Kellen Msseemmaa.
Founder and Executive Director:
With unwavering dedication, Kellen is breaking barriers and shaping a brighter future for generations to come. She founded Empowered Girls to provide mentorship opportunities for young women and improve educational outcomes.
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And it all stems from her own story.
Raised in western Uganda, Kellen Msseemmaa emerged as a guiding light from a family of six siblings. Her mother's sacrifice, pausing her own education due to pregnancy during secondary school, deeply imprinted Kellen with the value of education as the gateway to realizing one's aspirations.
Despite enduring adversity, including violence and financial limitations, Kellen recognized education as her paramount weapon against poverty. Her tenacity propelled her through university, where she graduated in 2008, embarking on a journey as an economics teacher.
As an educator, she observed girls' low participation and academic performance, attributing it to underlying issues of self- esteem influenced by culture. With her first paycheck, she initiated a transformative cycle, funding the education of her siblings and relatives and leading them to pursue university degrees.
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Fueled by that desire to enact positive change, Empowered Girls was born, initially as a school club, but later burgeoned into a leading NGO under her stewardship. Enthusiastically dedicated to sculpting a brighter collective future,
Kellen is a 2024 African visionary fellow for Segal Family Foundation, serves as a facilitator and mentor trainer for nonviolent communication techniques and, above all, a true inspiration for all.