What does it mean to create digital spaces rooted in joy, care, and liberation? In this episode, we center feminist digital creativity, from storytelling and visual art to movement-led tech innovation, as powerful strategies for advocacy and co...

Rather than framing FGM as a cultural practice, this episode interrogates it as a failure of governance, public health systems, and political will. The discussion explores how weak enforcement, cross-border dynamics, medicalisation, and underfu...

In this episode featuring Marylize Biubwa, we dive deep into the rising wave of digital violence targeting feminist and queer activists around the world. From harassment and threats to coordinated disinformation campaigns, online spaces have be...

In this episode, we have a critical conversation about bodily autonomy, the right to make decisions about one’s own body, free from coercion, discrimination, or violence.Our guest, Lily Dong Li Rosengard, shares her insights on the impor...

In this episode, we explore a condition that affects millions of women and gender-diverse people worldwide but remains widely misunderstood and under-discussed: endometriosis.Our guest, Malebo Mukhari, shares her personal journey with en...

In this episode, we head to Uganda to meet Olive Nazziwa, ATHENA’s #WhatGirlsWant focal point — a passionate advocate for adolescent girls’ rights, SRHR, and gender equality. Olive is part of a vibrant generation of young feminists lea...

In this episode of #WhatGirlsWant: A Podcast by the ATHENA Network, we explore the realities of access to contraceptives, a key part of sexual and reproductive health and rights that too often remains out of reach for many girls, young...

Across Africa, young women and gender-diverse people continue to face stigma, criminalisation, and systemic barriers when seeking care that should be their right. But despite these challenges, activists and communities are organizing, educating...

In this episode, we travel to the Kingdom of Lesotho to meet Puseletso Mpeisa, ATHENA’s #WhatGirlsWant focal point. Puseletso Mpeisa is a dynamic advocate working at the intersections of gender equality, sexual and reproductive health ...

In this episode, we’re diving into a crucial conversation about gender-affirming healthcare — what it means, why it matters, and how it connects to our broader fight for bodily autonomy, dignity, and justice. Across the world, trans and gender-...

In this special episode of #WhatGirlsWant: A Podcast, we mark the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action with an intergenerational conversation between two Kenyan feminist activists, Rachael Mwikali and Esther Mw...

In this episode we dive into the rapidly evolving world of generative AI through a feminist lens. Our guest, Alpha Androgenius – a fashion designer, thinker, and activist at the intersections of technology, gender, and culture – unpacks ...

Crises, whether conflict, climate disasters, or pandemics, leave deep scars, not only on our communities but also on our mental well-being. Too often, mental health is sidelined in emergency responses, leaving girls, young women, and LGBTQI+ pe...

On this episode, we dive into a vital but often overlooked topic: the intersection of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and disability.Around the world, people with disabilities, especially women, girls, and LGBTQI+ people...

Colonial legacies continue to shape the healthcare systems that impact girls, women, and marginalised communities globally particularly countries in the global majority. However, what does decolonising healthcare systems really mean, and why is...

We're tackling the intersection between the urgency of addressing climate change and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) with our guest, Sihle Motsa — an advocate passionate about feminist climate justice.In this episode, we...

 On this day, ATHENA Network brings you a powerful new episode of #WhatGirlsWant: A Podcast featuring Ayo Bello, affectionately known as Ayo, a Nigerian feminist and FGM activist. In this episode, we take a deep div...

As part of this year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, we’re excited to announce a powerful new episode of our podcast. In this episode, we dive into the pervasive yet often overlooked issue of gender-based violen...

On this episode we spoke to ATHENA’s Young Women’s Advocacy Program Officer Irene Ogeta from Kenya about the growing anti-rights, anti-gender and anti-choice movement. We reflected on:What the anti-rights movement isHo...

On this episode we spoke to Baleseng Maeneche from South Africa! We reflected on and unpacked:What is technology based GBV and the different ways it manifests How gender-based violence and stereotypes manif...

On this episode we spoke to Justine Wanda from Kenya! We reflected on and unpacked:Kenya’s 2023 and 2024 Finance Bills and how they affect KenyansThe #RejectFinanceBill2024 protests, direct action and the power ...

In this episode, we spoke to Thato Thinyana, a fierce feminist activist from the Kingdom of Lesotho! We reflected on and unpacked the following:SRHR challenges that create healthcare barriers for AGYW and young gender-di...

On this episode, we spoke to two feminist disability activists Nyasha Maseruka from Zimbabwe and Makgosi Letimile from South Africa. They reflected on their experiences as women with disabilities; the lack of access to healthcare s...

In this episode, we spoke to two intersex activists Nwangwu Ogechukwu Edora, also known as Kay, from Nigeria and Sammie Macjessie from Malawi!We reflected on and unpacked their personal experiences as intersex people; the experiences of ...

 We spoke to Teresia, ATHENA’s partnership and Capacity Strengthening Advisor in this episode. And Zoe, the Tanzanian #WhatGirlsWant focal point.  They reflected on how the HIV movement landscape has changed and...