At 18 years old, Hadja Idrissa Bah found herself facing a reality no young person should have to accept – young girls growing up in silence around gender-based violence, without support, protection and safe spaces. As a member of the Children’s Parliament in Guinea, she witnessed the silence and impacts of early marriage, female genital mutilation, and sexual abuse.

Where others avoided speaking out about these topics, especially in rural areas, Hadja took a stand. In 2016, she founded the Club des Jeunes Filles Leaders de Guinée (CJFLG) — a space for girls to be heard, supported, and empowered to change their own lives and communities. Her aim was clear — to protect girls, help them stay in school, and to cultivate a new generation of leaders who refuse to let harmful practices go unchallenged.

From Conakry to national reach

With initial support from local feminists, CJFLG opened its first office in Conakry in 2016. The movement quickly took shape, expanding to the city N’Zérékoré in 2017 and eventually growing into 29 branches across 33 prefectures of Guinea.

Across every branch, the girls in the club faced unspoken issues head-on, raising awareness, and helping their communities understand why things need to change.

In 2022, CJFLG’s N’Zérékoré branch connected with Global Fund for Children (GFC). GFC saw CJFLG as an important force for change and gender justice in Guinée — and provided the kind of flexible, unrestrictive support that allows local organizations to act quickly when girls are in crisis.

With the support of GFC, CJFLG has strengthened its N’Zérékoré office by securing an adequate workspace, having more resources to pay its team and call on the services of social workers to provide psychological support to survivors, and by improving its support for girls in need.

Stories of lives changed

Because CJFLG had the capacity and community trust to act, girls facing harm were no longer alone, and real change became possible:

• Preventing child marriage. In November 2024, a 16-year-old girl reached out to CJFLG when her parents planned to force her into marriage. CJFLG members intervened immediately, engaging her family in conversation, explaining the harms of early marriage, and advocating for the girl’s right to remain in school. Their persistence worked: the marriage was stopped, and today she continues her education with her family’s support.
• Supporting a survivor’s future. In 2024, an orphaned 18-year-old girl, married at 16, sought help from CJFLG’s N’Zérékoré team. CJFLG connected with social services and informed her family that child marriage is illegal in Guinea. With coordinated support, she was enrolled in a sewing workshop, giving her space to heal, learn, and pursue her full potential.

At the heart of CJFLG’s work is a leadership approach rooted in skills transfer, transparency, and accountability. Older members mentor new members. Training builds confidence, knowledge, and solidarity. Every girl is encouraged to become a role model in her family, school, and community.

This cycle of mentorship ensures that leadership is not only taught but lived, and that each generation of girls becomes stronger, more confident, and better equipped to protect one another and drive change.

Why this partnership works

What makes the partnership between CJFLG and GFC work is trust.

GFC supports the girls and young women closest to the problem, giving them the freedom to decide what support looks like in their own communities. That trust means CJFLG can act quickly when a girl reaches out for help, respond with care and dignity, and stay focused on what matters most — keeping girls safe.

Over time, that support has helped CJFLG grow into a stronger, more confident organization — one that girls know they can turn to, and communities are beginning to listen to.

A call to keep courage growing

For Hadja and the CJFLG team, this work is far from finished.

The team is continuing to show up in communities — starting conversations that were once considered impossible, helping schools become safer places for girls, and creating clearer paths for girls to speak up when they are in danger. They are also bringing boys and young men into these conversations, recognizing that lasting change depends on everyone being part of the solution.

With the right support behind them, CJFLG can keep reaching girls earlier, standing beside them longer, and helping them imagine futures shaped by choice — not fear.