Listed with Oduwole are Marley Dias, 11 years old American, Payal Jangid, an Indian, Mari Copeny from Flint, Michigan, and Paskitani activist and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai. Oduwole, 17, is an aspiring filmmaker who after winning a competition to visit Ghana and create a film, she was shocked to see how many young girls weren’t in school and wanted to change it. “I am not always happy seeing children out of school; it is a signpost to poverty and bleak future,” Oduwole said. Oduwole started the organization Her Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up (DUSUSU) when she was 10 years old to encourage African girls to get an education. According to Global Citizen, the young women are fighting to ensure all people, regardless of gender, race, or economic status, have equal opportunities.

Source: The Guardian January 22, 2019 12:11 UTC