Meet the Inspirations Behind #ExtraordinaryWoman

Eliakunda Kaaya, Tanzania

When I was 13, a man came to my home wanting to marry me and my mom chased him away with a stick. She refused to let me marry some stranger because she knew that I was meant to do big things in my life.

But it wasn’t always that way. When I was younger, I had to sneak away to school like a thief, because my family wanted me to stay at home to do chores. I was the youngest of nine, and expected to follow in the footsteps of my older sisters, who were married with children by the time they were 14. My brothers would say, “We don’t want to invest in someone who is going to become “the wife of another man.” 

In my community, women don’t go to school nor own land. People don’t believe we should speak for ourselves or make our own decisions, and they don’t believe women should be leaders. I decided to prove them wrong. 

Today, I am a mentor and the founder of the organization “Her Journey to School.” We work with communities to help girls stay in school, understand their rights and change the status quo. I never stop talking about the rights of girls, to parents, to community members, and last year, to Michelle Obama herself. When I had the chance to meet this woman I admire more than anyone, she told me that my work has planted the seeds that will grow into change in my community and the world.

And they will. They already are. In my community, more girls than ever are headed for graduation. In my family, now, my brothers believe in me, too. I know it not just because they tell me that I’m their role model, but because they sent their daughters to school. And all of you, standing here, believing in all of us and our dreams -- that’s a seed, too, one that can grow and grow if we let it. 

I am Eliakunda Kaaya, and I am the first. 

Eliakunda is an alumna of STF’s partner program in Tanzania, AfricAid, and a She’s the First Fellow.

Angélica Morales, Guatemala

When I was four, I fell in the river and almost drowned to death. Luckily, my father was there to save me and give me a second chance at life, a life I thought would be a wonderful one, one where I could follow my own dreams and goals. What I didn’t realize at the time was that he was saving my life, but had very different plans for it. He believed that my destiny was to get married before 16, so from the time I was little, I learned how to take care of a home: Cooking tortillas, sweeping the floors and helping the younger kids in my family. My brothers? They played and went to school. But I wanted more.

When I walk around Guatemala City, people ask me, “Where do you work?” Why? Because they are assuming that I must be cleaning homes. I tell them that I, an indigenous girl, am studying here at the best private university in Central America and they are always stunned. My goal is to improve the quality of health in my country and give my fellow Guatemalan girls a second chance to make their own decisions. I am Angélica Morales and I am educated.

Angélica is an alumna of STF’s partner program in Guatemala, MAIA and served on the Global Girls’ Panel for the Girls’ Bill of Rights.

Cynthia Muhonja, Kenya

When I was 11, my cousin attempted to rape me. The marks and the bruises on my body made it clear to anyone who wanted to know. And yet, my guardians refused to do something. Everyone refused to do something about it. And for the next year, my brother and I lived there under that roof. 

I had had enough. At age 12, in the middle of the night, I grabbed my little brother’s hand and we ran. We ran in the direction of my grandparents’ house, where I knew we could be safe.

I am not a person who takes disrespect lightly. And yet, it seems that disrespect is all girls get. Rape and abuse has become a daily norm. Violence against women and girls is rampant in our world. Girls are expected to respect others without ever being respected themselves. 

But me. I stand tall. I know I can achieve anything. I own my decisions, I own my dreams. Today, I am the founder of Life Lifters, the first program for girls in my community. It is a girls incubator that trains and empowers young women. My community sees a leader in me, and they now see the potential in each of the girls living among them. They see that, like me, these girls can get to graduation, can travel abroad for education or for work, that they can be powerful.

I am Cynthia Muhonja and I am respected.

Cynthia is an alumna of STF’s partner program in Kenya, Akili Dada, and a She’s the First Fellow.

Mahesh Raja, India

When I was four, I went away to boarding school. Not because my parents necessarily believed in the power of education, but because my mother knew that at least one of her children would be given food and shelter every day.

Shortly after I started, my family saw a complete change in me. I began to speak and write English and I became more outspoken. I was always questioning things and challenging tradition. It was difficult for them at first because they weren’t used to a girl with a loud voice, but as the years went by, my family began to listen to what I had to say.

After college, I immediately got a customer service job to help my family make ends meet at home. But when my brother learned this, he told me to quit. He wanted me to focus and get my masters degree instead -- he ended up borrowing tuition money from family, friends, anyone he could to support me.

Today, after earning my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, I stand here as a neuro-technician who scrubs in on brain surgeries. I’m proud that when I challenge questionable traditions, my family listens to me. I’m proud that elders ask me what their daughters can study so they can get a job. But what I’m most proud of is that my voice and opinions matter. I am Mahesh Raja and I am heard.

Maheshwari is an alumna of STF’s partner program in India, Shanti Bhavan.

Video directed by Elle Ginter | Photos by Akaylah Reed