Since our founding in 2006, GGRF’s impact goals have been to empower girls to stay in school and avoid early marriage. On a recent visit to our sites in Soddo and Bekoji, we saw first hand how our programs use running and education to support our Athletic Scholars' goals.

We loved meeting the Mothers of our Athletic Scholars during our recent visits to the Girls Gotta Run programs in Ethiopia.

We had heard stories and seen videos of the high-level athletic training provided by Coach Fatiya in our Bekoji Girls Gotta Run program. And we are happy to report, the reality was just as impressive as the hype.

We are pleased to share that the Soddo Mothers' Groups, which recently launched under the guidance of our Program Manager Kidist, quickly moved beyond just meeting for discussions to a more formal Savings Group. Read on for more details on this exciting addition to Girls Gotta Run programming! 

GGRF is very proud to not only invest in our Athletic Scholars, but also their communities. We recently shared stories of our Mothers’ Savings Groups in Bekoji. These women changed the trajectory of their families through training, seed money, and social networks provided by our program.

In our last update, we shared with you some small stories of how GGRF’s investments in girls can positively impact their families and communities. Today we would like to share a bit more about how we focus on empowering the Mothers of our Athletic Scholars.

Our numbers show how impactful our projects have been, but our impact goes beyond numbers. This school year, we are directly investing in 235 girls in Soddo and Bekoji, Ethiopia.

Did you know that Girls Gotta Run uses a set of impact goals as a guide for developing and evaluating our programs? These goals are at the heart of all that we do to empower girls through running, education, and life skills.

The new school year in Ethiopia started in September, and our Girls Gotta Run programs returned to full strength with running practice, life skills groups, school supplies, tutoring, and mothers' groups.

One of the key barriers for girls in Ethiopia continuing their education past the onset of puberty is access to menstrual supplies, soap, and a place to do laundry. In fact, the United Nations estimates that 10% or more of girls in the country miss school during their period. So when Girls Gotta Run says we provide school supplies, we include these vital items in our planning and budget.

From the start, an important component of Girls Gotta Run has been nourishment for our Athletic Scholars. In the early days of the organization, we provided food along with running shoes. During Covid-19, even as schools were closed, we provided meals for our participants and their families. Food insecurity is an ongoing problem for the Girls Gotta Run participants and their families, and we have worked to address this.

For the first time in Girls Gotta Run history, in July 2022, we are offering optional summer tutoring at our program at APGS in Soddo. The tutoring involves 8 hours per week of classes in 4 core subjects. We were a bit surprised that EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR 62 GIRLS CHOSE TO COME TO SUMMER SCHOOL! Their families are also supportive - enthusiastic, in fact!

“I am impressed with the innovative model Girls Gotta Run has developed of using sport to build girls’ confidence and to guide them in setting and obtaining goals. These are critical skills for girls to be able to succeed in school anywhere, including for the girls this grant will support in some of the most vulnerable areas of Ethiopia.” - Catherine Bertini, former executive director for the United Nations World Food Programme, recipient of the 2003 World Food Prize

We are pleased to announce that See Beautiful™ has awarded Girls Gotta Run a $4,000 grant to support Life Skills Classes for Ethiopian girls! Join us in celebrating!

As the conflict in Ethiopia rages on, many of our supporters have reached out to inquire about the safety and well-being of the women and girls in our programs. We are grateful for the concern and are happy to share reports from our program sites.

October 11th is International Day of the Girl, a special day set by the United Nations to highlight and address girls' human rights. Here at Girls Gotta Run, we are celebrating all month long with the #MoveForGirls Challenge! Will you join us?