Kate Kiama

VP of Global Programs @GirlRising |Top40Under40KE|Board Member @MakeWomenCount Chief Cheerleader |Social Change Agent |Feminist Mentor & Human Rights Advocate.

[Kate Kiama @kate_kiama]

Thank you for this honor @BD_Africa.
I'm also grateful to everyone who has been part of my journey.
#Top40Under40KE

[Business Daily @BD_Africa]

In 2014, Catherine took a gap year to work for NIKE Foundation’s CSR project in the US, marking her transition from active litigation to pro-girl organizations. Despite doubts from friends and family, she pursued her passion for equal rights and decolonizing funding.

Inspired by her grandmothers, she leads programs in East and South Africa and Latin America with grit and determination.

Read her inspiring story at https://t.co/TqoQgJ0JX2

#Top40Under40KE

[girlrising @girlrising]

That story you keep thinking about? Maybe it’s time to tell it.

A moment that changed you. An idea you can’t stop thinking about. Something you wish more people understood.

Your story doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be yours.

Watch this video for prompts, ideas and creative ways to get started. Explore our #Unmuted Toolkit for more inspiration to help you tell your story, your way. 🎤✍🏽🎥🎨🛠️

Get #Unmuted 🔗https://t.co/GPAVUeRV6Q
🧰 Explore the Toolkit - https://t.co/TXCfKPEMff

#MyStoryMyFuture #HPFoundation #GirlRising #Tellyourstory

[girlrising @girlrising]

The mic is yours. And now, the lineup is in.

Meet the judges who can’t wait to hear YOUR stories!

Alongside our Youth Council, our panel brings together Bollywood and Hollywood actress Freida Pinto, Hollywood filmmaker, producer and actor David Oyelowo, and Malala Fund CEO Nabila Aguele.

What better judges than storytellers and advocates themselves, who believe in the power of young people’s voices?

They’re ready to hear YOUR story. Are you ready to share it?

Get #Unmuted today! https://t.co/GPAVUeRV6Q

#Unmuted #MyStoryMyFuture

[girlrising @girlrising]

What if the basketball court became a place to challenge gender norms, build confidence and change the game?

We’re thrilled to bring RISE to Thailand, in partnership with the @Fun_Realmadrid Real Madrid and Teach for Thailand!

Launching a new chapter of Girl Rising’s RISE programme, we’re bringing together life skills, gender-transformative learning and basketball to help girls and boys build resilience, question stereotypes and discover what they can achieve together.

Across schools in northeastern Thailand, adolescents will learn to speak up, make informed choices, work as a team and lead, both in the classroom and on the court.

When girls get the space to play, participate and lead, it’s not just the game that changes. It’s what becomes possible.
#GirlRising #RISE #GenderEquality #FundaciónRealMadrid

[girlrising @girlrising]

Your story starts here.

1. Create (your story)
2. Upload.
3. Submit.
4. Go global.

That’s it. You’re #Unmuted.

Your story. Your future. Your stage.
Ready?

#Unmuted #MyStoryMyFuture

Powered by #HPFoundation

🔗 https://t.co/QPSfQZV6Jz

[girlrising @girlrising]

This year, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 5-boro course, our incredible runners are racing for something bigger than the finish line.

They’re running for a world where every girl is educated, respected and heard.

Meet the people putting in the miles, training hard and running for a future where every girl gets the chance to learn, lead and shape her own life.

Cheer them on. Fuel their miles. Help them go the distance!

Donate via the link:
https://t.co/EvpHc63TlM

[girlrising @girlrising]

A single laptop can do more than bring lessons to life. It can change how teachers teach, how students learn, and how parents engage with their children’s futures.

Since 2024, @HP Foundation has provided 120+ @HP laptops to support the RISE programme across four states in India.

Throughout Girl Rising’s partner schools and communities in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, @HP laptops are making learning more interactive. Teachers are now using videos to explain concepts, students are learning to use computers and find information for themselves, and parents are building digital skills of their own.

