Edwina Susannah Dias, by Marushka Dias – India . . . . . . . . . .
2
Ana María, by Mariel García Montes – Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Željka Letica, by Tena Letica – Croatia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Dianna Wray, by Jessica Leza – United States . . . . . . . . . . . .
8
Akhenemhen Augustina, by Akhenemhen Obigho Lucky – Nigeria . 10
Satya Pratosha, by Priya – Singapore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Aska Nyangwono Moturi, by Arege Douglas – Kenya . . . . . 14
Saliha Kessaissia Touil, by Hanane Touil – Algeria . . . . . . . . . 16
Which woman has most inspired you and made a difference in your life?
UNICEF was seeking to learn about children and young people’s female role
models. So, in June 2006, we invited youth to share their own photographs
of women they admire and to tell us their stories.
Launched through Voices of Youth, UNICEF’s interactive website for young
people, the response to the photo contest was overwhelming. We received
more than 70 responses from youth all around the world – all proud and
eager to tell us about their mothers, sisters, teachers, friends and neighbours.
This publication features the stories of the eight finalists.
The photo contest will be a part of this year’s launch of The State of the
World’s Children 2007, UNICEF’s annual flagship publication, which tells
us that when women are empowered to make decisions, they are more
able to fulfil their own rights and to support their children’s rights as well.
The finalists are also featured in the multimedia version of the publication,
available at <www.unicef.org/sowc07>.
1
Edwina Susannah Dias
Marushka Dias, 15 years old, India
I was thrilled that my entry was selected. I have desired to be a part of the UN when I am a little
older, but I am happy to contribute in my own small way to the UNICEF. I would like to tell you
that though I am an only child and a 15-year-old girl too, my mother has brought me up to be
a proud citizen of the world, and as far as possible not to harm but do good to all living beings
on our planet Earth. As you must be aware, in parts of India the girl child is not as welcome as a
male offspring and I would certainly like to bring about a change in this attitude.
2
The person you see is not just any ordinary woman.
She is a very special and important lady in my life. She
is my mother. She may not be the president of the
country or a leading scientist with NASA…but one
look at her incandescent eyes and her lovely smile can
keep you captivated for hours.
She is indeed the ‘prima donna’ in my life. My mother
is such a special, wonderful and unique person. She
is a teacher, always shaping the young minds who
will be the citizens of tomorrow. She is humble, and
yet benevolent, always ready to help others. She has
a strong national culture, whose roots lie deep in the
ancient wisdom of the country, but her branches spread
out to catch the sunshine of today. She is independent
and cosmopolitan. My mother does not live for herself, but
for the benefit of others. She is indeed the apple of my eye
(actually the watermelon, because an apple will be too small!).
Donations, hands-on help, adoption or help with AIDS victims, my
mother has done them all.
Through her example, I wish to inspire the whole world. My mother is not
just a parent to me, but a sister, a friend, a guide, a consultant and a doctor
as well. Through ups and downs, bad times or good, she has always been there
as a pillar of support. She has taught me never to give up in life. After all, she
says, “Before things get better, they will get worse!”
Her words of wisdom are so precious to me. I collect each piece of advice like
a pearl. I shall attach each one to the necklace of life. When I am alone, ready
to venture out into the world, I will wear the pearl necklace – and no harm will
come to me!
My mother is someone who has taught not one, but many to face their burdens
and problems with a smile. She is a powerful source of inspiration and support.
Thus, through her smiling photograph, I want to give the message to the world:
“No matter how small and insignificant you may seem, no matter how big
your problem, keep smiling and your tensions will just melt away!”
3
Ana María
4
In spite of her age and the difficulties she faces in life, Ana María proves that one does not
have to be a 25-year-old, Spanish bailaora to feel flamenco.
Anita, as we call her, has always been in love with culture; however, she had to give up
some of the things she enjoyed when she got married. Now, at 74, she has gone back to
the flamenco she left behind more than 50 years ago, and plans on stomping until her
body forces her to stop.
It was not until she was in her forties and wanted to take her children on vacations that
she learned how to drive and how to swim, and took up rhythmic gymnastics. Now her
children are adults and they couldn’t be more thankful for all the things she gave them.
She currently spends her time between chores and doctors’ visits, for her son and husband are very ill; but she is never late for flamenco class.
With each stomp of her feet, she makes sure to be dancing into eternity: the eternity of the
struggle for progress, for freedom, for happiness. I, one of her classmates, look up to her for
many reasons. I hope the world will pay attention to examples of women who, like her, never
surrendered their dreams to limitations. I hope that one day I can be as strong as her.
