The Girl Effect

Rooted in Girl Effect's theory of change, their approach to social norm change draws on ideas in media, technology, and girl-centred community engagement to challenge discriminatory gender norms and start conversations about how girls are viewed in society. For example, Girl Effect's signature video, "The Girl Effect: The Clock Is Ticking" (see below promotes the education of girls, especially between ages 12 and 18, when they are often deprived of that opportunity, as a way to protect girls from HIV, early marriage, and pregnancy and to offer an entrance to work that will keep them and their children from economic poverty.

In its initial years, the core creative communication tools created as part of the project were shared on the Girl Effect website. The site at that phase of the project included interviews with girls from Bangladesh, India, and Ethiopia. It advocated, through posters, for: birth registration of girls; education; sexual and reproductive health information and care; an entrance to the employment market, as well as financial literacy training; equal development investment in girls; help for girls to write, speak up, lobby, and work to enforce good laws and change discriminatory policies; and annual "girl report cards" from every country to track how girls are faring.

As the initiative evolved, Girl Effect has been incorporating a number of mobile and digital tools into its programmes. These include:

• Girl Networks - online and real-world youth clubs that are designed to harness the power of fun, inspiring, and informative content.
• Girls Connect - a platform that allows girls to access information, conversations, and one-to-one mentoring that is designed to enrich their lives. Girls can call a number and listen to on-demand content about various topics, ranging from friendship to safety. A trained female call centre adviser then tries to help them make sense of what they have heard and think about how to apply it to their own lives. The result of a partnership with ISON, an African information technology (IT) company, Girls Connect went live in areas of Kano state in Northern Nigeria in the summer of 2016.
• Girl Effect Mobile (GEM) - a global digital platform, connecting girls to content in 45 countries and 26 languages. Developed in partnership with Facebook's Free Basics initiative, GEM provides a platform that connects girls to information, entertaining content, and each other. By increasing girls' basic knowledge about health, education, financial security, and safety, as well as enabling them to share stories and communicate with mentors, GEM is designed to build girls' self-confidence and ability to overcome cultural barriers. GEM's stories, advice, and community features, such as commenting and polls, are tailored to each girl's geolocation.
• Technology Enabled Girl Ambassadors (TEGA) - a girl-operated mobile-enabled research tool that is designed to deliver accurate, rapid insight into girls' lives. TEGA uses data collection techniques and mobile technology to teach girls aged 18-24 how to collect data about their world in real time. The data they collect can be translated and analysed within 15 minutes of being uploaded. TEGA is operational in Northern Nigeria and is set to launch into Rwanda, Ethiopia, India, and Indonesia.
• Yegna - a multi-platform culture brand launched in 2013 to inspire positive behaviour change for girls in Ethiopia. Featuring storylines that confront real-life issues such as early marriage, violence, and barriers to education, Yegna consists in a drama, music, and talk show.
• Ni Nyampinga - a multimedia editorial platform spanning magazine, radio, and mobile in Rwanda. Made for girls, by girls, its content challenges set perceptions and showcases female role models. Ni Nyampinga offers skills and advice about education, sexual health, and violence.

In terms of Girl Effect's continuing advocacy work, on October 1 2013, they launched the Girl Declaration, a call for girls' voices to be reflected in the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Declaration was created in partnership with 25 development organisations and in consultation with more than 500 girls in 14 countries across 4 continents. In addition, girls from each of the 14 countries wrote open letters to the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, detailing their lives and experiences, hopes, and dreams. According to Girl Effect, within days, Ban Ki-moon publicly voiced his support for the Girl Declaration: "I have heard from girls around the world participating in the consultations for the new Girl Declaration. I resolve to ensure that Global Education First mobilises all partners to respond to their powerful call for empowerment." The Declaration was signed and endorsed by world leaders, government and business leaders, and celebrities.

Economic Development, Women, Youth, Gender, HIV, Education.

“When a girl has the right tools in place, a chance to use her voice and systems set up to work for her, she will transform the lives of everyone around her”, according to the Girl Effect. "Studies show that when you improve a girl’s life, you improve the lives of her brothers, sisters, parents, and beyond. Her individual effect will multiply with the 600 million girls in the developing world to make a huge impact."