Sejal Hathi

Daily Point of Light # 4249 May 20, 2010

Sejal Hathi is on a mission to empower girls.
When she was 15, Sejal was diagnosed with anorexia. She was shocked and in denial.
In the aftermath of recovery, she realized that thousands of girls who suffer do not have confidence in their power as individuals. She made it her lifelong mission to empower them.
Sejal founded Girls Helping Girls (GHG), an international nonprofit organization that partners girls in the United States with girls in schools and community organizations in developing countries. The girls jointly identify problems in their communities and develop programs to create positive change. GHG channels the power harvested from the girls’ collaborative service projects to eradicate poverty, increase access to education, improve health, and – most important – promote peace.
Today, GHG volunteers have directly trained more than 5,000 girls to launch their own social-change projects. The girls are from more than 15 different countries.
The volunteers have also raised nearly $40,000 to provide basic necessities, educational opportunities and social-change workshops to hundreds of deserving but impoverished girls around the world.
When increasing numbers of girls began to approach Sejal asking how they could create programs of their own, she saw the need to connect this growing network of young changemakers. She decided to amplify GHG into a larger movement by founding The Sisters 4 Peace Network, a social-change forum that provides one-on-one mentorship and resources to girls aspiring to create change.
Sejal believes that every girl “has something deep, tangible, and worthwhile to offer. We can demonstrate this power and ability to even the most destitute by empowering them with the education about their condition, the awareness of their potential, the example of others, and the training and tools to redefine their destiny.”


jaytennier