Did you know over 60 million girls around the world are denied an education?? That’s a staggering statistic that OneGirl wants to change! OneGirl works alongside partners to deliver high quality education programs across Africa, because they believe that if you give a girl an education the rest of her life can change.
“We educate girls. Because little girls with dreams become women with vision.”
After Sydney Altitude Day we got to sit down with Morgan Koegel, CEO of OneGirl, and ask her some quick questions!
What are you the most passionate about?
Education. My ability to read, write and speak the way I do is the result of the educational opportunities I have had and I want those same opportunities for everyone in the world, regardless of where they live and regardless of gender.
What action are you taking to influence change in that area?
As the CEO of One Girl, I fight for educational opportunities everyday. We’re on a mission to educate 1 million girls across Africa, and we’re doing that by reducing the barriers to women being in the classroom. Currently only 1 in 6 girls in Sierra Leone get to go to high school, but through educating people about that reality here in Australia we have created a passionate and powerful collection of people fighting for change.
What is the greatest lesson you have learnt on your journey so far?
I think it’s important to always be open minded and never stop learning lessons… so I know there will be more to come in the future. So far, the thing that really sticks out to me is that the hardest thing is starting. If you want to succeed, or you want to create a change in the world around you, then there will be many difficulties you will face, but the hardest of all is starting. At that stage you’re scared and you’re unsure and it all seems like too much – but if you push through all of that, the rest will all fall into place.
Your top piece of advice for Year 9 students?
Don’t just think about the things you like to do but the things that make you passionate. Enjoying a subject is one thing, but committing to a career path where you do that thing day in, day out, might not be quite as enjoyable! Think about what will drive you to keep doing that and to feel good about that choice. For me, it was looking for the thing that I DIDN’T like in the world – the thing that didn’t sit right in my gut – and then finding a way I could work a job to change that. Find that thing, and then go out there and get some experience.
