A Global Platform for a Global Mission: Advancing Gender Justice, Colorism Awareness, and Economic Empowerment for Black and Brown Women and Girls
GLOBAL — My Skin Global, an organization dedicated to dismantling colorism and advancing the dignity, mental health, and economic power of Black and Brown women and girls, is proud to announce that it has become a signatory to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs).
By joining this global community, My Skin Global aligns itself with a network of organizations formally committed to making gender equality a lived reality in workplaces, marketplaces, and communities around the world.
Seen, Supported, and Strengthened
For Françoise Mbabazi, Founder and Executive Director of My Skin Global, this moment is more than a milestone; it is a confirmation that a long‑standing mission belongs on a global stage.
“For years, My Skin Global has been doing quiet, persistent work in classrooms, communities, and boardrooms to tell Black and Brown girls that their skin, their identity, and their worth are not things to be bleached or erased. Being welcomed into the WEPs community means that work is seen. And being seen at this level gives us the platform to go further, faster, and together.”
— Françoise Mbabazi, Founder & Executive Director, My Skin Global
Who We Are: A Mission Built on Justice and Love
My Skin Global operates at the urgent, often overlooked intersection of colorism, gender justice, mental health, and skin health education.
Through a comprehensive curriculum grounded in science, history, and lived experience, My Skin Global works toward integration into national education systems—partnering with Ministries of Education, Ministries of Health, and mental‑health bodies to embed this knowledge into how countries teach and care for their young people, one country at a time.
My Skin Global’s core focus areas include:
- Colorism – Examining the deep‑rooted bias that privileges lighter skin tones, its origins in colonial history, and its ongoing social and economic consequences for Black and Brown communities.
- Mental Health & Emotional Wellbeing – Addressing the psychological toll of colorism on self‑worth, identity, and belonging, and equipping young people with tools to heal and thrive.
- Self‑Esteem & Self‑Acceptance – Building a generation of girls and women who see their skin, features, and identity not as barriers to overcome, but as power to claim.
- Science of the Skin – Providing accessible, medically grounded education on skin biology, melanin, and the physical realities of skin bleaching and its impact on the body.
- Skin Bleaching & Peer Pressure – Confronting the social dynamics, media influence, and economic exploitation that drive skin‑lightening practices, particularly among young people.
- Historical Implications – Tracing the roots of colorism through colonialism, the transatlantic slave trade, and the enduring legacy of systems designed to rank human beings by the shade of their skin.
- Educator Training & Cultural Competency – Preparing teachers, counselors, and administrators to carry this curriculum with cultural humility and care. My Skin Global trains educators to approach this material in ways that do not retraumatize the students it is meant to heal. “Doing no harm” is foundational, not optional.
Why WEPs — and Why Now
The Women’s Empowerment Principles provide a global framework that turns commitment into accountability. For My Skin Global, joining WEPs is not symbolic; it is strategic.
At a time when gender‑focused institutions face mounting political pressure and Black and Brown women remain underrepresented in global decision‑making spaces, My Skin Global’s presence in this network matters.
Through WEPs, My Skin Global will:
- Deepen its commitment to gender‑responsive organizational practices.
- Amplify its reach and credibility among global partners, governments, and funders.
- Hold itself accountable to measurable progress for the communities it serves.
The Opportunity Ahead
As a WEPs signatory, My Skin Global looks forward to:
- Partnering with Ministries of Education to integrate its curriculum into national education systems—not as an add‑on, but as a core component of how countries teach about identity, health, and self‑worth.
- Collaborating with Ministries of Health and mental‑health bodies to embed colorism‑informed frameworks into public health policy and community care.
- Expanding a global coalition with international development partners, civil society organizations, and UN agencies to recognize colorism as a critical dimension of gender‑based discrimination.
- Advancing a country‑by‑country strategy, working deeply with each nation’s educational leadership to ensure the curriculum is culturally adapted, government‑endorsed, and built to last.
- Contributing to policy conversations by bringing the lived experience of Black and Brown women and girls into the spaces where decisions about their futures are made.
“We have always shown up for this work. Now we are showing up on the world’s stage—and we are not leaving until the work is done.”
— Françoise Mbabazi, Founder & Executive Director, My Skin Global
About My Skin Global
My Skin Global is a social impact organization working at the intersection of colorism, mental health, self‑esteem, skin science, and gender justice for Black and Brown women and girls.
Through research‑grounded curricula covering the science of the skin, the history of colorism, the mental‑health impact of skin bleaching, and the social pressures that sustain it, My Skin Global partners with Ministries of Education and Health to integrate this work into national education systems, one country at a time.
Because every girl deserves to learn—in school—that she is enough.
About the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs)
The Women’s Empowerment Principles are a set of principles offering guidance to organizations on how to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace, and community.
Established by UN Women and the UN Global Compact, WEPs are informed by international labor and human rights standards and grounded in the recognition that all institutions have a stake in, and responsibility for, gender equality and women’s empowerment. Learn more at www.weps.org.
Website: www.myskinglobal.org
Email: info@myskinglobal.org
Follow: @myskinglobal
Founder (LinkedIn): Françoise Mbabazi
