“When I feel embodied I feel strong and powerful and confident and nothing can bring me down.” Sophie, 19 year old Golden Girls Global participant
Nguvu Ya Africa is a creative non-profit organization visioned by Claudine Mugisha and founded by a team of women (90%) and men (10%) to serve women and girls below 35 years, while equipping them at their various stages of development with information and skills.
The aim is to tackle the social-political and economic issues that continue to marginalize girls and women in North Kivu through; performing arts, technology, and menstrual health education along with addressing the issues of early marriages, missing job opportunities, and girls missing out on school/education.
We provide a unique model that combines both psychosocial and creative artistic tools to equip marginalized girls and women, while engaging men as our powerful partners for a more equal, healthy, peaceful society.
Upijata founded by Yolanda Cordova Swalley is dedicated to creating safe, inspiring, and empowering spaces for women, girls, and families to express themselves and heal themselves through the arts.
Upijata provides relief from historical trauma and impacts of reservation life by combating the public issues of suicide and pervasive substance abuse through arts education on the Ogalala Lakota Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, USA and surrounding areas. This form of education empowers the community and gives students an emotional outlet by giving them access to therapeutic artistic expression, providing fun and enriching experiences, practical skills and healthy challenges. Upijata programming is focused on personal growth, and developing healthy community identity and pride.
Upijata is striving to meet the needs of the youth in these challenging and often dangerous times. The project is severely struggling with the social and economic impacts of COVID-19, as are so many others around the world. At this time the focus is to raise funds in order to train and contract with local artists, mentors, healers and teachers who are longing to find safe ways to reach, empower and inspire the youth living in isolation. Access to basic art supplies, PPE and transportation will allow Upijata to bring creativity, community and joy back into everyday life on the reservation.
Diverse online girl groups are forming in different locations and languages.
If you are a preteen, middler teen, or young person heading into your 20’s, there may be a group for you.
We will link you up with our seasoned and skillful leaders who are trained in the arts of body, heart, and soul adolescent development. We are working online at this time.
Join us. Moms, we are also offering English speaking groups for mom’s of preteen and adolescent girls. These groups are private and practical online community gatherings for the exploration of your own inner girl as you evolve in relationship to your maturing child. These groups are held by seasoned moms of daughters.
