Michelle Sutter
Chief Executive Officer
About Us
Empowering girls through education since 2008
Since 2008, we’ve been empowering girls in Kenya to change the trajectory of their lives through access to education.
From classroom to career, we support girls by funding the schooling, training, and mentoring they need to break the cycle of poverty and gender inequality and live their potential.
Why Education?
Education opens the door to opportunity wherever you live. But, for girls in Kenya, opportunity isn’t just a job, it’s choice. The freedom to choose her future—and the chance to live it.
Our Approach
Supporting girls from classroom to career
We can open the door to opportunity for girls in Kenya by keeping them in school, funding high school and university scholarships and increasing access to safe schools.
130+
Schools Renovated
1,200+
Scholarships Awarded
1,675+
Students Trained
35,250+
Girls Mentored
The Cycle of Empowerment
A sustainable model for change
Education alone isn’t enough. Girls need support in the transition from classroom to career. Our Cycle of Empowerment closes the loop on education, empowering graduates with the training and mentorship they need to succeed in the workplace—and support the next generation of girls.
In 2025, we raised over $660,000, awarded 223 scholarships, supported 423 students through training and mentorship, and celebrated 105 high school and university graduates.
Our Beginnings
Our story began with just one girl
Our story began in South Africa: In the face of apartheid, 10-year-old Lotte Davis and her family fled to Canada. When Lotte grew up, she co-founded professional hair care brand, AG Hair, with her husband and business partner—but she never forgot her childhood in Africa.
After building AG Hair to international success, Lotte returned to Africa in 2008, ready to refocus her entrepreneurial initiative in a philanthropic context. And so, she founded One Girl Can, a non-profit that empowers girls in Kenya to break the cycle of poverty and gender inequality through education.
From the beginning, Lotte knew education would be essential to empowering girls—but it wouldn’t be enough. So, over the years, we’ve integrated workplace training and career mentorship to ensure our girls are fully supported from classroom to career, making our model sustainable and scalable.
In 2025, Lotte retired from her role as CEO and entrusted One Girl Can to our very own donor and mission partner, Michelle Sutter. In 2019, after hearing Kathy Wandera, a One Girl Can graduate and civil engineer, speak at a fundraising event, Michelle was a steadfast supporter of our cause.
What started with sponsoring a single girl in Kenya quickly grew: In 2024, Michelle celebrated her 50th birthday by fundraising $50,000 in 50 days. The $55,000 total was enough to fund 91 years of high school for girls in Kenya. But, Michelle thought, What happens after these girls graduate?
So, leveraging her network as an international executive, Michelle launched the Opening Doors Foundation, a non-profit and career mentorship program for graduates of One Girl Can. It’s since been integrated into our Cycle of Empowerment, supporting girls in transitioning from classroom to career.
Today, a global community of donors, sponsors, fundraisers, volunteers, and corporate partners make our work possible. Together, we empower girls in Kenya to break the cycle of poverty and gender inequality and make a meaningful living that changes their lives, their families, and their communities.
You can be the reason a girl changes her future, too. Join us.
From our CEO
“In 2024, I flew to Kenya to meet 12 girls whose high school educations were fully funded by my birthday fundraiser. Each girl asked me why we sponsored them, why we cared, why they mattered. No girl should ever have to ask that, so I’m here to show every girl they matter.”
Michelle Sutter
One Girl Can | CEO
Our Team
Purity Munyi
Senior Program Director
Monica Mutuku
Donor Relations & Communications Manager
Marslider Wambua
Program Monitoring & Evaluation Analyst
OUR BOARDS
The Kenyan Board
CHAIR
June Kariuki
Leadership Facilitator
TREASURER
Emily Serah
KPMG | Associate
One Girl Can Graduate
MEMBER AT LARGE
Njoki Muriithi
Chief of Staff & Head of Strategy
MEMBER AT LARGE
Annette Kahama
General Counsel
MEMBER AT LARGE
Kathy Wandera
Civil Engineer
One Girl Can Graduate
MEMBER AT LARGE
Mary Zaritu Endale
Program Management Specialist
MEMBER AT LARGE
Beatrice Omollo
Governance & Finance Consultant
MEMBER AT LARGE
Phylis Awimbo
HR Executive
Member at Large
Michelle Sutter
One Girl Can CEO
The Canadian Board
CHAIR
Tinu Mathur
Mathur & Co. | Founder & Chief Creative
VICE CHAIR
Martina Ivsak
Marketing Consultant
TREASURER
Vilja Jaako
Ritchie Bros. | Senior Director, Internal Audit
MEMBER AT LARGE
Jackee Kasandy
BEBC Society | Founder & CEO
MEMBER AT LARGE
Erin Johnston
Lundin Foundation | Managing Director
MEMBER AT LARGE
Debrah Coll
Leadership Consultant
In Her Words
“One Girl Can empowered me to pursue education and grow into leadership, and today I use that journey to empower and uplift other girls.”
Purity Munyi
One Girl Can Graduate & Senior Program Director
Field Notes from Kenya
Every girl has a story worth following...
