CNN celebrates the power of girls in ‘Girl Rising’

Watch the incredibly moving and inspiring story of 9 girls in 9 different countries and their story of perseverance and empowerment in Girl Rising. You can catch the premiere of the film which was directed by Academy Award nominee Richard Robbins on CNN on Saturday, 22nd June at 9pm.

Amina from Afghanistan

“Look into my eyes. Do you see it now? I am change."

Amina is constrained by Afghan society, confined by her gender and expected only to serve men. She was married at 12-years-old and forced to bear a child when she was still a child herself – while her own brother was given her dowry money to buy a used car. But this child bride has had enough. She is determined to reject the limitations prescribed by society and to lead others to do the same.

Azmera from Ethiopia

“What if a girl’s life could be more?"

When 13-year old Azmera is told she must marry, she does something shocking: she says no. Azmera was lucky that she had her elder brother to fight for his younger sister’s cause to be educated and to be free.

Suma from Nepal

“Change is like a song you can’t hold back."

Suma’s brothers went to school but she is forced into bonded labour at age 6. She endures years of sorrow which we can see through her hauntingly beautiful music. But she finally gets a glimpse of freedom when she learns to read. Now, she uses her education in a fight to free other girls.

Yasmin from Egypt

“He was strong but I was stronger."

Young Yasmin falls prey to a violent attack but, rather than become a victim, she becomes a superhero. Yasmin’s story is one of the triumph of imagination over a reality too painful to bear.

Sokha from Cambodia

“This is not the end. It is the beginning."

Sokha was a Cambodian child of the dump. She was orphaned and was forced to pick through garbage to survive. But through a series of miracles, Sokha finds her way to school – and, like a phoenix, she has risen to become a star student and has brilliant future ahead of her.

Senna from Peru

“Poetry is how I turn ugliness into art."

Senna’s family struggles to survive in a bleak Peruvian mining town. Her father has dreams for her – and so insists she go to school. There she discovers the transformative power of poetry. Her passion and talent seem to ensure she’ll have a better future – and be the success her father dreamed she’d be.

Ruksana from India

“That’s when I learned to never give up."

Ruksana’s family are “pavement dwellers" – they live on the busy streets of Kolkata, India, where her father has sacrificed everything to send his daughters to school. Even though her life is filled with danger, she still manages to escape into her artwork and draw strength from her father’s resolve.

Wadley from Haiti

“I will come back every day until I can stay."

Wadley was just 7-years-old when the world comes crashing down around her (literally!). Haiti’s catastrophic earthquake destroys her home and school, but it cannot break her irrepressible spirit nor extinguish her thirst to learn, even as she’s turned away from the schoolhouse day after day.

Mariama from Sierra Leone

“Now there’s nothing to stop me. Nothing in the world. Nothing in the universe."

Mariama is a teenager from war-torn Sierra Leone, and she is the voice of the future. She was the first in her family to go to school, and now she has her own radio show, big dreams and boundless imagination.