Mariel García Montes, 16 years old, Mexico
My name is Mariel García, I’m 16 years old and I live in Mexico City. I want to study
Literature, and my ultimate goals in life are to adapt educational guidelines for Mexico
and the Caribbean and to become a primary school teacher when I’m in my fifties.
5
Željka Letica
In today’s world, when many things are going wrong and true inspiration is on hold waiting
for better days to come, there are still a few people who push us further every single day. We
can find many inspirational women throughout history, we admire their achievements and
successes, but, unfortunately, they come and go. For me, real inspirational women are those
who stay in your life forever, no matter what. Real inspirational women are those who are not
purposely trying to inspire you. Their inspiration is indirect rather than direct.
The woman I can single out as my most inspirational woman will always be my older sister
Željka, an English teacher. In Croatia, where we were brought up, women are still considered
to be less worthy than men and are still marginalized. Željka, a well-educated and independent
woman, reminds me every day that things can change, and that it all depends on me. Her
smile, her look, her presence alone inspire me to make each day an experience that I will never
forget and would not trade for anything in the world. She reminds me that I am worthy and
inspires me to be proud to be a woman.
Real inspiration lies inside the people we love, people who see you for who you are and not for
what you have. So, all you fashion victims and trendsetters, you who find money inspirational,
you who think political position and status count, move over and make room!
Tena Letica, 23 years old, Croatia
Currently enrolled as a senior at The School of Design (Department
of Industrial Design) in Zagreb,Tena has participated in national and
international design workshops and exhibited her works in a number of
group exhibitions. During her studies, she worked as a student assistant.
She now works in a graphic design studio in Zagreb.
7
Dianna Wray
8
Dianna and I chose each other – we were not born sisters but instead
forged our relationship out of laughter and celebration and combined
hurts. We have shared the mundane, repetitious life in our five years
of sharing an apartment as well as the excitements and tribulations
of travelling the world. This photo was in fact taken on a whirlwind
trip through southern China, on a day that encompasses the best
and worst of memories – all unforgettable.
Our relationship has not always been perfect, but the fact that it’s
never wavered – not an inch diminished even though we have also
exchanged words more hurtful than any other could inflict – has
been the lesson that Dianna has impressed on me most. More
than spiritual guidance or fashion advice, more than listening,
more than our secret language and wordless communication,
Dianna has made me realize what love is all about – without the
complications and the deadlines, without the hyphens of familial or
platonic, without the obligations and regrets. Dianna has been my
friend, sister and teacher. She is my number one confidante, who
understands me without a glance or a word. We have become, after
all this time, the best and worst of each other: inexplicably combined,
fundamentally separated. How else can you explain ‘sister’ and ‘friend’?
Jessica Leza, 24 years old, United States
Jessica is from Spring, Texas. Interested in photography from an
early age, the camera has become her tool of choice for sharing
experiences across four continents. She says, “I learned the basics
of photography and developing from my mother, with an oldschool Pentax P3 and the darkroom we set up on top of the
washing machine, before taking off to study modern music
composition and voice at the University of North Texas.”
9
Akhenemhen Augustina
10
A rare vine of love, courage and heroic cultural traits through which I am whoever I am today.
A mother whose affection radiates like the sun, whose pride rises from the ashes of shame, a
trader and the mother of a future hero.
She’ll never give my dream up for gold or clothes. Even when I am old, she’ll lay my head on
her lap and watch me as I sleep. Pat my back and wipe my tears when I’m cold, worried or
afraid. My mother is that sunshine of smiles, courage and hope that always reminds me that I
can win the race.
She’ll not go into prostitution, stealing or debt, she’d rather sell on the streets while I go to
school, learning and searching for ways to make her proud. I always thought of her sitting under
the sun’s heat in front of the hot charcoal cooking plantain, abused by those who now are rich
and arrogant but, in humility, in love, in shame, in hopeful tears, my mother had held onto this
belief, “My children must survive, they must have everything that other children have.”
My mother, though not rich, is kind and generous, for she gives to let others know that she
cares. She’ll spend half of the day with us by the dam, teaching in tales saying “Love man and
God. Be wise and decent, nothing snatches the body from its shadow. May nothing take your
mind away from the Bible and my words.”
You, my mother, are indeed the best the heavens have to offer. This is to say thank you for your
understanding and love towards us, your children. Mother of mothers.
Dedicated to my mother, Akhenemhen Augustina, my vine.
Akhenemhen Obigho Lucky, 20 years old, Nigeria
I am a poet of over 200 hundred inspiring poems, a citizen of Irrua central local government of
Edo state, Nigeria, presently at the International School, Ibadan. I am 20 years old, born on
May 6, 1986 to the humble family of Mr. and Mrs. Akhenemhen.
