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Image by Markus Siemens

OUR STORY

From Siberia to the United States

     Founded in 2020, Girls Education Nation was born out of the existing work our founders were doing in their native Siberia. The women of the southern regions of Siberia, made up of Tuva, Khakassia, and southern Krasnoyarskiy Kray, have many social struggles (in addition to the bitter Siberian winter). 

     Recognizing that the women are the main social innovators and drivers, including in the home and economy, it made sense to invest in their future. With the low cost of living and the high exchange rate, every dollar invested is multiplied 70-fold. 

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OUR IMAGE

We were very specific in how we wanted to present ourselves:

  • The edelweiss is a flower that grows and thrives in extremely difficult terrains. Like the women and girls of Russia, this flower shows its strength regardless of the circumstances around it.

  • Our acronym GEN (pronounced "jen") inspires us to creating something that would make a generational impact. 

  • The color blue represents introspective journeys and symbolizes wisdom and depth of understanding. These are all qualities we strive for, especially in understanding and being intersectional, inclusive, and intentional across our programs. 

MEET THE TEAM

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IVAN
UTIAKOV

Director of Development

Founder

Ivan founded GEN after coming to the United States in 2016. Throughout his life, he has been active in supporting and providing aid to the people of Siberia. At GEN he leads development and programming.

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He has a Master of Laws from American University and a Juris Doctor from Tomsk State University.

KATERINA
ARZHAYEV

Director of Operations

Founder

Katerina has been involved with women's rights and feminist activism organizations since 2013. At GEN, she manages day-to-day operations, donor relations, and finance & accounting.

 

She has an MS in Marketing from the University of Denver and an MBA from Georgetown University.

TIMOFEY SHARAMCHEVSKIY

Program Manager, Russia

Employee

Timofey lives in Minusinsk, Russia where he leads the youth outreach efforts of Church of God. For GEN, he manages the distribution of GEN stipends, grants, products, and funds in the community. 

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He will graduate with a BS in Business from Abakan State University in 2023.

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