Who we are
Why OPEN exists, and how we think about closing the gap.
OPEN for Girls works to close the gap between girls and opportunity — not by creating more opportunities, but by making the ones that already exist visible, accessible and actionable.
The problem isn't a shortage of opportunity
It's the distance between a girl and what's already there.
01
She doesn't know the opportunity exists.
02
She doesn't know how to access it.
03
She may lack the preparation or support to successfully pursue it.
04
She may lack the networks or connections that make access easier.
Our approach
Four pillars, working as one system.
E
Education
OPEN expands access to learning.
Workshops . Digital Learning . Career readingness . Academic support
O
Opportunities
We connect girls to opportunities that can change their trajectory.
Scholarships . Fellowships . Internships . Jobs . Grants
P
Pathways
Finding an opportunity is one thing. Knowing how to utilize it is another.
Education Pathways . Career Pathways. Professional Development . Advocacy
N
Networks
Because opportunities often come through people.
Mentorship . Professional networks . Peer communities . Career Connections
Not four programs. One interconnected system.
Opportunities, Pathways, Education and Networks aren't separate tracks — they work together, and a girl often needs more than one at once to move forward.
How our approach works
O
We connect girls to opportunities that can change their trajectory — scholarships, fellowships, internships, jobs, grants.
P
Finding an opportunity is one thing. Knowing how to utilize it is another — we help girls navigate education and career pathways.
E
OPEN expands access to learning — workshops, digital learning, career-readiness, academic support.
N
Because opportunities often come through people — mentorship, professional networks, peer communities.
Our story
How it all began
OPEN for Girls first began as an idea after our founder and her partner traveled to South Sudan, Kenya, and Uganda for a humanitarian work trip.
While advocating for young girls and refugees through a scholarship pathway, she saw that scholarships alone were not enough. Some girls did not know what to study or how to pursue their goals. Others were passionate about advocacy but lacked the knowledge, networks, and support to turn that passion into action.
Their education was suffering not because opportunities were absent, but because they lacked the support to understand, access, and make the most of them.
A lesson became clear: a degree does not necessarily mean a girl is educated, and a scholarship does not guarantee that she can transform her life.
The problem is not always the absence of opportunity. It is the absence of the knowledge, support, and networks needed to make opportunity meaningful.
​
That gap became the foundation for OPEN for Girls.
An opportunity is only an opportunity if a girl can access it.
There are endless opportunities. But an opportunity is only an opportunity if a girl:
01
Knows it exists.
02
Knows what to do with it.
03
Is guided to make good use of it.
04
Has the pathways, resources and networks needed to maximize it.
This is what OPEN believes creates a full-circle outcome for philanthropy that impacts girls' lives.
Our Team
The people building OPEN for Girls.
JB Favour
Director of Programs
JB is a Nonprofit Leader, Fundraising Consultant and Advocate for Girls’ Education and Gender Equity. For JB, continuing this work alongside the OPEN for Girls team is one of the greatest honors of her life.
Francene Nicole Rogon
Executive Assistant, Director of Programs
Francene based in the Philippines is the Executive Assistant in the Director of Programs Office at OPEN for Girls. She supports the delivery of programmes, manages the Director’s calendar and coordinates the team’s day-to-day operations. Guided by a commitment to girls’ and women’s empowerment.
Cassie Maresh
Program Manger, Global
Trained as an educator, Cassie has spent the last 10 years finding her home in the nonprofit sector. With experience across programming, development and operations, she brings a unique perspective rooted in relationship-building, systems thinking, and a belief in creating opportunities for young people to thrive.
Mary Wandia Maina
Operations Coordinator
Mary is the Operations Coordinator at OPEN for Girls, and she loves books. She enables rapid team scaling and programme launch across multiple countries, building the systems that turn mission into delivery. By establishing the coordination infrastructure, she frees programme leaders to focus entirely on the mission.
Zainab Yahaya Tanko
Program Coordinator, Nigeria
Zainab Yahaya Tanko is the Program Coordinator for Nigeria, based in Abuja. She has over a decade of programme management experience in gender equality, governance, and disability inclusion, working with UNICEF, Yiaga Africa, and women's rights organizations.
Mark Osoro
Partnerships Coordinator
Osoro is a Partnerships and fundraising professional who enjoys bringing people, ideas and opportunities together. Outside work, he loves cooking, good conversations and being around people. His weakness? A hot homemade meal - apparently, it’s enough to make his spine shiver.
Lilian Nelima
Program Coordinator, Kenya
Development professional with 8+ years of experience designing, leading, and scaling programmes that advance education, youth employability, gender equality, safeguarding, and inclusive livelihoods across underserved communities.
Aishwarya Rai
Program Coordinator, India
Aishwarya is the Programme Coordinator for India at OPEN for Girls, where she coordinates OPEN for Girls Programs in India. She is a social worker and development professional dedicated to gender equality. When she is not driving community impact, she is usually lost in a great book, analysing powerful prose, or deep in discussions about human rights.
Sohaana Shakeel
Program Coordinator, Pakistan
Sohaana is a Programme Coordinator for Pakistan at OPEN for Girls, who believes that a girl’s potential should never be limited by opportunities she never knew existed. She is committed to changing that, one connection, one opportunity and one girl at a time.
Laura Kanyiginya
Program Coordinator, Uganda & South Sudan
Laura Kanyiginya is the Programme Coordinator for Uganda and South Sudan at OPEN for Girls, where she manages the programmes portfolio. She is an international development professional with more than 14 years of experience in education, youth development, child protection and girls’ empowerment across Uganda and East Africa.
Board of Directors
Our founding board is being assembled — details coming soon.
Name
Board Chair
Announcing soon
Name
Robert Rose
Announcing soon
Name
Robert Rose
Announcing soon
Name
Robert Rose
Announcing soon
Governance
