6 Inspiring Stories To Share With A Girl You Know

On International Day of the Girl, we're sharing remarkable stories from around the world.

Today is International Day of the Girl  We love this day because it's a chance to celebrate the remarkable girls in the world who are making a difference, who have made great achievements and have overcome incredible odds just to get where they are today.  To mark the day, we've compiled some of our favorite profiles of girls and women from NPR's archives, from Boko Haram survivors on their first visit to New York City to a Pakistani squash champ who dressed as a boy just so she could play sports.  We hope they inspire you as much as they inspire us. — Malaka Gharib, NPR's deputy editor, global health and development coverage Abducted By Boko Haram, Now Posing With Lady Liberty In Times Square Hauwa and Ya Kaka aren't typical teens. This year they came to the U.S. to speak up for the thousands of abductees still being held. But they also made time for tourist fun. The Taliban Couldn't Quash This Pakistani Squash Champ For much of her life, Maria Toorpakai has been threatened by the Taliban. Now the subject of a PBS documentary, she tells how she found the courage to keep playing sports. She Was Too Poor To Stay In School. Now She's An Inspiration To Rihanna Angeline Murimirwa is lauded as one of the world's most influential women for her work with a charity that gives scholarships to poor girls in Africa. She herself was once one of those girls. From Poverty To Rocket Scientist To CEO, A Girl Scout's Leadership Story When she was a Brownie, Sylvia Acevedo was inspired to earn her science badge. In her new memoir, the Girl Scouts CEO says this experience led directly to her career at NASA. The Dreams Of Today's Teen Girl Activists The young leaders of Girl Up were in Washington, D.C., this summer to network and lobby Congress on gender issues. We asked them about their role models, what they'd like to change and why it's important for boys to join the movement.  Watch This 8-Year-Old Girl Crush Led Zeppelin's 'Good Times Bad Times' Yoyoka Soma played the song for the Hit Like A Girl drumming contest. She didn't take home the gold, but she's clearly winning at life. Want more of these stories? Subscribe to Goats and Soda, our weekly email newsletter on global health and development. Share the girl power on social media! Click here to tweet a thread of these stories on Twitter now. You received this message because you're subscribed to our Best of NPR emails. |  Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002