11
Satya Pratosha
12
This is a picture of my mother. I chose this picture as my inspiration because it
shows a different side of her from the normal mommy I know. In my explanation,
I will not look at her as my mother but as a woman; someone with whom I don’t
have a personal relationship, so that I can help convey my idea better.
In this photo, I see someone longing for something that she never had
– freedom. She is one of the many women brought up with the stigma of her
sex. Probably hated when she was young because she was born a girl, this
woman feels the need to break free from everything in her life. The society she
has been brought up in has made her feel she has to be in the kitchen all day
while the men go out to make a living. When the men return home, food has
to be ready and she has to agree to whatever they say because their work is
what keeps the family alive. She saw her mother doing it when she was young
and knows she has to be the same. The little or no education she gets makes
her ashamed of herself. As she grows older and realizes that even women work
in other countries, she wonders why she can’t be the one who keeps the family
alive. As much as she regrets not being educated, she knows that even if she
was, she would only have the slimmest of chances because of being a woman.
Decisions are also not hers to make. If it concerns her education, her father
decides. If it concerns her children, her husband decides. When it concerns
working, either one decides. She probably wonders why she isn’t the one
who makes the decisions for herself. Was she too immature to make her own
decisions? Or is this just what she gets for being a woman? She’s thinking she
can be a better person if she makes her own decisions. But of course she
wouldn’t know – she’s never made her own decisions.
Priya, 15 years old, Singapore
My name is Priya. Living in a small dot – Singapore. I’m
15 this year and I never want to grow old! I’ve got no last
name.That’s something different about me.
13
Aska Nyangwono Moturi
14
I wish to nominate my grandmother, Aska Nyangwono Moturi, as an
inspirational woman.
My grandmother has been an inspiration to three generations: children,
grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is a wonderful, hardworking and
spirited woman. Through her encouragement and struggle against discrimination,
she has fought tough cultural barriers in order to offer the best to her family and
see her children liberated. She worked hard on her shamba (farm) to educate
both her male and female children. I am a beneficiary. If my grandmother
hadn’t achieved this, I would not be educated today! And by giving them equal
opportunities, she empowered the girl children to achieve their aspirations.
I wish to celebrate her and recognize the legacy she has planted in us. Through
this awareness I have been a champion for women’s and children’s rights in
the community.
She believes in women going to school, so that they can gain a crucial voice as
equal partners with their male counterparts. She would not want anyone in her
future generation to go through the same experience of discrimination she did. She
wants empowerment for the woman and girl child.
Arege Douglas, 23 years old, Kenya
I’m a gender and human rights activist in my community. I work for the
rights of women and children.
15
Saliha Kessaissia Touil
16
My role model is a person who greatly inspires me, Dr. Saliha Kessaissia Touil, a woman
of character who runs her own pharmacy, but who is, above all, a woman and a mother
in Algeria. She is a woman who fought hard to carve out a place for herself in society.
While raising her three children, she completed her studies in pharmacy and earned
a PhD in chemistry. Education and knowledge have always played an essential role in
laying a foundation for both her family and children.
Our country underwent difficult times during the 1990s, but she never gave up and
continued to work hard, although her pharmacy was situated, at the time, in a region
seriously affected by the ‘civil war’, where women and children were killed in a
cowardly way by murderers without heart or soul.
During the 2003 earthquake, Dr. Kessaissia helped the most deprived and showed an
unparalleled sense of community service. She never closed her door when patients
requested help or medications they could not afford to pay. She has given much of her
heart, which is a heart of gold.
For all of this, Dr. Kessaissia, my aunt – my aunt who is very dear to me – is in my eyes
the exemplary woman.
Hanane Touil, 19 years old, Algeria
My name is Hanane and I am 19 years old. I am a student and live in
Algiers. I have a passion for reading and travel. What I love the most
about reading is that it helps me escape my daily life and virtually
travel to countries I have never visited.
17
Photo Credits
Photos of inspirational women were taken by
the children and young people they inspire.
Photos of Children
Page 3 photo by Edwina Susannah Dias
Page 5 photo by Areli Montes
Page 7 photo by Luka Vuci
Page 9 photo by William Carlson
Page 10 photo by Benedy Igene
Page 13 photo by Swami Prem Florian Schmindinger
Page 15 photo by Gilberto Ariemo
Page 17 photo by Tahar Touil
Published by UNICEF
For more information contact
Division of Communication
UNICEF
3 United Nations Plaza, H-6A
New York, NY 10017 USA
[email protected]
www.unicef.org
ISBN-13: 978-92-806-4116-5
ISBN-10: 92-806-4116-6
© The United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF), New York
December 2006
!
The State of The World’s Children 2007