GFC launched its first international programming in the summer of 2008 in partnership with Soccer Without Borders. Check out the results of that work and what we are up to in 2008-09:

Girls Helping Girls - GFC Participant brings GFC to India with her Non-Profit
Sejal Hathi, a Girl Action Team member, Girl Steering Committee member and GFC National Girl Board member, founded her own non profit, Girls Helping Girls. GHG is an international nonprofit organization that empowers all girls to transform their world by mobilizing them to engage in cultural exchange, gain a global education, and create and lead social change.

In August 2008, as a special project of its Fund-for-Respect initiative, which provides a holistic education to sex-trafficking victims, GHG traveled to India to build a library and hold two Peacebuilding Summits for the girls of New Light India and Apne Aap Women Worldwide, organizations that work to educate the daughters of female commercial sex workers and sex-trafficking victims, respectively. In addition to teaching the girls about global issues and enabling their English-language development, GHG staff will be providing the girls vocational training, self-esteem building, and micro finance and business skills, and in partnership with Girls for A Change will be implementing a special two-day social change training workshop to empower the girls to transcend their condition. Using the skills that they have developed, the girls will in teams devise social change business plans to raise money for their education. Check back on this page for updates this fall!

GFC and Soccer Without Borders Team Up
From April-July 2008, Soccer Without Borders staff guided a group of 12-15 young women in creating change in Uganda. Most of the young women were refugees from the Congo and Rwanda. The young women now live in Kampala, Uganda. The girls participated in soccer practice and games that included GFC games and activities. They met once a week for more than an hour in a local school building. The girls attended regularly despite many barriers to attendance.

The girls worked through GFC's 7 Steps of Project Planning and decided to tackle children suffering through the root cause of encouraging youth to take education seriously so they can give back to their community and take advantage of opportunities to improve their countries. The girls met on their own after Soccer Without Borders staff left Uganda and are hoping to do do presentations at schools this fall. Check out SWB's newsletter about the project.

GFC and Soccer Without Borders will continue this partnership in 2008-09 with potential sites including Zambia and Nicaragua.

Photo: Girls participate in GFC's Step 3 of Project Planning: Identifying a Community Topic