Crossing Borders, Building Power Across
the Americas
As Regional Director for Girl Up Americas, Alejandra Ortiz Niño de Zepeda champions a cross-border movement where girls lead with courage, creativity, and community — from Patagonia to the Caribbean. Partnering with schools, universities, youth groups, and global allies, she’s helping turn ideas into action at regional scale.
The future of Girl Up in my region is a movement that is breaking structures, opening the door to diversity and gender justice.
Read Alejandra’s reflections on her proudest moments, the urgent challenges girls face across the Americas, and her vision for a future grounded in diversity, justice, and care.
What’s your proudest Girl Up moment?
I have multiple proudest moments—each one led by girls from different corners of Latin America and the Caribbean. Since arriving in Chile in 2022 and partnering with Secundarias, I’ve witnessed incredible leaders emerge: Antonia, Sofía, and Amanda; and Paz Quevedo, an activist from Cabrero in southern Chile working for children’s rights and the environment. In Argentina, Martina and Justina have created remarkable projects and alliances. In Colombia, Angie, Mariana, and Gabriela are driving beautiful initiatives for youth and girls’ rights. In the Caribbean, Silvia Gaspard launched the innovative Eco Mentor initiative. In Perú, Lesie and Vale are advancing education and STEM.
A special highlight was partnering with Elisa Torres Durney, CEO of Girls in Quantum—first for the STEM for Social Good Bootcamp in Chile, then for the Hackathon LatAm (120+ teams from 10+ countries), in collaboration with Universidad Mayor, Kusisqa Perú, and coordination by María Victoria Salinas (intern).
Another milestone was our recent alliance with UNICEF LACRO, which enabled 10 adolescents to present their demands for a care society at the XVI Regional Conference on Women in LAC (Mexico City).
What’s one challenge in your region the world should know about?
The Americas are diverse—and girls and youth face strong cultural, social, economic, and institutional barriers. Rights are under threat due to structural and power inequalities, especially for those from poor, Black, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, and rural communities.
More than ever, we must protect girls’ and youth rights by addressing inequalities as the core framework, and by considering the economic, social, and environmental determinants that shape life across our different territories.
The future of girl up in my region is..
…a movement that is breaking structures, opening the door to diversity and gender justice—a bridge for leadership that reclaims humanity, kindness, and community.
About Alejandra Ortiz Niño de Zepeda
Regional Director, Girl Up Americas
Alejandra leads Girl Up’s work across the Americas, forging partnerships and platforms where girls organize, innovate, and influence — from local campaigns to regional forums.
Support Girl Up’s 15-Year Legacy of Leadership
For 15 years, Girl Up has trained and supported 345,000 youth leaders in 155 countries. Now, we’re charting the next chapter — building a future led by girls, for everyone.
