Pauline Faith Gartor – Women Deliver

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2020

Pauline Faith Gartor

  • Age: 29
  •    |   She/her/hers

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True justice is served when girls and women make choices that affect their bodies and societies have a stand, voice, and position in the governance system and development processes at all levels.

- Pauline Faith Gartor

Bio

Pauline Faith Gartor was born and raised in Liberia. She received her Bachelor of Science in Bio-Medical Sciences from the University of Liberia in 2022. Pauline is the Executive Director of the Girls Health Alliance. She is a member of the Youth Coalition for Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, UN Women National Gender Youth Activist, Co-Chairperson Mano River Youth Network, and President Emeritus of the National Children and Youth Advisory Board of Liberia. She has spent the past ten (10) years advocating for girls and women’s rights through action-based policy and programs; sensitization campaigns and the empowerment of community-based organizations to tackle Gender-Based Violence, teen health, early marriage, and Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights in rural communities across Liberia.
Pauline’s work is triggered by personal experiences. In addition to the agony of losing her beloved mother to a reproductive health condition due to a lack of skilled health attendants, Pauline’s childhood friend died from an unsafe abortion when at age 17. The two tragedies ignited Pauline’s advocacy for women’s health, girls’ sexual reproductive health rights, and gender equality.


Since founding the Girls Health Alliance, she has helped shape action that provides girls the opportunity to have control over their bodies, participate in decision-making, and advocate for the protection of their rights, and justice for rape and sexual abuse victims in their local communities and schools in Liberia.

What ignited your pursuit for gender equality?

The needless death of my best friend from an unsafe abortion in addition to my beloved mother’s death from curable disease had always saddened me until I started advocating for gender equality. My late friend could not live to complete her studies and live a purposeful life.

Please share your biggest wins as an advocate for gender equality.

The establishment of the Girls Health Alliance a youth-led and feminist organization that now has seven administrative staff leading different departments and programs in an effort to promote Girls' Right to Health and Equality. One hundred and fifty (150) trained and certified sexual Reproductive health and rights champions, 12 schools, and five community structures in Montserrado, Margibi, and Grand Bassa County. The organization also gives birth to a social Innovation (Girls Care Kit) that has reached five thousand girls including school administrators with reusable pads, hygienic kits, and menstrual hygiene education.

Outside of your gender equality advocacy work, what do you enjoy doing?

Cooking fufu, producing detergent products, reading, traveling, including swimming in the pool, dancing, and working out.

Languages Spoken:

  • English (Advanced/Native)

Speaks On:

  • contraception
  • youth-friendly SRHR services
  • adolescent health

Past Awards, Certifications, or Fellowships:

  • Girls Advocacy Alliance Ambassador (2017-2021)
  • Plan International Global Youth Meet-up Fellow (2019)
  • Plan International Youth Delegate at International Conference on Population and Development in Nairobi, Kenya (2019)
  • Mano River Child Rights Defenders Award (2018)
  • Bachelors of Science in Biology from University of Liberia, Sexual Reproductive Health Rights Research Certificate from Plan International
  • Gender Identity Social Media Advocacy Certificate from Plan International
  • Policy Lobby Strategies Certificate
  • Tracking SDGs Progress Certificate from Plan International and DCI Liberia