Farewell One Girl
We are sharing some profoundly difficult news.
Due to an incredibly challenging economic climate and shifting funding landscape, the Board and Leadership of One Girl have made the decision to cease operations from September 2026. We have decided to intentionally wind down the organisation with integrity.
Whether you’ve been supporting us for years or only joined recently, your commitment has been the bedrock of our work, keeping girls in Sierra Leone safe, supported, and in the classroom.
This is not a failure; it is the proud completion of an incredible chapter. Over the last 17 years, this community has educated thousands of girls, prevented numerous early marriages, and shattered systemic cycles of poverty. Our alumni are now university graduates, business owners, and leaders in their communities. One Girl’s Australian operation is closing, but the impact we created together is permanent and multi-generational.
Thank you for your fierce, unwavering belief in the power of girls' education for the past 17 years. Change is never lost. The girls who stayed in school, the child marriages that were prevented, the digital literacy that was unlocked, and the communities that rallied together: that impact is permanent. Thank you for standing with us.
We will close as we have operated, ensuring we maintain our integrity and values. This means we will prioritise the girls and staff and meticulously manage our funds to go as far as they can. While this chapter is closing, the education, empowerment, and confidence that thousands of One Girl students have gained up to this very day belong to them forever. It is a permanent victory that can never be undone.
With gratitude,
One Girl’s Board and Leadership
If you require a tax receipt for the 25/26 financial year, please login here:
Frequently Asked Questions
Thank you for being part of the One Girl journey. We know this news is incredibly heavy and raises many practical questions. Below, we have outlined everything you need to know about our closure. We will update this page throughout the transition period.
Have an unanswered question?
Our lean team is working hard to monitor incoming queries during this transition. Please reach out to us at info@onegirl.org.au, and we will respond to you as quickly as possible.
Why is One Girl closing down?
Operating an international non-profit headquartered in Australia requires essential but significant administrative overhead. In the current economic climate, sustaining this structure means diverting crucial funds away from our impact. We refuse to let that happen. By winding down our Australian operations now, we are honoring our strategic commitment to localisation - shifting power to the ground and ensuring our remaining capital goes directly to the students in Sierra Leone.
The global landscape for charitable giving has fundamentally changed. The compounding realities of a post-pandemic economy, rising cost-of-living pressures in Australia, and inflation in our operating environments have made our historical funding model unsustainable. We are choosing to close our doors proactively and responsibly today, rather than compromising the quality of our programs tomorrow.
What is the timeline for closing down?
What will happen to the girls currently in the One Girl program?
Our primary and non-negotiable directive during this wind-down is the welfare of our students. We are not simply vanishing. We are actively working with our dedicated field teams, local community leaders, and trusted regional partners in Sierra Leone to manage a responsible transition.
We are focussing all remaining available resources on closing out immediate operational commitments locally so that the progress our current students have made is fiercely protected.
As much as possible, we have front loaded the new school year. This means that the girls have their uniforms and are ready for the year.
Any extra funds we have will go to support the girls.
I am a regular/monthly donor. Do I need to cancel my donation?
No action is required from you. Our team will automatically deactivate all active recurring donation plans on August 31 2026. Your final monthly contribution will be processed in August 2026, and no further automated attempts to charge your card or account will occur.
Can I make a final donation?
Yes. Our donation gateway will remain open until midnight on August 31 2026. To make a single, final donation to ensure that our current students can complete their education, you can do so here: donate now.
What about my tax receipts?
All donors with a recurring donation were emailed an 2025/6 Tax Summary during July. Our donation platform will be closed from Tuesday September 15. If you need a tax receipt for the 2025/6 financial year, please ensure you login and download the receipt prior to that date.
If you require a historical receipt, please email us immediately at info@onegirl.org.au
Is my August donation tax-deductible?
Yes. One Girl remains a registered DGR Item 1 charity through August. Automated tax receipts will be emailed to you immediately.
Is my personal data safe? Will you sell or give my email address to other charities?
Your data is safe. One Girl strictly adheres to the Australian Privacy Principles. Your personal information, contact details, and giving history will never be sold, traded, or passed on to any other organization. All donor databases will be securely encrypted and archived for statutory legal periods, after which non-essential marketing data will be permanently destroyed.
What happens to One Girl’s remaining funds or assets?
One Girl is bound by strict Australian charity laws (ACNC regulation). Any remaining funds left after settling our legal, operational, and staff liabilities will be transferred to an aligned, registered charity with similar Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status that champions international gender equality or education.
How can I continue to support girls' education?
The fight for gender equity doesn't stop because our chapter is closing. We highly encourage our community to continue directing their generosity toward organizations doing incredible, holistic work in this space. We proudly recommend continuing your support through:
- Purposeful is an extraordinary, fiercely feminist, and completely Africa-rooted organization headquartered in Freetown. They function as a movement-building hub for girls and young women in the Global South.
- The 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone was founded in 2001 and is a non-partisan, primarily woman-led NGO that has spent over two decades working toward true gender parity in Sierra Leone.
- Plan International Australia provides emergency response and long-term community development programs in 70 countries around the world, with a focus on girls and women.
Have an unanswered question?
Our lean team is working hard to monitor incoming queries during this transition. Please reach out to us at info@onegirl.org.au, and we will respond to you as quickly as possible.
