In honor of International Day Of The Girl this Friday, here are the faces of eight young women from around the world whose dreams for the future will inspire you.
The beautiful photo series was commissioned by The Girl Effect (a movement created by the Nike Foundation) as part of their declaration for the United Nations to prioritize young women in their goals to fight global poverty. The argument? More then 260 million girls live in extreme poverty, and studies show that girls can be key drivers of development for their families and communities.
1
Rukhsar, 14, India
Vivek Muthuramalingam
“I want to be a police officer to put an end to all the atrocities on women. I will help lots of people financially and I will make my parents proud."
2
Maica, 10, Philippines
Jane Hahn
“My dream is to become an air stewardess so that I can go to different countries, so that I can help my mum with the household expenses.”
3
Joanna, 16, Liberia
Frederic Courbet
“I wish that our parents will put a stop to encouraging us into early marriage.”
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4
Debora, 13, Brazil
Jane Hahn
“I wish violence of all kinds - muggings, exploitation, etc. - would decrease. And that they would put an end to drugs.”
5
Agnes, 10, Liberia
Frederic Courbet
“I wish to be a doctor and I also wish to see girls living a good life in my community.”
6
Yahaya, 12, Nigeria
Frederic Courbet
“I want the road leading to my village to be repaired because the current drains cause mosquitoes to reach our house.”
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7
Tirunesh, 13, Ethiopia
Frederic Courbet
“I want to become a paediatrician and help orphan children go to school.”
8
Anam, 17, Pakistan
Max Becherer
"I want to abolish negative discrimination, because we girls and women are not inferior to anybody else. I want to move forward."