Hi from…

In June 2024 Amanda from our team visited a school outside Harare where YASD runs the books as part of their mentorship programme. Around 60 girls aged 8 to 15 gathered in the schoolyard for the session “My Period”. At first they were silent.

Then Joe, a male instructor, drew the cervix on a big sheet of paper, explained the cycle with a bracelet of 28 beads, and, to roars of laughter, stepped into a pair of underwear over his trousers to show how a pad works. The barrier broke. The questions started: can periods be avoided? What does it mean to become a woman?

Every girl went home with a pack of pads, and many kept talking long after the session ended.

Sahas, our first partner in Asia, works to build a world free from gender-based violence. They run monthly sessions for 30–35 girls aged 11 to 18, weaving the workshops into their sexual and reproductive health curriculum.

In “My Confidence” the girls wrote kind words on sticky notes and stuck them on each other. In “My Role Model” they wrote heartfelt letters, some addressed to the Sahas leaders themselves. In “My Education” they mapped out the challenges stopping them from going to school.

The girls speak Hindi and the books are in English, so the leaders translate as they go. That's why translating the books matters so much.

Fewer than 10% of children with disabilities in Sweden take part in sport. Ebba Hellstadius and Paralympic bronze medallist Louise Jannering set out to change that, and used the Pamoja Girls Books to build a weekly group for girls with mobility impairments.

They adapted every activity to different abilities. Sometimes a single question was enough: “How does it feel to be included?” or “What does it mean to be brave?” Some evenings the talk was quiet; other times it really took off.

The sessions went so well that the National Association for Children and Youth with Mobility Impairments (RBU) is now starting groups of its own.

In rural northern Argentina, many girls stop school after primary because the nearest secondary school is too far away, and girls are often expected to stay home. Since 2004 Fundación Grano de Mostaza has run a housing programme so up to 50 girls can live near their schools during the week.

Paula from the foundation called the Pamoja Girls Books “encouraging without being overwhelming, almost spiritual”, a perfect match for helping girls think beyond traditional roles. There's just one problem: the books aren't in Spanish yet.

Their story is why translating the books is our next big goal.

In January 2023, the very first box of Pamoja Girls Books (20 Girls Books and one Leaders Book) arrived at Green Kenya in Nairobi.

They have used the books every single week since. Leah from Green Kenya is one of the most loyal faces at our monthly leaders' meetings, and Kenya is now home to more Pamoja partner organisations than any other country.