Every girl’s dream starts with a spark, a moment that makes her believe she can do more, be more, and reach further. For four young girls from the communities around Madinagbé, Morebaya, Senguelen, Touguiyiré, and Kakossa, that spark began at the Rio Tinto Simfer Port in Morebaya, during the celebration of the 2025 International Day of the Girl.
In 2024, the first edition of this initiative took place at the SimFer camp in Beyla, where a handful of girls got to experience life inside one of the country’s most ambitious projects, the Simandou Project. This year, the story continues in Forécariah, with new faces and fresh energy.
The initiative is designed to inspire, empower, and educate young girls about the power of education, ambition, and self-belief. Over the course of a week, Adama, Aissatou, Fatoumata and N’Sira, four young girls from the port community, participated in a mentorship immersion with women role models from Rio Tinto SimFer and its partner companies whose journeys prove that gender is never a limit to success.
Fostering vocations through inspiring women
Each girl was paired with a mentor who opened her world to new possibilities. Participants were provided with an opportunity to explore potential career paths that could enable them to contribute to a better future for their families, communities, and nation.
During her immersion programme, 14-year-old Adama Touré met Nkunku Orel Livie, Principal Advisor CSP who is working closely with our partners Winning Consortium Simandou to build and strengthen our relationship with local communities. Adama has already written a novel. But until this experience, she didn’t think her dreams could take her very far.
“I used to set limits to my dreams because I’m a girl,” she admitted. “But after this week, I realised I can go further. I want to learn coding and work in artificial intelligence.”
Like her, the three other girls, Aissatou Neby Diallo, N’Sira Youla, both aged 17, and Fatoumata Camara, aged 14, benefited respectively from the mentorship of Néné Hawa Baldé, Superintendent, Infrastructure Execution Quality Check at the Port Camp, Aïssatou Lamarana Barry, Advisor, Employee Relations Port, and Marisa Manet, Port Parc Officer.
For several days, these pairs worked side by side in offices, at the port, across team meetings, construction and community engagements activity on the field. The mentors shared their day-to-day tasks, offered advice about education and perseverance, and gave their mentees a real glimpse into what a career in the mining and logistics sectors could look like.
“I was so happy to speak in front of everyone,” stated, Fatoumata who learned about communication and community engagement from Marisa Manet. “Before, I wanted to be a makeup artist, but after seeing Madame Marisa, I realised I wanted to be like her; a woman who works with communities and helps others move forward.”
Aissatou Neby discovered at the port what a Quality Superintendent does during the construction phase. She found stories that were beyond what she expected.
“I’ve seen women doing jobs I never thought possible,” she said with wonder. “My mentor is the only woman on her team, and I even saw a train driver who was a woman. It was incredible!”
Advocating for female education
During their immersion week, the four girls spoke on Forécariah Rural Radio, at a local school, and in front of their community, encouraging girls of their age to stay in school and believe in themselves. Their courage inspired everyone who listened and committed themselves to continue to advocate and encourage their peers to dare and seize opportunities that change a life.
“I want to tell young girls not to let others define them,” N’Sira said. “We are capable, strong, and full of talent” insists the 17-year-old young girl whose quiet confidence and maturity reminded everyone that empowerment starts with self-belief.
A Celebration to Remember
The immersion ended with a heartfelt closing ceremony held in Maferenya, a moment filled with pride and emotion. The girls stood before their families, friends, mentors, and local authorities, sharing what they had learned and how the experience had changed their vision of the future.
The mayor of Forécariah was in attendance, applauding the initiative and reaffirming the community’s support for education and equal opportunity.
Many girls dream only within the limits of what they see around them. This initiative opens their eyes to new possibilities, helping them imagine a future built on education, autonomy, and purpose.
It reflects Rio Tinto’s commitment to a workplace and a world where diversity, inclusion, and respect are at the core. Through programs like this, Rio Tinto is not only investing in infrastructure, but also in people, strengthening the link between the Simandou Project and the local communities. The future workforce starts here, in the hearts of young girls who dare to dream and take action to become what they want to be.