Happy 4th Birthday to S H E!

We can hardly believe it's been four years since we opened our doors in Togo, and we are more grateful than ever to you for getting us to this incredible milestone!

Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be sharing favorite memories and reflections from our global team. Today, we asked our Founder, Payton, to share what celebrating 4 years means to her.

It's hard to say how special it is to celebrate 4 years at S H E. When I was starting S H E, I had no idea what the future would hold. I simply couldn't have foreseen that I was stepping into a role that would completely open my perspective, challenge me in ways I didn't know were possible, and teach me more than I'd learned over a lifetime.

I'm so grateful to the S H E community who has empowered us to serve over 1,500 girls and women in 20 rural communities in Togo. It's amazing to think that S H E is simply a collection of over 300 individuals who have come together over 4 years to invest in the potential of girls and women. And it is clear how much girls and women can achieve when barriers are removed from their pathways.

I'm exceptionally proud of our Togolese team for the ways they've led S H E to become such a stable source of support, empathy, and celebration for our girls. And I find I'm most proud of the fact that S H E has grown into an organization that invests in, learns from, and is led by local women. I will say, building a team across two continents and three languages has not always been easy, but watching the ways our Togolese team members have become the true leaders of S H E continues to inspire me every day.

What has 4 years at S H E taught me?

That the girls and women of S H E are the heroes of our story. They are the ones who show up every single day with more courage and resilience than I've ever known. And it is the greatest honor to work alongside them to reimagine a world where girls and women can do more than survive, they can flourish.

What are you hoping the next 4 years will look like?

I hope the next four years brings continued growth, learning, and collective impact. We've spent the first four years of our journey with a learning mindset, and it's allowed us to remain true to our mission of keeping women and girls at the center of their own development. The last year has taught us that because of this, S H E is resilient, resourceful, and special. And above all else, S H E is working. We'll continue to show up every day with a learning mindset, but we can now show up with added confidence in our vision for the future.

I hope we're able to continue growing S H E to her full potential and serve girls and women all over the world.