What’s the link between animal rights, land rights and girls’ rights? Unearth brought together girls from across South Africa, the US and Kenya to exchange stories, share ideas and build a global peer network to support girls who live close to natural reservations to become storytellers and advocates, as well as conservationists and advocates for wildlife.
“Since joining Unearth in late April, I have united with my sisters from across Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania in fighting against early marriage, FGM and beading,” Lekaasia, a 17-year-old Unearth participant, says. And, in partnership with Save the Elephants, the young women are receiving education and training related to anti-poaching efforts, conflicts between wildlife and humans, and conservation practices. Lekaasia has learned about “access to clean water for both girls and wildlife, and employing more women in conservation jobs like rangers, researchers, even conservancy owners and managers. Unearth has taught me that indeed when you educate a girl or woman, you educate the whole society.”
Seeing the pictures of Greta Thunberg meeting Tokata Iron Eyes, a fierce young indigenous girl who spearheaded the #NoDAPL movement at Standing Rock, was deeply inspiring. This is how movements are built, in solidarity and with the humility to recognise the expertise of those at the front line, the young grassroots activists who have been fighting for years.