Girls Gotta Run Foundation (GGRF) empowers girls and their communities through investments in running and education. The organization uses Ethiopia’s national sport of running as a tool to combat child marriage, expand access to secondary education, and unlock each girl’s full potential. Since its founding, GGRF has supported more than 1,000 girls. Girls in the program consistently graduate from high school, delay early marriage, and serve as role models in their community
In Ethiopia, 20 percent of girls graduate from high school, while nearly 40 percent are forced into marriage before age 18. Girls face barriers including early marriage, poverty, gender-based violence, child labor, and cultural expectations that prioritize domestic duties over education. These barriers drive high dropout rates and can trap girls in cycles of limited opportunity. Civil conflict has deepened these crises as displacement, school closures, and rising insecurity have forced many girls out of classrooms, leading to heightened risks of gender-based violence and trafficking.
With support from the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund, the GGRF will build upon its Athletic Scholarship Program. The program addresses the many barriers that prevent girls from continuing their education and building self-determined futures. It supports the cost of tuition and school supplies, menstrual hygiene supplies, structured running practice and mentorship, and life skills and leadership development. The program also supports mothers of girls with funding, financial literacy, and business training to launch and grow small enterprises to promote financial independence.
The project will support 20 adolescent girls through core programming and will indirectly impact approximately 1,800 additional community members including mothers, siblings, teachers, and local leaders. Through its holistic, community-based approach, GGRF strives to break cycles of poverty, delay early marriage, and create sustainable pathways for girls and their families to thrive.
To learn more about Girls Gotta Run Foundation, please visit the organization’s website and social media pages:
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