New Year New Possibilities

A Message from our CEO

Dear Friends, Supporters and Partners,

As we begin a new year, I am encouraged by the strength, creativity, and commitment I continue to see across our A Girl At A Time community.

Girls are speaking up, survivors are leading change, and allies are stepping forward with accountability and care.

This work is not easy, but it is necessary, and it is deeply hopeful.

Thank you for standing with us as we challenge harmful norms, invest in girls’ voices, and build safer, more just communities together in Sierra Leone and beyond this year.

Alimatu Dimonekene MBE

When Global Solidarity Meets Grassroots Leadership

The partnership between Avaaz and A Girl At A Time (SL) demonstrated what is possible when global leadership is grounded in respect for local expertise.

The scale and success of the campaign were not driven by numbers alone, but by Avaaz’s ability to pair its international reach with deep trust in grassroots leadership.

This approach helped transform a digital petition into a movement that empowered survivors, activated local activists, and elevated community voices that had long been ignored.

Equally important was Avaaz’s commitment to speed, adaptability, and shared learning. Rapid coordination, open communication, and real-time reflection allowed momentum to build and be sustained throughout the campaign.

Policymakers could no longer dismiss the issue as isolated or marginal; they were confronted with both internal demand and global scrutiny.

The partnership demonstrated a powerful lesson: when international solidarity aligns with local courage and lived experience, advocacy becomes more than visibility. It becomes a catalyst for durable, community-led change.

Campaigners including survivors held a successful workshop on building capacity and solidarity.

Whilst in Sierra Leone to present the signatures to the petition our CEO Alimatu Dimonekene MBE met a cross section of politicians and CSOs  to discuss the way forward.  

A Conversation With

Eliza Reid

We are starting this month by celebrating Eliza Reid, a leader who shows that influence is bigger than any title.

From First Lady of Iceland to a global voice for gender equality and democracy, Eliza reminds us that leadership is measured by impact, not office.

(Photo: Sigurgeir Sigurjónsson)

I met Eliza at the Reykjavik Global Forum last year and was inspired by her thoughtful, values led style. I later arranged a conversation with her, and it became a rare learning moment, the kind that stays with you.

As the bestselling author of Death of a Diplomat and Death on the Island, she understands the power of storytelling and uses it as a force for good.

Her example reinforces why A Girl At A Time invests early in girls’ voices. When girls see women lead with integrity, empathy, and courage, they begin to imagine themselves there too.

Leadership does not end when a title does.

Eliza Reid’s journey from First Lady of Iceland to a respected global advocate for gender equality shows what principled leadership looks like in action. Her work reminds us that influence comes from values, courage, and consistency.

For the girls we serve, seeing women lead with integrity expands what feels possible for their own futures.

The Girl Who Told Her Friends to Follow Our CEO

One of our favourite moments last year came from a young woman (jos_StyleCorner) who told her friends to follow our CEO, Alimatu Dimonekene MBE, on TikTok.

It was simple. It was joyful. And it mattered.

This is what intergenerational advocacy looks like today.

Young women are not waiting to be invited into conversations on justice, FGM, and rights they are already shaping them.

 Social media has become a bridge, not a barrier, connecting lived experience, leadership, and learning in real time. 

Why Men as Allies Matter

Ending gender-based violence is not women’s work alone.

This month, we recognize and celebrate the men who have taken the time to stand alongside women like myself, not as bystanders, but as active allies committed to doing better and helping build stronger systems of support.

Voices such as Nnamdi Chukwuka (UK/Nigeria) , Derrick Cobbinah (UK/Ghana), Oliver Scheidt (UK/Namibia), and Randy Shawn Fisher (US/Canada) show what meaningful allyship looks like in practice.

They listening with intention, leading with humility, and using influence to open doors rather than close them. As coaches, investors, and founders, their engagement demonstrates that progress accelerates when men take responsibility and choose accountability.

Men who listen, learn, and act alongside women are not supporting the movement. They are part of it.

When Innovation Changes the Way We Talk About FGM

Innovation is about technology and language, courage and creativity.

We are seeing new ways of talking about FGM that are survivor-centred, culturally grounded, and rooted in dignity. From peer-led storytelling to digital advocacy and trauma-informed dialogue, innovation is helping communities move from silence to solutions.

At A Girl At A Time, we believe that how we talk about FGM matters as much as ending it.

This January our CEO Alimatu Dimonekene MBE joined the Mental Health Nursing team at  Solent University to support a simulation-based teaching session on female genital mutilation (FGM), safeguarding, and trauma-informed practice.

The student feedback has been genuinely encouraging. Some students said the topic was completely new to them, while others described a more profound impact, particularly around confidence in how to ask sensitive questions, listen well, respond without judgement, and signpost appropriately.

Mental Health Nurses at Solent

Looking Ahead

As we look ahead, we remain open to thoughtful collaboration and partnership.

If you have ideas, expertise, or opportunities you would like to explore with us, we welcome the conversation and invite you to contact us  directly.

Thank you for walking alongside A Girl At A Time as we continue this work with care, courage, and conviction. Progress is built through shared commitment, trusted partnerships, and a belief in what is possible when girls and communities are supported to lead.

We look forward to the year ahead and to building the next chapter together.