Beyond Campaigning: Rethinking Leadership on International Day of the Girl Child
- Kamogelo Theledi
- Oct 14
- 3 min read
Every year, as the world commemorates the International Day of the Girl Child, we're reminded of how far we've come in empowering girls, as well as how much farther we still have to go. This year, Futurelect's Ready to Run webinar gave us a raw-eyed look at the barriers still in the way of women, reminding us that despite women being so routinely hailed as strong and in service, they still are too routinely treated as the eternal minors good enough to run campaigns, but not to lead.
During the webinar, Fadzayi Mahere, a constitutional lawyer and advocate, aptly captured this contradiction. She spoke about how societies across the continent continue to underestimate women’s leadership potential. “There’s this belief that women can mobilise and campaign for us, but when it comes to decision-making, they are not good enough to lead,” she said. Her words hit at the heart of what the International Day of the Girl Child truly calls us to confront, the unspoken belief that girls should always play a supporting role.
Honourable Joyce Bagala, a Member of Parliament in Uganda, took this one step further, referencing the structural nature of patriarchy. She spoke about how patriarchy doesn't live off the efforts of men alone, but off the efforts of women too, who unwittingly reinforce it. "Patriarchy recruits women," she said. "We become its gatekeepers." It's a reality as hurtful as it is strong: women socialise men who inherit privilege, and all too commonly, we prepare girls to shrink themselves, to apologise for aspiring to more, to fit snugly within the lines drawn up by others.
Founder of the Samburu Girls Foundation and Futurelect alumna Josephine Kulea discussed the need to instil confidence in girls at a young age. "Don't say she's bossy. Don't say she's cheeky," she asserted. Encourage her. Let her know that the world is her oyster." Her words embody a reality that too many women are deprived of: that being ambitious isn't arrogant, and that leading isn't exclusive to men.
The debate also raised the mental and emotional price of leadership paid by women. There was a silence of enormous strength when Mahere said, "There was no time to worry about my mental health." This phrase alludes to the price of always having to fight to be seen, to be listened to, to be taken seriously in spaces that question your right to be there because you happen to be a woman.
Marking the International Day of the Girl Child, we are reminded that empowerment is not about seating women at the table. Empowerment is about the lens through which we view women, no longer fragile, no longer dependent on others, but as whole citizens with ideas, strength, and the right to lead.
We see the effect of patriarchy across the continent. From Tanzania to Kenya, the same story repeats itself. As Mahere said, "If patriarchy had a handbook, Zimbabwe probably wrote it." And even within that world, there is hope. Every time a girl speaks out, every time a woman becomes a candidate, every time a village chooses to listen, the story begins to reframe itself.
As we mark this day, let us do something better than just celebrating girls; let us believe in girls. Let us give space to their leadership, voices, and dreams. Because girls are not minors. They are not waiting to be taught to speak. They are ready to run.
