From Ministers to MRT Director: 10 Years of Plan Indonesia’s Girls Takeover Empowers Girls to Lead Change
11 October 2026
Jakarta, October 11, 2026 — For a decade, hundreds of girls and young women in Indonesia have gained the opportunity to enter leadership spaces traditionally occupied by adults. Through Girls Takeover, an initiative by Plan Indonesia, girls have had the chance to step into leadership roles across various sectors, including government, to share their perspectives, ideas, and aspirations regarding issues affecting their lives.
Since its inception in Indonesia in 2016, at least seven ministerial positions and more than 40 strategic roles across various institutions—including MRT Jakarta and several embassies—have been taken over by girls through Girls Takeover.
The journey of hundreds of girls who held these positions, even if for just a single day, has become an integral part of the ten-year story of Girls Takeover. This journey is celebrated in conjunction with International Day of the Girl, observed annually on October 11.
Girls Takeover is rooted in the belief that girls have the right to be present and heard in decision-making spaces. This becomes increasingly vital as girls continue to face various barriers in determining their own futures.
For instance, girls from households in the lowest expenditure tier are nearly three times more likely to marry before the age of 18 compared to those from the highest expenditure tier. Girls in rural areas are also twice as likely to experience child marriage compared to those in urban areas (Susenas, BPS 2018).
These challenges become even more complex during crises. Plan International’s latest global report in 2026 indicates that 90 percent of surveyed girls and young women stated that climate events place severe pressure on their livelihoods, health, and household stability. In drought-affected communities, 60 percent of respondents observed an increasing number of girls marrying before the age of 18.
Therefore, for Plan Indonesia, creating leadership spaces for girls must go hand in hand with efforts to ensure they stay in school, remain protected from violence and child marriage, and have access to the opportunities and services they need to thrive.
“Girls Takeover is more than just a girl replacing a leader for a day. What is far more important is what happens when they are inside those rooms—when their voices are heard, their perspectives are considered, and they get the chance to demonstrate their leadership capacity. The challenge now is ensuring these opportunities become part of their ongoing journey to continue leading and driving change,” said Dini Widiastuti, Executive Director of Plan Indonesia, during a media discussion celebrating 10 years of Girls Takeover at Heka Leka Library, Martha Christina Tiahahu Literacy Park, managed by PT Integrasi Transit Jakarta as a subsidiary of PT MRT Jakarta (Perseroda), on Sunday (10/11).
The same valuable learning experience was shared by the participating institutions. For MRT Jakarta, providing space for girls through Girls Takeover opened opportunities for the organization to listen to the perspectives of the younger generation.
“For MRT Jakarta, Girls Takeover serves as an opportunity to see how youth perspectives, including those of young women, can enrich our understanding of public needs and experiences. We learned that providing room for girls is about an institution’s readiness to listen and learn from them. We hope meaningful spaces like this continue to be opened,” said Weni Maulina, Construction Director of PT MRT Jakarta (Perseroda).
For several participants, the Girls Takeover experience did not end when their one-day leadership role concluded. Belinda, a Girls Takeover participant at MRT Jakarta in 2023, continued her journey by pursuing educational opportunities until securing a scholarship to study in Singapore.
“Girls Takeover made me realize that I also have the right to be in decision-making spaces. After that experience, I became more courageous in voicing my opinions and seeking opportunities to keep learning. The scholarship to continue my studies was one of the opportunities I pursued, and the Girls Takeover experience was a major driver that gave me the courage to take that step,” said Belinda, alumni of Girls Takeover MRT Jakarta 2023.
Meanwhile, Mala, a Girls Takeover participant who took over the role of Minister of SOEs (BUMN) in 2021, carried that experience forward as part of her leadership journey.
“When I participated in Girls Takeover, I learned that leadership is about having the courage to express what we see and what we want to change. That experience made me even more confident that girls need to be given opportunities to participate and be part of the process,” said Mala, alumni of Girls Takeover Minister of SOEs 2021.
The celebration of one decade of Girls Takeover, in collaboration with Martha Christina Tiahahu Literacy Park managed by PT Integrasi Transit Jakarta as a subsidiary of PT MRT Jakarta (Perseroda), also featured the “10 Years of Girls Takeover” photo exhibition. Documenting the journey of this initiative since 2016, the photo exhibition was open to the public free of charge on October 11, 2026, in the corridor in front of the Heka Leka Library.
