Three young women’s rights activists will begin arriving in Ottawa next week to begin the six-month Sister-to-Sister Mentorship Program. This year’s activists are from Burma, Guatemala, and Liberia. All between the ages of 20-30, they have been tireless activists for peace and justice within their communities – and work at the grassroots level for women’s rights.
Launched in August 2012, the Sister-to-Sister Mentorship Program begins with a six-week residency period at the Nobel Women’s Initiative office in Ottawa. Each participant will work closely with our team to build on their existing advocacy and communication skills, while providing a chance to share their work defending women’s rights with an international audience. Once the participants have returned home, they will be able to put their new skills to use within their organizations and communities. As part of this phase of the program, they will also work with the Nobel Women’s Initiative on a joint international advocacy and communications activity within their region.
Joining us in Ottawa from August 30 until September 27, 2013 are:
Burma’s Su Thet San
Field Coordinator of the post-literacy activities in monastic education, EduNet Organization
Guatemala’s Gabriela Rivera
Lawyer, Alas de Mariposas
Liberia’s Josephine Gekpelee
African Girls Leader Initiative Scholar & Peer Advocate, Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa
Announcer, reporter and producer on at Gbarnga Radio Station
Follow the Sister-to-Sister Mentorship blog for updates from Su Thet, Gabriela, and Josephine as they discover Canada and share with you their own thoughts about women’s rights in their country from a young activists point of view.
We hope you are as excited to meet them as we are!