Thank you for voting on five finalists to win the Students Rebuild Awards featuring Half the Sky Movement. Your votes have been added to the votes from our panel of judges. Please visit this page to find out who won and follow their stories!
Cambodia
Lida Han Hun
My name is Lida Han Hun and I work with the Somaly Mam Foundation and live near the Thai border. I am committed to engaging thousands of students and people in my community to fight against human trafficking and exploitation. I hope my generation can effect change and help to end slavery in the world. I am a student who is leading my school and community to raise awareness of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, rape, child domestic workers and children working in entertainment industries. Read More »
Ley Savorn
My name is Ley Savorn. If I win the award, I would use the funds to open a shop that supplies fertilizer, agricultural materials and groceries to my community. This shop will help my community buy their basic needs at reasonable prices and cut out the middlemen who always take advantage of villagers. The business will assist lonely, elderly, vulnerable women and children in my community. Ultimately, we want to see every child in the village go to school. Read More »
Krouch Souk
My name is Krouch Souk. I have been working as a community facilitator. My work objectives are to facilitate monthly savings, provide training on domestic violence and health and nutrition and follow-up literacy classes in the community. Our community is in the process of organizing an agricultural cooperative. If I win the award I will use all the money to develop the cooperative. Read More »
India
Uma Das
My name is Uma Das and I live in a red light area. My mother was terrified we would be trafficked like she was so she married me off and I was tortured by my in-laws. One day, I met my teachers at Apne Aap and started attending classes again and understanding a woman should always resist being abused, be it by client or husband. If I receive this award, I will put on plays and dance performances to raise awareness of these issues. Read More »
Krishna Mondal
My name is Krishna Mondal and I have been told that my father was killed by robbers when my mother was seven months pregnant. As a pregnant widow, she had no option but to travel to Kolkata, and ended up in Kalighat in prostitution. If awarded this extraordinary honor, I would use the funds to fight intergenerational prostitution and trafficking by expanding microcredit assistance and creating income generation options for the women of Kalighat. Read More »
Poonam Khatoon
My name is Poonam Khatoon. It is my wish to create a group for the girls that are completing their education at the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya school. If I receive this award I will use the money for our group to raise awareness among people about the rights of women and girls and teach that injustice towards girls and women is wrong. We will do street plays and use other platforms to raise awareness. We will buy a computer and using that computer we will let the world know about our programs. Read More »
Kenya
Linda Kamau
My name is Linda Kamau and I use technology as a tool to change girls' lives and empower them to dream. I co-founded Akirachix, a company that trains and mentors disadvantaged girls in coding. When students leave the program, they leave with a new skill they can use to support their family and encouragement to use that skill for social good. We teach our students to create software that supports development and turns a profit. Read More »
Maria Grazia Khoyan
My name is Maria Grazia Khoyan and I have been trained by BOMA to teach women about business skills. I’ve worked with over 120 women and now my community is moving out of poverty, women can pay medical costs when they fall ill, and they are starting to be self-reliant, even sending their children to school. Women always come to my house and beg to be included in the classes. If I receive the award, I will use the funding to include more women in the program. Read More »
Lylian Namukhas
My name is Lylian Namukhas and I have been studying computer studies, business management and project planning for many years. I grew up in Chwele where we used to trek long distances in search of water and this put many girls at risk of sexual harassment. Now I'm developing a plan to bring water to my village. If we win this award, we will install solar panels, water pumps and water kiosks, which will enhance hygiene, prevent diseases, and keep our girls out of danger. Read More »
Sierra Leone
Margaret Barnard
My name is Margaret Barnard. I mentor girls on topics like reproductive health, and choosing and using modern contraceptives. I also help girls who are young, single mothers to access financial services and microcredit. This has reduced early marriage, forced marriage, unwanted pregnancy, teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections among women and girls in Kailahun Town. With this award, I would continue to educate and provide more loans to this community so that they can continue to better their lives and care for their children. Read More »
Edith Sia Tamba
My name is Edith Sia Tamba. I work with survivors of gender-based violence in the Koindu community to provide counseling and other forms of assistance that they may need. I will use this money to continue to provide assistance for survivors of gender based violence and to continue to raise awareness on the problems of GBV and the importance of sending our girl children to school. I will continue to work with the Women's Action Group in Koindu and with the Police Family Support Unit to provide assistance and support to survivors as they request. Read More »
Sarah Kamara
My name is Sarah Kamara. I am a paralegal officer at BRAC Sierra Leone's Human Rights and Legal Services program. Self-reliance is a key theme at BRAC, both for those we support as well as ourselves. With BRAC, we will endeavor to provide professional and other required supports to our staff if we are given this opportunity. Providing me with this opportunity will enhance manifestation for my new dream of combining legal empowerment with economic empowerment as an integrated approach of reducing poverty. Read More »
Somaliland
Sado Yusuf Barre
My name is Sado Yusuf Barre and I trained as a Community Midwife. I chose to be transferred to Balligubadle because the district was one of the poorest. When I first went there, there was no prenatal care for women, no care for babies and under-five children, no immunization services for mothers and children, and no nutrition program for severely malnourished children. We now have all these services and deliver between 20 to 30 babies a month. Read More »
Nimco Cabdillah
My name is Nimco Cabdillah. I studied nursing and basic midwifery. I chose Baligubadle district Hospital to help cut down the maternal mortality there. If awarded this prize, $10,000 would go a long way towards helping improve our health facility. Among the most important would be having gloves, gauze dressings, sutures and disinfectants. We would love to have solar panels to help us when delivering a baby at night. A life-saving addition to our health centre would be a small laboratory. Read More »