Empowering Girls, Changing Futures: One Girl x MESHKI
Celebrating International Day of the Girl with MESHKI and One Girl
By Jess O’Donoghue, Fundraising Coordinator at One Girl
When I arrived at the MESHKI event in Sydney for International Day of the Girl, the room was already radiating. Bright faces, bold outfits, and that unmistakable MESHKI energy filled the space. But underneath all that style was something even stronger – a shared belief that girls everywhere deserve the chance to learn, dream, and lead.
That’s what the day was about.
I was there representing One Girl, a non-profit organisation that supports girls in Sierra Leone to go to school and stay there. Through our scholarship program, we provide everything a girl needs to thrive, from school fees and uniforms to textbooks, hygiene products, and life skills education. Every girl in our program has her own story of resilience and hope.
At the event, I spoke about what education really means in a girl’s life. In Sierra Leone, girls face some of the highest barriers to education on the planet. Early marriage, gender-based violence, poverty, and long distances to school all stand in the way of their learning. The odds are stacked against them from the start. But when a girl gets the chance to stay in school, everything changes – for her, her family, and her community.
I shared the story of Fatmata, one of our scholars. When she lost her father, she had to leave school for almost three years. But after joining One Girl’s program, she returned to school and thrived. This year, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and now sits as a Board Advisor for One Girl, using her voice to guide our mission and inspire other girls to believe in what’s possible.
Her story is proof that when a girl is given the tools and support to learn, she can transform her own future.
MESHKI has been part of that transformation. We’re so grateful for their ongoing support and the genuine interest they’ve shown in the work we do. Their partnership helps amplify the voices of the girls we support and reminds the world just how powerful education can be.
Through our campaign The Class of 2026, we’re aiming to fill another classroom. Each donation helps a girl stay in school for a full year, and every contribution is a step toward a brighter, more equal future.onegi
Standing in that room, surrounded by so many passionate people, I was reminded that empowerment isn’t just a word, it’s an action. And what MESHKI is doing matters. They’re not only celebrating girls; they’re investing in them.
If you’d like to meet the girls MESHKI helped unlock, you can read their stories and dreams at onegirl.org.au.
Together, we’re proving that when one girl learns, we all rise.
