Diaspora women driving youth leadership: The Sisters Keepers story

By Anita Nma | Issue 27

© B-GiLD (Black Girls in Leadership Development)

Diaspora communities have long bridged worlds: connecting lived experience, global networks, and deep cultural understanding to create lasting social change. Sisters Keepers is one such force, harnessing the power of African and Diaspora women to equip Black girls aged 12–18 with the skills, confidence, and opportunities to lead.

Founded in 2022 by 26 women from across Africa and the Diaspora, Sisters Keepers emerged from the Moremi Initiative for Women’s Leadership in Africa. The organisation was born from a shared recognition of the intersecting barriers young Black girls face: gender discrimination, limited educational access, minimal leadership pathways, and economic hardship — often compounded in rural and under-resourced communities.

Youth empowerment across borders

At the heart of Sisters Keepers is B-GiLD (Black Girls in Leadership Development), a hybrid leadership accelerator that blends six weeks of online training with an immersive Summer Institute in Ghana. Participants gain practical skills in leadership, advocacy, communication, financial literacy, and project management.

Each girl is paired with a high-achieving Black woman mentor from the Diaspora — leaders in law, technology, healthcare, education, and entrepreneurship — who offers guidance, inspiration, and access to networks. This transnational exchange fosters both personal capacity and a sense of belonging to a global sisterhood.

Impact in action

The B-GiLD programme has demonstrated transformative impact across multiple communities, with participants tackling pressing local challenges while achieving academic excellence. In Ghana's Shama District, participants have created measurable change: one 14-year-old mobilised over 200 community members for environmental action, converting plastic waste into 15 community dustbins while inspiring lasting behavioural change around sanitation practices. A 12-year-old leader challenged cultural norms by engaging 30 families in conversations about girls' education, preventing 4 girls from dropping out and securing commitments from 15 parents to support their daughters through senior high school. Another participant addressed menstrual health barriers by training 25 peers in sustainable sanitary pad production, significantly reducing school absenteeism.

These leadership initiatives have produced exceptional academic outcomes alongside community impact. Participants achieved an average 2-point improvement in Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) aggregate scores, with three elected to prefectural leadership positions: representing a 300% increase in girls' student government representation. Their projects have directly benefited over 500 community members while establishing peer initiatives that now engage youths in ongoing sustainability initiatives.

Building on this success, B-GiLD expanded significantly in 2025, launching programmes across Jamaica, Burundi, Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana. Over 130 girls enrolled in the comprehensive leadership training programme, participating in confidence-building workshops, advocacy skill development, and project management training. This expansion demonstrates the programme's scalability and relevance across diverse African and Caribbean contexts, with participants from urban centres to rural communities gaining practical leadership tools.

The programme's multiplier effect continues to grow as these young leaders create pathways for others to follow. Many participants come from families where no woman had previously completed secondary education, yet they're breaking generational cycles and establishing new possibilities for their communities. Their sustained impact – from environmental stewardship to educational advocacy, proves that investing in young Black female leaders creates lasting transformation that extends far beyond individual programme participation.

© B-GiLD (Black Girls in Leadership Development)

Advancing health and wellbeing: The BLOOM model

Beyond leadership skills, Sisters Keepers recognises that empowerment must address mental health. BLOOM, currently being developed in partnership with Mentoring.org and a mental health organisation in Ghana, integrates trauma-informed mental health literacy into leadership training. It equips girls with resilience strategies, enabling them to thrive academically, socially, and professionally – despite systemic and personal challenges.

Promoting inclusion and addressing inequality

B-GiLD actively bridges the gap between rural communities and global resources. Many participants come from contexts where girls are less likely to finish secondary education. Sisters Keepers removes barriers through scholarships, technology access, and mentorship, ensuring that leadership opportunities reach those most excluded.

Graduates have launched community projects addressing water pollution, waste management, reproductive health education, and school retention for girls. These are not externally imposed initiatives – they are grassroots solutions born from the participants’ own lived experiences.

Impact on development and peacebuilding

While Sisters Keepers’ mission is centred on empowerment, its ripple effects contribute to broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Quality Education, Gender Equality, and Decent Work & Economic Growth. Youth-led service projects strengthen civic responsibility, promote social cohesion, and address urgent needs in education, sanitation, and gender-based violence prevention.

The cross-border nature of the organisation also positions it as a bridge between the diaspora and home countries, building cultural ties and fostering collective responsibility for social change.

 © B-GiLD (Black Girls in Leadership Development)

Leveraging the next generation of the diaspora

Second- and third-generation diaspora members bring unique strengths – bicultural fluency, global education, and digital innovation – that enrich programme design and delivery. Engaging them as mentors, trainers, and advocates ensures Sisters Keepers remains globally connected while grounded in local realities.

Sisters Keepers proves that when diaspora women unite to empower the next generation, the impact is transformative: reshaping systems, strengthening communities, and creating an enduring legacy of intergenerational leadership.

Anita Nma 

Anita is the Programs and Partnerships Director at Sisters Keepers, where she leads initiatives that empower Black girls aged 12–18 through mentorship, leadership development, and global collaboration. With a background in communications and change management, Anita specialises in building strategic partnerships and designing programmes that bridge the gap between local communities and the Diaspora. At Sisters Keepers, she drives the B-GiLD (Black Girls in Leadership Development) programme and the BLOOM mental health initiative, ensuring that young Black girls gain not only leadership skills but also the confidence and resilience to thrive. Passionate about equity, education, and youth empowerment, Anita works to amplify girls’ voices and connect them with networks and opportunities that create lasting impact.