed by GBV and sexual and reproductive health in ways that are relevant to their lives and futures.”
But meaningful survivor engagement also requires care. Psychological and psychosocial support must accompany survivor leadership so that advocacy does not come at the cost of well-being. The best programmes begin by listening, build trust before asking for stories. Ethical engagement matters.
Sarafina highlighted the importance of informed consent and trust. “A survivor-centred movement is built on trust, not pressure. Survivors must have full control over their stories, and while engaging men is important, it should never overshadow the rights, voices, and well-being of girls and women.”
When girls define their own priorities, programmes become more responsive, relevant, and impactful. Design programmes with girls, not for girls. As Catherine reflected: “I was once a girl, I know that meaningful programmes are co-created with girls. And mentorship must be more than a single training; it should be a sustained investment in their growth and leadership.”
Investing in feminist futures means investing differently. One message resonated throughout the discussion: meaningful investment goes beyond short-term funding. Speakers called for:
- Long-term, flexible funding that allows movements to grow sustainably.
- Greater investment in grassroots and survivor-led organisations.
- Programmes that are locally designed and communicated in ways communities understand.
- Recognition that capital is more than money, it also includes people, skills, relationships, and organisational capacity.
Because lasting change does not happen for girls, it happens with girls leading the way.
