WomenStrong Launches Girls' Club Handbook To Empower Women And Girls

Handbook Helps Girls Worldwide Never Need to Say, "#MeToo"

NEW YORK, Oct. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- WomenStrong International, a global consortium catalyzing the eradication of extreme urban poverty through the empowerment of women and girls, announces the launch of Strong Girls Make Strong Women: A Practical Handbook to Creating and Leading a Girls' Club. With one in three women experiencing gender-based violence in her lifetime, this powerful resource equips girls with critical skills and knowledge about their rights, health and economic future.

Developed in collaboration with partners in Ghana, Kenya, India and Haiti, the Handbook is based on the experiences of the Girls' Clubs they operate, which serve more than 9,000 girls. It gives girls the foundational skills they need to become the next generation of young leaders, further propelling progress towards gender equality set forth by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5. The Handbook's 16 chapters connect the dots between economic security and bodily autonomy, weaving together hard and soft skills that comprise the building blocks of resilience.

"I think the Handbook will give the community members an opportunity to raise their voices and be heard through the topics being taught in our Empowerment Clubs," said Beldina Opiyo-Omolo, founder and director of the Alice Visionary Foundation Project in Kisumu, Kenya, where the Handbook is already in use. "By exploring the various topics—from personal goal-setting to understanding human rights—we are focused on changing behaviors and attitudes, so that our young people do not repeat the same cycles of violence or violate human rights."

Launching the Handbook first in Kenya and then in Ghana in November 2018, WomenStrong will train local educators in its use and discuss with government officials the opportunities for replicating and scaling its application more broadly. WomenStrong will also gather feedback on the curriculum, including chapters on gender-based violence, confidence-building, and financial literacy, in advance of the global launch of the Handbook in early 2019.

On November 7, Handbook author Julia Fan will train educators in its use in Kisumu, Kenya. She will then join WomenStrong founder and executive director Dr. Susan M. Blaustein for the launch and training in Kumasi, Ghana.

"This compendium is based on proven results, drawing directly on what works in our Girls' Clubs in four different countries, in four very different sociocultural settings," said Dr. Blaustein. "We believe our Strong Girls Make Strong Women Handbook can help many girls in countless settings, from western Kenya to the West Bank to West Harlem, build the protective assets they will need, in order to thrive and live their dreams."

ABOUT WOMENSTRONG INTERNATIONAL
WomenStrong International is a consortium of non-profit organizations supporting women-driven solutions to extreme urban poverty. Through our consortium members on the ground, we help thousands of women and girls meet their needs for health, safety, education, and economic. These women, in turn, improve the lives of their children, families, communities, and nations. WomenStrong believes the path out of poverty and toward a more just and prosperous world can be found by making women strong.

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