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Girls of A Feather was founded in 2014 as a non-profit mentorship organisation helping to shift the narrative about girls whose lives are shaped by societal and systemic failures depriving them of opportunities to live safe and fulfilling lives. Our programs are designed to educate girls about the importance of self-awareness whilst incorporating elements of feminist movement building in the context of the Caribbean. The organization is built on the premise that every girl should have access to spaces that foster personal, economic and professional growth.

Girls of A Feather (GOAF) uses an integrated approach of community and school-based interventions to raise the consciousness of adolescents about gender inequality St. Lucia. We offer a myriad of services including mentorship programmes, leadership camps, conferences, and capacity building workshops. GOAF allows girls into safe spaces where they could speak freely about their experiences and learn more about activism and living self-sufficient lives.

Activism fueled and powered by girls.

Our organisation’s mission is to develop the mind-set of our mentees through educational, community, self-development and career driven activities that will encourage them to make positive life choices and shape them into promising female leaders of the future.

The Challenge

• In Saint Lucia, 14 % of female adolescents (15-19 years) are currently married or in a union. (Adolescent well-being and Equity Report, 2019) / .One in six of 15?19-year-old females had been married or in a union.
• Violence – Between 2010 and 2015, reported cases of child abandonment and sexual abuse averaged, respectively, 75 and 90 annually. While these numbers are small overall, many cases are likely to go unreported, and this type of violence leads to a high risk of potential problems arising later in the victims? lives. Two thirds of cases were girls.
• Between the first quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2017, the average male labour force participation rate was 78.2 per cent, while the average for women was 66.3 per cent.
• High levels of adolescent fertility represent a hindrance to many girls and young women. High female headship may challenge female labour participation in a context where there are few official facilities for child and elderly care, and women perform the majority of caring and domestic tasks.
• 56.3% adolescents deprived of computer/internet access; 33.6% deprived of financial literacy (only one person in a household has a bank account); 93% adolescents no health insurance coverage.

The Solution

Around the world, girls’ rights are beginning to gain the attention of youth activists, world leaders and international agencies who continue to advocate for the elimination of discrimination and negative cultural practices, by promoting the protection and awareness of girls’ needs and potential through frameworks like the Beijing Platform for Action and Sustainable Development Goals. Though St. Lucia has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the child, specific attention has yet to be made towards adequately supporting marginalised girls. Evidence shows that there is an increased need for programmes which combat poor adolescent sexual and reproductive health, gender based violence and economic hardship.