From Kampala to Mexico City: Sharing It Forward

AWARD Fellow Esther Wamono a nutrition officer with UNICEF in Uganda, addressed delegates at the G(irls)20 Summit in Mexico City recently.

In advance of the G20 Leaders’ summit scheduled for June in Mexico, 21 young women representing the G20 nations and the African Union  gathered in Mexico City from May 23-31 for the third annual G(irls)20 Summit.

The G(irls)20 Summit convened in advance of the G20 Leaders meeting and brought together one girl, aged 18-20, from each G20 country and one girl from the African Union. The objective of the Summit was to look at the Leaders’ agenda thru the lens of the economic empowerment and inclusion of girls and women.

The delegates participated in panel discussions, attended workshops and caucus to discuss and promote tangible, scalable solutions toward financial prosperity and the economic and political empowerment of girls and women, ending with a delegate-led press conference and communiqué that will provide a blueprint on how the G20 leaders can utilize and engage one of the best resources in the world—girls and women.

AWARD Fellow Esther Wamono, a nutrition officer with UNICEF’s Uganda Country Office, participated in a panel discussion at the summit on the role of science and technology in increasing women’s productivity.

Read Esther's speech here.

“I found it so exciting to see people of diverse backgrounds from different countries and continents, all with the same concern and dream: improved food security, nutrition, health, and general welfare for women and children,” remarked Wamono.  

"I was also humbled by the comments about my presentation and happy to pass on to others what AWARD has taught me,” she added. “Two Mexican students were very interested in my research work, and several European girls asked me how to work successfully with communities, so I spent some time explaining to them strategies at my workplace.”

Summit supporters are invited to join the What’s Your Number? campaign, sending a message to G20 leaders about the critical role that the world’s 3.5 billion girls and women play. Sign up for your number here.

At the end of the G(irls)20 Summit, delegates will be mentored, supported and empowered to live up to their commitments and make social change a reality in their home country.

Want to read more? Be challenged by this message from Veronica Cho, South Korea’s delegate to the summit: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/veronica-cho/dear-g20-leaders_b_1531506.html

Read more about Esther and the summit in the Huffington Post