At just 13 years old, Shreya Mantha was tutoring sex-trafficking survivors to help them get their GEDs. Before her grandmother passed away from cancer, she told Shreya that many girls around the world need help and she wished Shreya would continue to support underprivileged girls. To fulfill her grandmother’s wish, Shreya set out on a mission to economically girls, women, and their children and started making a difference in her hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, where the need is abundant. Charlotte is at the bottom of the list of major cities for economic mobility. Also, there is a 4.4% probability that a child reaches the top quintile of the national income distribution starting from a family in the bottom quintile in Charlotte. To do her part, in 2014 at just 13 years old, Shreya established Foundation For Girls (FFG), a social change organization to economically empower homeless single mothers and support their children. FFG invests in women to become financially savvy, digitally capable, and career confident. Their 4-pillar programming in Financial Well-Being, Career Journey, Digitally Forward, and Circle of Care equips women with the resources, relationships, and recommendations needed on their journey to financial independence. FFG gives women access to opportunities, prepares for higher-income jobs, instills confidence to keep a job, surrounds with nurturing coaches, and nudges them towards financial resilience. With a team of over 75 coaches, FFG has set over 2,500 homeless single mothers and children on the path to independence.
Being a Women of Worth means having a global platform to influence social change by continuing to Nurture The Leader in Every Girl and ensuring that girls and youth in crisis are empowered leaders with a healthy mind, body, and spirit.