Hope for a Brighter Future: International Day of the Girl Child 2024

Every year, on October 11th, the world is asked to pause and pay attention—to really listen to the stories of girls who face struggles that are far too often swept aside. The International Day of the Girl Child is a call to reflect on the unique challenges girls encounter and to celebrate their resilience, their joy, and, perhaps most importantly, their hope. This year, the Evoca Foundation is proud to be part of that conversation. For our 2024 campaign, we decided to focus on hope—not as a lofty ideal, but as a force for change, as something that lives in the daily lives of girls around the world.

This year’s campaign was born from a simple idea: we wanted to hear directly from the girls who are a part of our work, girls whose dreams are nurtured by the grassroots organisations we support. We spent time speaking with them, listening to their stories, their visions, their plans for the future. Through these conversations, we saw not just the challenges they’re facing—climate change, gender-based violence, educational barriers—but also what they’re dreaming of. We saw what hope looks like in real-time.

Hope, after all, is not just an emotion. It’s a survival strategy. For the girls we spoke to, hope is about holding on to the idea that tomorrow can be better, even when today is filled with uncertainty. And the organisations we partner with are taking action to make that hope a reality. 

The Bella Foundation in Nigeria, for example, is at the frontlines of the fight to end child marriage by keeping girls in school, giving them a chance to write their own futures. The Braveheart Ladies Football team, also in Nigeria, supports girls to break through social stigma, chasing their dreams, and showing that sport can be a place where they belong.

What we heard from these girls wasn’t just a list of challenges, though there are plenty. What we heard was their passion. We heard them talk about what makes them excited to get out of bed in the morning—football, studying medicine, dancing, acting, and even SpongeBob SquarePants. Their dreams aren’t small, and neither are their spirits. What struck us most in these conversations was the creativity, the curiosity, and the simple joy these girls have managed to hold on to, despite everything they’re up against.

That joy is what drives us. At Evoca, we believe that hope doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s something that grows, bit by bit, when girls are given the space to dream, to learn, to play, and to imagine a future that looks different from their present. And it’s our job, along with our partners, to make sure that space is protected.

This campaign is about more than raising awareness. It’s about listening to the girls who are shaping their own futures, in their own words. It’s about believing, as they do, that a brighter future isn’t just possible—it’s already on the horizon. These girls are leading the way, and we’re simply here to amplify their voices.

So, we invite you to listen with us. To imagine a world where every girl’s hopes and dreams are not only heard but supported. A world where their rights are protected, their voices are uplifted, and their aspirations—whether they involve becoming the next great doctor, footballer, or something else entirely—are made real. Together, we can be part of that world.

Please note that in some instances, the thoughts, feelings and experiences shared by the girls are presented in composite and anonymised form in order to protect their identities: the figures profiled in the campaign are inspired by the girls we’ve spoken to and feature their direct quotes, but do not represent specific individuals.