The Girls Opportunity Alliance works to empower adolescents through education, so that they can realise their full potential and transform their families, communities, and countries.
According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), young women in Africa are particularly affected by exclusion from education and employment. By 2023, almost 60% of young people on the continent with NEET status (not in employment, education or training) were women. This figure highlights the many obstacles they face in accessing high-quality education and career opportunities.
The Girls Opportunity Alliance, a programme of The Obama Foundation, works to empower adolescent girls through education, so that they can realise their full potential and become agents of change. To achieve this, it connects local leaders, strengthens the impact of grassroots organisations and drives action and awareness for girls’ empowerment.
The Girls Opportunity Alliance Network brings together more than 4,000 grassroots leaders committed to the education of adolescent girls worldwide. Through its digital platform and face-to-face meetings, it facilitates the sharing of resources, experiences and good practices, enabling its members to expand their impact and reach more girls.
The support provided by the Audemars Piguet Foundation for Common Good to the Girls Opportunity Alliance Network focuses mainly on the following actions:
- Expanding the Girls Opportunity Alliance Network in Africa and identifying a dozen or so local organisations involved in vocational training for girls that could benefit from funding from the Foundation, alongside its support for the Network.
- Setting up training and capacity-building workshops for these local organisations, including sessions on vocational training for girls and preparing them for employment.
- Organising a Girls Opportunity Alliance Network convening in Africa in 2026, as well as other meetings in 2027 and 2028. These events will bring together community leaders from different backgrounds to encourage discussion, share effective practices and strengthen coordination in order to boost their collective impact.
The Girls Opportunity Alliance Network meets a crucial need: to provide a collaborative space for grassroots organisations working with adolescent girls. The results so far are very encouraging. In 2022 and 2023, an external assessment carried out among its members revealed that 95% of participants consider the workshops relevant to their needs, while 72% have integrated the tools proposed into their practices.