Beyond the classroom, laptops help teachers manage school records and reports, while community facilitators use them to engage parents in conversations about their children’s learning and well-being.

#GirlRising #DigitalLiteracy #DigitalInclusion

[girlrising @girlrising]

What are you dreaming?
What are you questioning?
What are you changing?

Soon, we’re giving young people everywhere a platform to tell us and the world.

#Unmuted #MyStoryMyFuture
@GirlRising in partnership with @HP Foundation

[girlrising @girlrising]

Somewhere, a young person is finding the words for a story only they can tell.

We’re thrilled to announce Girl Rising × @audible_com : Imagine Louder - Voices Rising, bringing storytelling to young people in Iztapalapa, Mexico City.

Together, we’re creating space for young people to make sense of their experiences, question the world around them and imagine what’s possible, while finding the confidence to tell their stories in their own words.

Every storyteller starts as a listener. We can’t wait to hear the stories they have to tell!

#ImagineLouder #VoicesRising #GirlRising #Audible #Storytelling

https://t.co/DOxlgE1Xo8

[girlrising @girlrising]

“This programme has raised the confidence of children … and I (as a teacher) am confident about using gender-responsive approaches in my teaching in class …”

A year ago, we took RISE to Narok County, Kenya. Today, these words from a participating teacher reflect the journey that has been!

For it all began with the teachers …

As we trained teachers in government schools, they didn’t take back only a curriculum to the classroom, but a refreshing gender-inclusive approach.

On ground, this translated into life skills taking centre stage through storytelling & activities,
gender norms being questioned, parents joining in the journey, and communities coming together to create opportunities for children to put their social-emotional learnings into practice.

One year in, the impact is growing:
19 teachers trained across 9 government schools
923 adolescents reached - 372 boys and 551 girls
1,034 parents engaged
As Naserian reaches its halfway milestone, we're all set and excited to build on this momentum in the next chapter.
#GirlRising #Naserian #RISE #GirlsEducation

[Women's Hub Uganda. @WomensHubUganda]

How do we inspire healthy relationships and empower adolescent girls to make informed decisions?

We understand girls need more than lectures. They need spaces to practise making decisions, build confidence, recognise healthy relationships & develop the skills to navigate life.

[girlrising @girlrising]

Meet Lizza Kawooya, founder of the Dwona Initiative and a graduate of our Girl-Centered Incubator 2026.

Lizza Kawooya's brush with advocacy was accidental. A chance encounter with a selfless teacher who put her students' menstrual hygiene first and unabashed community support motivated her to take this momentum further and turn it into a movement. Thus, the Dwona Initiative was live and kicking.

Fuelled by the vision of a world “... where no girl has to miss school because of her period,” Lizza Kawooya combined her passion with learnings from the fellowship to structure and strengthen her cause.

Read her story : https://t.co/ZpbOHy6cJR

[Restless Development @Restless_Uganda]

📢 Call for Participants

Are you aged 18–35 and looking to build your skills for employment or enterprise?

You are eligible to apply if you are:
✅ A recent undergraduate
✅ A Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduate
✅ A Senior Four or Senior Six leaver

Join the Youth Connect Inclusive Economic Empowerment Pathway and gain:
✅ Practical skills and experience
✅ Mentorship
✅ Workplace and enterprise exposure
✅ Valuable networks

🔗 Apply: https://t.co/vXcI5iL7jb
⏰ Deadline: 9th October 2026 at 5:00 PM (E.A.T)

Supported by the @UgBritish.

[girlrising @girlrising]

Emerging leaders today are changemakers tomorrow.
This philosophy is central to our Girl-Centered Incubator. Here, six young women leaders, across East Africa and South Asia, learn to turn their passion projects into purposeful foundations.

How?
Through a three-year fellowship, they receive training, funding, mentorship and a community of co-fellows.

The result?
They learn the ropes of building a governance system, complete with child protection policies, safeguarding manuals and theories of change.

