Lotte Davis
FOUNDER OF ONE GIRL CAN & CEO AND CO-FOUNDER OF AG HAIR
Lotte is wearing our KIP. x Shangri-La, Vancouver Exclusive Pajama Set
Q
What inspired you to start One Girl Can?
A
Being born in South African, I grew up seeing significant violence against women as a child, and knew immediately that it was wrong and unjustified. My family also moved to Canada when I was ten years old, and growing up as an adolescent in the 60s, I started to notice that women were often discriminated against and seen as inferior to men. Those experiences really affected me and I made it a dream of mine to return back to Africa to right some of the wrongs that I had witnessed as a child. I became a feminist when I was 13 years old and since then have constantly worked to improve the perception that men have about women.
Q
A pillar of One Girl Can is mentorship — How has mentorship made a difference in your personal or professional life?
A
I actually never experienced mentorship or anything like what we offer to our students in South Africa. We, as women, have accomplished so much and all of the lessons we have learned in life are so valuable. Women have an amazing ability to pass on knowledge and confidence to others, as well as tricks for success that can benefit women both in North America and in underdeveloped countries. Mentorship is truly one of the most important aspects of our program; while we still focus heavily on buildings schools for girls, when we show up consistently and offer workshops, we really see huge benefits in how the girls are progressing. We see them gain information, skills and so much more confidence in that fact that she belongs in the world.
Q
The annual IWANTtoBe fundraising event is coming up soon, can you tell us a bit about the evening and its goals?
A
This year, our goal is to raise money for 80 new university scholarships for girls. We are proud to say that this will mean we will have a total of 314 girls in university in the last six years. Proceeds will also go towards the building of a school in the Kibera Slum, that largest slum in Africa. There is no government support for schools in the slums, so schools have previously been built using unsafe materials. Unfortunately this past September, a school had collapsed and killed 11 children. The government has since cracked down on their regulations for school buildings, which has meant that many of the schools have been abandoned and shut down. Therefore, we also hope that the event will help us reach our goal of raising $378,000 to build a safe school in the Kibera Slum.
Q
On a more personal note, between the demands of One Girl Can and AG Hair, do you have any tips for maintaining work-life balance?
A
I wake up everyday being really excited to go to work and I am lucky to meet so many interesting people that often become a part of my social structure. I do prioritize exercise, socializing and eating properly, of course, as work can get all consuming sometimes. Overall, the balance is the joy I get from what I do. Being an entrepreneur and being flexible with my schedule helps a lot and I try to offer that same flexibility to those that work for me as well. Loving the work you do is so important to finding balance.
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