National

Democratic
Institute
Save the
Children
Ashoka
Situation - Colombia
Pregnancy
20% of girls aged 15-19 are pregnant or have been pregnant
Education
40% of high school students drop out before graduation
half of those are due to pregnancy or parenthood
90% of girls are enrolled in primary school, but only 78% in secondary
school
37% of high schoolers continue on to higher education
Other
40% of women report physical/sexual abuse
Colombia ranks 113 out of 140 for percentage of women in government
& policy
27% female unemployment, 21% male unemployment
Women earn 20% less than men

Mission Statement & Scope
Allies for Young Women Leaders seeks to create a network of young women leaders in Colombia
committed to addressing the challenges in their communities and to fostering healthy opportunities
and futures for the next generation.

Save the Children, National Democratic Institute and Ashoka have partnered to leverage their core
competencies in the areas of health and nutrition education, policy literacy and empowerment, and
social impact entrepreneurship to create tools and build relationships across Colombias young
women that foster their access to power and capacity to lead in their communities.




Class Size Location
Year 1: 200 Graduates
Year 2: 600 Graduates
Year 3: 1000 Graduates
Total: 1800
Year One: Bogota
Year Two: Bogota, Cartagena, Medellin
Year Three: Bogota, Cartagena, Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla
Meet Maria Jose
12 14 15 16
17 18 Adult
First
boyfriend;
insecure
Sees mother
beaten by
father
Victim of
street crime
Gets pregnant,
drops out
Gets
married
Cycle of intimate partner
violence, children,
informal employment
Hears about Allies for
Young women Leaders
at her school
12 14 15
16 17 18 Adult
Is mentored by an Allies grad, makes
her boyfriend practice safe sex
Enters the Allies program,
takes the social
entrepreneur path
Runs her own business & mentors
other young girls. Gets married and
has children on her own schedule.
Works with a local business leader
to apply for funding to pilot a social
enterprise
Stage 1: AMAZE Camp Timeline and
Sample Itinerary
Auto-diagnose
issues in small
groups
Groups
formed
based on
issues and
interests
Intro to
networks
& fellows
Alliance
provides
real life
examples
Role playing &
case studies
Policy and
enterprise
issue teams
merge
Mock
conference
competition
Commencement
ceremony
Stage 2: AMAZE Fellowship
Apply after completion of AMAZE camp
Fellows will indicate their interest areas on the
application
Match with a trained mentor
Once a month meetings
1 mentor per 5 fellows
Fellows will create a proposal focused on social impact
Quarterly, one-day workshops led by each organization,
culminating in a final workshop to work on proposals
and present

Stage 3: Graduates Become Leaders
Following completion of the Camp and the
Fellowship, girls graduate from the program and
apply their leadership skills in their communities:
Mentoring younger girls in their schools to keep girls safe,
healthy, and in school
Working as counselors in the AMAZE camp
Applying for grants to make their social and policy impact
innovations a reality
Interning with local policy makers and social entrepreneurs
Drafting legislation to incorporate templates and elements of
the Allies project into national education curricula
Power over: the ability to coerce and influence
the actions and thoughts of the powerless

Girls increase their individual capacity to enter
into the business world as entrepreneurs and
learn how to be active participants in their
communitys political future.



Power from within: increased individual
consciousness, self-dignity and awareness

Increased assertiveness, self esteem and sense
of autonomy among young girls.

Power with: increased power from collective
action, social mobilisation and alliance building

National networks of women and girls created
to increase opportunities and support for girls
interested in entrepreneurship and community
leadership.
Power to: the capacity to act, to organise and
change existing hierarchies

Knowledge of legal and political processes
remove barriers to professional growth for
young women.
The Girl Effect: a Chain Reaction
The MDP Allies Team
Jillian Kenny (jillian.kenny@emory.edu)
Joanna Galaris (joanna.galaris@emory.edu)
Winnette Richards (winnette.richards@emory.edu)
Sarah Harlan (sarah.harlan@emory.edu)
Tsewang Rigzin (tsewang.rigzin@emory.edu)
Charlotte Newman (charlotte.newman@emory.edu)
Lauren Godfrey (lauren.godfrey@emory.edu)
Julie Kedroske (julie.kedroske@emory.edu)
Taylor Spicer (taylor.spicer@emory.edu)

Please contact us with any questions or queries!