Back in their communities, they put their learning into practice, creating more opportunities for girls to co-design programmes that they participate in.

Over the coming days, we’ll introduce you to our Girl-Centered Incubator’s 2026 graduates.
Six leaders and their six unique stories.
Stay tuned to know how these young minds are fostering a girl-centric world one programme at a time.

[girlrising @girlrising]

Meet Ausmita Sarkar, Co-founder of RANG Foundation India and the first graduate of our Girl-Centered Incubator 2026.

What began with a vision for safer, more inclusive spaces for girls has grown into a movement reaching 400+ adolescent girls across West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.

Through the Incubator, Ausmita turned a peer collective into a registered nonprofit…putting girl-centred leadership at the heart of RANG’s work.

Read her story. https://t.co/YZLvnMOzOP

[girlrising @girlrising]

Meet Tizaru Peace, founder of Hope Peace Gift of Life and a graduate of our Girl-Centered Incubator 2026.

A problem has a solution. During the COVID-19 pandemic, though, Tizaru Peace came across a layered problem that required a layered approach. Not shaken by the complexity, though, she adopted a proactive role and set out to tackle it head-on.

She established Hope Peace Gift of Life, an intervention that helps teenage mothers in Aura, Uganda, by equipping them with leadership and entrepreneurial skills.

In her journey so far, she has reached 200 girls. Combining her learnings from the GCI, she has taken a major step towards girl-centric programmes.

Read her story. https://t.co/xDqIiRG3rn

[girlrising @girlrising]

Meet Moraa Beryl, Founder of She Deserves to Soar and a graduate of our Girl-Centered Incubator 2026.

Her childhood experiences led her to question what holds women back and what could set them free.
She found the answers in systemic inequalities.
Turning her knowledge about Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights into a mission to empower Kisumu’s girls and let them soar, she founded She Deserves to Soar.

Through the Incubator, Moraa strengthened the core functional systems of her foundation. More importantly, in her words, she “... became more intentional about girl-centeredness.”

Read her story. https://t.co/OnRI7sqdiI

[girlrising @girlrising]

"One of the most powerful lessons for me has been the importance of moving from doing for (girls) to doing with (girls)."

These are words by Joan Mugaba, Founder and Chief Steward of Women's Hub Uganda, capture her learnings from the recently held Girls First Summit

While their program Sauti Ya Dada empowers girls with the confidence and communication skills to voice their opinions, the lessons from this summit will further the organisation's mission with a new project, Amplifying Girls' Voices

Head over to the link in bio to learn more about the summit from Joan's experience. https://t.co/VM13LYCGjh

[girlrising @girlrising]

Virtual Girls First Summit is Live

[girlrising @girlrising]

For team Girl Up Lira, the biggest takeaway of the recently held Girls First Summit was the Girl Hour session.

Here, adolescent girls took centre stage to share and inform what change for them looks like and ways to get there.

"Their clarity and courage reminded us that girls are not just participants in programs; they are leaders, experts, and change makers in their own right," share team Girl Up Africa.

Hear them as they share all that was in store for participating organisations at the Girl First Summit. https://t.co/fPDzdGmDkR

[girlrising @girlrising]

Who knows what it takes to merge two organisations better than the people who’ve actually done it?

Our Co-CEO Christina Lowery and Chief Advisor Tammy Tibbetts, alongside George M. Tsiatis, share the hard truths, unexpected lessons and leadership insights from the Girl Rising × She’s the First merger, and what it really takes to build something stronger together - beyond shared mission, through uncertainty, change, trust and with the courage to let go.

If you’re thinking about a merger, navigating one, or simply curious about what happens after “yes”, this one’s for you.

Read the full piece in the Stanford Social Innovation Review >> https://t.co/uZoBxyGU8J

Mergers Need More Than Mission Alignment (SSIR)What two mergers taught us about the necessary conditions and hard truths that come after &quote https://t.co/uZoBxyGU8J