A group of 14 teenage girls is embarking on an eight-day road trip of a lifetime tomorrow. The trip is organised by NGO Rock Girl to raise awareness, motivate, inspire and empower girls and young women.The girls, travelling with four chaperones, will journey from Cape Town to Gauteng and North West, and will be interviewing their peers along the way, visiting innovative programmes and exploring the country.Rock Girls, who have shared their own stories of abuse, rape and neglect, will interview other girls and document their lives , said the NGO's founder, India Baird, a human rights lawyer and activist ."The purpose is to help the girls become their own storytellers and let them know violence is not their fault and that they should report it," said Baird.Rock Girl connects girls and women to leaders in government, business, the media, sports, fashion, and the arts, who can help them design, implement and fund their projects. It seeks to reduce violence against women and girls through the creation of safe spaces.In its third year, the project allows the Rock Girls to record their experiences through writing, photographs and video.Ferlin du Preez, 16, from Guguletu in Cape Town, who has taken part in the Rock Girl project, said: "The trip helped me to become more knowledgeable about our country and the world."I have learnt we are not alone and others are experiencing the same challenges. One story that stood out for me was our interaction with a girl who had been raped by her uncle."She told us she had forgiven him and explained how she had overcome her ordeal."Her story brought tears to my eyes," said Du Preez, a Grade 11 pupil at Cape Town High School.Audery February, 16, of Manenberg in Cape Town, said being part of the journey had built a sisterhood."We spoke to girls about standing up for themselves. In the Northern Cape we heard about teen pregnancy and poor education," she said.Baird said the group would spend their first two days near the Botswana border at Madikwe Game Reserve, where they would meet girls from the area."We hope to learn about the effects of drought, climate change and conservation on their lives."In Rustenburg we will visit a clinic dedicated to rape survivors and talk to girls who have survived sexual violence," Baird said."Rock Girls will speak on community radio stations about what they are learning and share messages of hope with other girls."..