Sisters for Change, Indonesia
“Before, I thought that getting married after high school was okay. However, I know now that it would be dangerous to have a baby before I am twenty years old, since our bodies are not yet fully developed. So now I want to finish my college education first and get married later.” – Puspa
Sisters for Change is a charity set up by two sisters, Alison and Jane Gordon, to empower teenage girls and young women to learn about their human rights as women and to motivate them to become the creators of their own destinies and not be the passive acceptors of what life normally means for them.
In 2017, PAWA funded a new project in Indonesia run by Sisters for Change, to empower 36 14-18-year-olds, below-poverty-line girls from three sub-villages in rural Java. The aim was to build their knowledge of women’s rights, life skills, and employment skills. Partnering with a local NGO, IHAP (Institute for Women’s Rights) a series of workshops was run to increase the girls’ social capital and leadership skills through their peer networks; to build their awareness of women’s human rights, life skills, and gender equality. The aim was to empower the girls to stay in education and to challenge discriminatory community attitudes. In this way, they can achieve their full social and economic potential.
The workshops included discussions and exercises on girls’ and women’s human rights, reproductive rights, healthy and unhealthy relationships and online risks, and business planning.
PAWA funded Sisters for Change £7,261.50 for the year 2017.
