Adolescent and young girls from across Kenya converged at the Nairobi Leadership Academy for a powerful side event during the East Africa Girls Lead Summit 2025 in 23-25 April. Co-convened by Youth Alive! Kenya and Oxfam, the session shone a critical spotlight on the invisible realities of unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW) and its profound impact on girls’ education, health, and aspirations.

Through interactive discussions and heartfelt storytelling, a stark truth emerged: girls are dedicating countless hours to care, yet the significant personal cost remains largely unrecognized. Activities such as “A Day in My Life” and “What I Carry vs. What I Wish I Had Time For” provided platforms for girls to articulate the deep emotional, physical, and social toll exacted by UCDW.

Participants shared how their days are frequently consumed by tasks like cooking, cleaning, childcare, and supporting family businesses, often at the expense of much-needed rest, essential schoolwork, or crucial personal growth. For many, this session marked the first time they were able to frame these personal experiences as part of a broader, systemic gendered injustice. Facilitators introduced the 5Rs framework (i.e., recognize, reduce, redistribute, reward, and represent) as a vital tool to shift the narrative and advocate for equitable systems that genuinely support girls in their roles as both caregivers and future leaders.

The undeniable highlight of the session was the collaborative creation of a powerful Girls’ Care Manifesto. In this document, participants boldly articulated their demands: formal recognition of care work, greater inclusion of girls’ voices in policymaking processes, increased access to mental health support, and the fostering of gender-equal norms within households and schools.

With the compelling hashtag #SheCaresButWhoRecognizes, the manifesto effectively transformed individual struggles into a unified advocacy agenda, capturing the very essence of the conversation. The session not only successfully built widespread awareness but also significantly fostered confidence and a sense of agency among the girls, empowering them to rightfully claim their fundamental rights to rest, personal growth, and long-overdue recognition for their invaluable contributions.