70: Empowering Girls Across the Globe, with Jessica Posner Odede, CEO, Girl Effect; Co-founder and Board Member, Shining Hope for Communities
Meet Jessica Posner Odede:
Jessica Posner Odede is the CEO of Girl Effect. She is also a Co-founder and Board Member of Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO). Previously, she was an Associate Direction at Novastar Ventures. Jessica is the author of “Find Me Unafraid: Love, Loss and Hope in an African Slum.” She received a bachelor’s in African American Studies from Wesleyan University.
Key Insights:
From Denver, Colorado to Nairobi, Kenya, Jessica Posner Odede is changing the world for adolescent girls.
- What is Girl Effect? Girl Effect utilizes media and technology to connect adolescent girls to services and opportunities, like education, finance, and healthcare. They work to decrease barriers and combat internalized gender norms, to create a world where girls are able to take control of their bodies, health, and livelihoods. (1:36)
- Creating Demand. Investments in services for adolescent girls has increased over time; however, the public and social sector fall short in decreasing the demand gap. Driving demand for important services requires tackling gender norms, decreasing barriers, and providing role models. (17:44)
- COVID’s Impact on Women. There are 20 million girls out of school due to the pandemic, and many will never go back. The pandemic has decreased schooling and vaccination rates, and increased gender-based violence. The pandemic has created additional challenges for women across the world. (23:32)
This episode is hosted by Julie Gerberding, M.D. She is a member of the Advisory Council for Her Story and the Chief Patient Officer and Executive Vice President at Merck.
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