At just 15 years old, Parvin already carries the strength of someone far beyond her years.

She lives in Long Village, a rural community in Uganda’s Wakiso District, and is in her third year as a member of the Resilient Women Organization’s (RWO) school-based club. Through the program, she’s learned about girls’ rights, menstrual health, and the power of friendship—and she’s become a peer leader determined to help other girls thrive.

“I like being a peer leader because we sit and talk about our challenges,” Parvin explains. “If one of us has a problem, we share it and find a solution together.”

For Parvin, peer support is more than a concept—it’s a lifeline. When one of her close friends revealed she was being abused by her stepfather, Parvin listened with compassion. She reassured her friend, helped her think through next steps, and suggested they report the abuse together. Parvin even proposed that her friend stay with her, but the father refused. Eventually, with support from RWO, her friend was safely relocated to her aunt’s home. 

“She told me everything,” Parvin says. “I helped her speak up. That’s what being resilient means. We don’t let each other fall.”

Outside of school, Parvin is happiest on the football field. Her coaches, she says, are like family. “They tell us the good things about football, and the bad things that can happen if we misuse our power,” she says. “They teach us how to choose the ball… or the ball will choose us.”

Parvin dreams of becoming both a professional footballer and a doctor. It’s an unusual combination, but one that reflects her full heart and big ambition. “I want to be a doctor because some doctors aren’t kind. But I will be. I want to treat people well.”

Before joining RWO, Parvin says she didn’t know much about her body or her rights. She believed early marriage was inevitable for girls like her. But through RWO’s safe space club, she’s learned about reproductive health, the dangers of child marriage, and how education can transform a girl’s future.

“If a girl is not at school, she can get pregnant or go into marriage,” she says. “But when I am at school, I cannot have that.”

Her favorite subject is Social Studies “because it’s simple,” she laughs. And she treasures the talks she has with her mother, who has supported her education from the start. “When my mom tells me good words, I feel strong,” Parvin says. “And my friends give me strength, too.”

Parvin has now spent three years in RWO’s club, learning, mentoring, and growing. She speaks openly about menstruation and health issues with other girls and encourages those not in school to join the program.

“Some girls don’t know what to do,” she says. “But if they join Resilient Women, they can change their lives just like I did.”