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Our Story
We imagine a world where all girls and women can do more than survive, they can flourish. Together, we are building a world where girls are educated, employed, and empowered to determine their own future.
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More than 130 million girls around the world are not in school. In addition, more than 540 million women are illiterate and lack formal employment opportunities.
Inspired by the book, Half the Sky, and the knowledge that school uniforms are one of the most cost-effective ways to keep girls in school around the world, our Founder dedicated her last semester of college to crafting a business model that supports girls education and women's employment worldwide.
During this process, Payton met professor, Romuald Afatchao, and after hearing the idea for S H E, he invited her to his home village of Notse, Togo on the West African coast.
While in Togo, Payton met with girls from around the area to talk about girls' education. It was at this moment that Payton realized the true potential of the project. Every single girl in the room told a story about how she had been shamed out of school because she didn't have a school uniform, because hers was ripped, or because she bled on it during her period.
In the years since our founding in 2017, S H E has evolved from an idea in a college class into an international organization creating education and employment opportunities for hundreds of girls and women.
