Women Every Kid Should Know About This International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day may just be one day, but there are millions and millions of women to celebrate. From world leaders and social changemakers to athletes and celebrities, women are changing the world every day. At Xyza, we’re sharing a few women from around the globe that we think every child should know about. Take a look at how these women are making our world a better place.
Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin, Nigeria
Social Changemaker + Entrepreneur
“One thing I want my girls to hold onto is, regardless of where they are coming from, they can make it. They are coders. They are thinkers. Their future is bright.”
Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin is a computer programmer who’s trying to change the educational divide of rich versus poor and girls versus boys in her home country of Nigeria. When she learned that less than 10 percent of women in Nigeria held professional positions, she decided to do something about it. In 2012, she started the Pearls Africa Youth Foundation to help equip girls with the skills and knowledge to achieve great things. Through her foundation, girls learn how to code and, in turn, use these skills to solve the problems they see in their communities. One app that was developed through the program helped local fishermen sell directly to customers.
Over the years, the Pearls Africa Youth Foundation has trained hundreds of girls to code, but this is just beginning for Abisoye. She’s currently a fellow at the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government where she’s working to expand her efforts so that more girls can benefit from the programs offered through her foundation.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, United States
US Representative
“They’ll tell you that you’re too loud, that you need to wait your turn and ask the right people for permission. Do it anyway.”
In 2019, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, otherwise known as AOC, won a seat in the House of Representatives. Unlike her incumbent, fifty-five-year-old Joe Crawley, who had served ten terms as a US representative, AOC was only twenty-eight years old and had very little political experience. Nevertheless, she had the passion and drive to help her community. Her passion and ability to mobilize people in her district led her to a surprise victory over Crawley.
As the US representative of New York’s fourteenth congressional district, she’s been advocating for immigration reform, green initiatives, education, healthcare, housing, crime reform, and other topics that her constituents care about. To reach her supporters, she uses unconventional communication tools such as Twitch and other social media platforms. Most recently, she proved once again what a powerhouse she is, when she helped raise nearly five million dollars to help families affected by the massive snowstorm and power outage in Texas.
Greta Thunberg, Sweden
Environmental Activist
“You are never too small to make a difference.”
Eighteen-year-old Greta Thunberg started out with the simple mission of making the Swedish government accountable for protecting the environment. To accomplish her mission, she stood in front of the Swedish parliament building every Friday and held a sign that said, “Skolstrejk för klimatet” or “School strike for climate.” Seven months later, her one-person strike became a global demonstration with people around the world coming together to strike with her. Greta has since become a household name, the face of climate action, and continues to raise awareness about the need to take action on protecting planet Earth.
Isabella Springmuhl Tejada, Guatemala
Fashion Designer
“My family always told me I was like anybody else — I just had an extra chromosome. Sometimes it took me longer to learn, but I did it.”
Isabella Springmuhl Tejada is a twenty-four-year old fashion designer from Guatemala who has Down Syndrome. Ever since she was a little girl, she knew she wanted to be a fashion designer and nothing was going to stop her from achieving her dream. After she graduated from college, Isabella decided to apply to fashion school. Unfortunately, she was rejected. Instead of giving up, Isabella enrolled in a dressmaking academy where she learned how to make patterns, cut fabric, sew on a machine, and acquired other techniques for making and designing clothes. For her first showcase, she combined her love of Guatemalan textiles with her love of colorful accessories. Following the success of this showcase, she decided to form her own fashion label, Down to Xjabelle. Her label was noticed by the international fashion world and in 2016, Tejada was invited to showcase her designs at London Fashion Week. Since then, she’s showcased her designs at events around the world and has been speaking out about the need for inclusion in the fashion industry.
Malala Yousafzai, Pakistan
Activist + Nobel Peace Prize Winner
“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.”
When Malala was younger, many girls in Pakistan weren’t allowed or encouraged to go to school, but Malala loved learning and attended a girls’ school where her father was a teacher. When the Taliban took over the region where she was living, girls were forced to stay home and her school was shut down. Malala decided to share her story about how the Taliban were treating girls, but her blog posts and TV appearances advocating for girls’ education angered the Taliban. Malala was shot in the head for speaking out against the Taliban and nearly died. The Taliban hoped that this near-death experience would silence Malala, but that didn’t happen. After she recovered, Malala went back to school and continued to speak out about how she wants all girls to have access to education. In 2014, seventeen-year-old Malala was recognized for her work with a Nobel Peace Prize, making her the youngest person ever to receive this prestigious award.
Naomi Osaka, Japan
Athlete + Activist
“Before I am an athlete, I am a black woman. And as a black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis …”
Half Haitian and half Japanese professional tennis player Naomi Osaka is only twenty-three years old, but she’s already beaten her idol, twenty-three-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams, been ranked number one in the world, and is a four-time Grand Slam champion. She has a serve that intimidates the best of players, but that’s not all she serves when she’s on the tennis court. Naomi has used her rising popularity to fight for social justice by raising awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement. During last year’s US Open, she wore masks with the names of Black victims of police violence. When asked by a reporter what message she wanted to send, she responded by saying, “What was the message that you got, is more the question. I feel like the point is to make people start talking.” For her work on and off the courts, Naomi’s been named one of the most influential people in the world.
Yara Shahidi, United States
Actress + Activist
“Instead of inheriting a broken system, we have the power to change it.”
You may know her as the actress who plays Zoey Johnson from the shows Black-ish and Grown-ish, but when the cameras are off, twenty-one-year-old Yara uses her star power to speak out about social justice and women’s rights issues, and encourages young people to get involved in their communities. How is she getting all of this done? In high school, Yara created Yara’s Club, a bi-monthly digital meet up where high school students from across the country come together to speak about issues that they face and see in the communities around them. In 2018, she partnered with a news organization to form Eighteen x 18, a platform where people can register to vote, learn about the voting process, and get involved.
Yara is often heralded as one of the most influential young people of Hollywood and has been recognized for her work both as an actress and activist. She even caught the attention of former First Lady Michelle Obama, who was so impressed with Yara’s work that she became her mentor and wrote Yara a recommendation letter for Harvard. Yara has been attending Harvard since 2018.
