“We did not start with a strategic plan. We started under the trees sitting in circles on the ground with women and girls who had never been asked what they wanted and thought about themselves.”
In the villages of Kakamega County, we began simply sitting with women's groups and girls' groups, making space for the honest conversations that rarely happen in public. What came out of those circles was not surprising to the women in them. But it needed to be said out loud, documented, and acted on.
Women and girls shared candidly about the cultural practices, norms, and values that shaped these communities that had been built without them in mind. They restricted where girls could go, what they could know, who they could become. A girl's education was secondary. Her body was not fully her own. Her voice carried the least weight in every room that mattered.
Rural to Global Organization was founded in 2018 to close that gap. We exist so that a girl growing up in a rural village in Kakamega County has access to the same opportunities, spaces, and possibilities as any girl anywhere in the world. Every local space is also for her. Every regional opportunity is also for her. Every global platform is also for her.
“When my period came, I stayed home. Nobody explained it to me, not my mother, not my teacher. I just knew, somehow, that school was not for me on those days. So I stayed home. And nobody came to check on me.” — Young woman, Shinyalu
“I did not know I had rights. Not really. That word ‘rights’ felt like it belonged to someone else's life. Someone in a city somewhere. Not mine. Not here.” — Adolescent girl, Malava
What we saw
A generation of girls with extraordinary potential and no pathway to reach it. Not held back by their own limits, but by cultural norms that silenced them, structural barriers that excluded them, and a development ecosystem that had simply never bothered to build a seat at the table for them.
What we decided
To build the bridge between where girls are and where they deserve to be. Between rural and global. Between the margins and every space that matters. Between silence and a voice that is heard.
Our Mission
Engage teenagers and young women through responsive initiatives that create opportunities where they thrive and realize their full potential for a vibrant, quality life.
Our Vision
A structural barrier-free society where women and girls are empowered, thrive, and are self-sustained in all spheres of their lives.
Our Core Values
Born from the circles we sat in, the women we listened to, and the girls we made a promise to.
Integrity
We do what we say, say what we mean, and remain accountable to the women and girls we serve above all else.
Her Worth
Every woman and girl we work with is worthy of respect, safety, and care unconditionally.
Community Ownership
We do not arrive with answers. We sit under the trees, listen, and build with communities.
Boldness
We challenge systems, norms, and power structures that have failed women and girls without apology.
Agency
We do not empower women. Women are already powerful. We dismantle barriers and build conditions for power to flourish on their terms.