Empowering Girls as Change Agents

India is home to the largest adolescent population in the world, with nearly 120 million adolescent girls, making up almost half of the country’s adolescent demographic. Despite their immense potential, many of these girls continue to face systemic barriers, including patriarchy, poverty, and limited access to basic rights and opportunities.

The Girl Icon Program is committed to breaking these barriers by equipping girls with the leadership skills they need to drive change in their own communities.

How the Girl Icon Program Transforms Communities

Launched in 2015, the Girl Icon Program is an 18-month leadership development initiative that works with adolescent girls from underserved communities across Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka. Through a structured curriculum focused on leadership training, life skills education, and mentorship, the program prepares girls to step into leadership roles and take action on issues that directly affect their lives.

What Makes Girl Icons Different?

Leading Self

Leading Others

Leading Change

This girl-led leadership model is built around achieving five key outcomes that address the most urgent challenges adolescent girls face
Building Agency and
Voice
Enabling girls to stay
in and complete School
key2
Strengthen Adolescent
Health & Well-Being
key3
Prevention of
Child Marriage
key4
Prevention of Violence
Against Women & Girls

The Impact

Independent Impact Assessment by Verian Group

Delaying Early Marriage

98% of Girl Icons are unmarried.

Advancing Girls’ Education

94% of Girl Icons are pursuing their education.

Strengthening Legal Awareness

94% of Girl Icons are aware of laws against violence towards women and girls.

Normalising Menstrual Health

85% of Girl Icons view menstruation as a normal, healthy process.

Real Results from Real Girls
Adolescent Girls Reached
+ 0
Districts Covered
0
Community Members
+ 0
The Girl Icon Program develops and fosters a series of self-positive behaviours that are essential for continued resilience and future leadership. Empowerment is a personal journey, as unique and diverse as the individuals themselves. Self-positive traits of independent mobility, knowledge of resources and services, awareness of gender inequity challenges, and the ability to express oneself are examples of interim outcomes that support the development of resilience, identity development, and empowerment. Milaan’s Girl Icon Program provides essential empowerment training for girls as a stepping stone, exposing girls to structural gender challenges and encouraging girls to believe in their own abilities and foster a sense of self.
University of California, Berkeley
Our Commitment to SDGs

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Join us in building a world where girls lead change, whether you wish to collaborate, partner, support, or simply learn more, we’d love to hear from you.

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Brianne Bustos

Brianne Bustos is a seasoned IT executive with over two decades of experience driving enterprise technology transformations, cybersecurity initiatives, and strategic IT planning. She has a strong track record of leading high-impact projects within private equity-backed firms, professional services, and infrastructure-heavy industries, aligning technology investments with business growth. Passionate about innovation, cybersecurity governance, and AI-driven solutions, Brianne excels in building resilient digital ecosystems that enhance operational efficiency and scalability.

Beyond her professional expertise, Brianne is an advocate for outdoor adventure and community-building. She founded an Outdoor Adventure Group for women, fostering empowerment, connection, and exploration in nature through activities like skiing, mountain biking, and backcountry excursions.

Bela Grover (USA)

"I deeply believe in the power of education and community in challenging gender stereotypes and providing autonomy. Milaan's grassroots efforts to empower young women are inspiring and impactful. It is a privilege to be part of the team. "

Bela is a seasoned leader serving as the Chief Client Relationship Officer at Goodwin, a global law firm that advises the innovators and investors operating in some of the world’s most transformative areas. Prior to that, Prior to joining Goodwin, she spent 25 years at Deloitte working alongside diverse group of senior stakeholders to solve their most complex business challenges, including go-to-market transformations, operational excellence, as well as large-scale change. She also served as an advisor to Vidya Grants, a non-profit organization focused on education ecosystem in India.