Momo*

age: 20 years
Uganda

Finding Strength in Education and Health: My name is ******* and I grew up in a small village in Uganda. From a young age, I was passionate about learning, but the journey was filled with challenges. My family faced financial difficulties, and many in my community believed that girls didn’t need an education. Despite these obstacles, I was determined to pursue my dreams. Every morning, I would wake up early to help my mother with household chores before walking several kilometers to school. The journey was long and tiring, but my love for learning kept me going. At school, I found a sanctuary where I could immerse myself in books and knowledge. However, the pressure of balancing schoolwork and household responsibilities began to take a toll on my mental health. I often felt overwhelmed and anxious, unsure of how to cope with the stress. It was during this time that I attended a health awareness workshop organized by a local NGO. The workshop focused on mental health and self-care, and it was a turning point in my life. I learned that taking care of my mental health was just as important as my physical health. I started practicing mindfulness and self-care techniques, which helped me manage my stress and anxiety. This newfound knowledge empowered me to take control of my well-being and continue pursuing my education with renewed vigor. Inspired by my experiences, I decided to start a girls’ empowerment club at my school. The club became a safe space where girls could share their challenges, support each other, and learn about health and education. We organized workshops on mental health, self-care, and academic skills, helping each other grow and thrive. Through hard work and perseverance, I earned a scholarship to attend a school in the city. This opportunity opened doors I had never imagined. I excelled academically and I am now involved in various initiatives focused on girls’ education and mental health. My journey has taught me the importance of resilience, self-care, and community support. I have learned that with determination and the right support, we can overcome any obstacle. Together, we can create a world where every girl has the opportunity to shine and make a difference. This is my story, and I hope it inspires you to keep fighting for what you believe in. Thanks

Ljubica

age: 26 years
Pichincha, Quito, ​Ecuador

Title: The pain that changed my life.

My name is Ljubica, I´m a young, diverse, woman from Ecuador. 2 years ago I started my own Foundation as a memory of my survinving in higher education. From 2015 to 2022 I suffered from political persecution, gender-based discrimination and sexual harassment in my university classrooms by my professors and peers. All because I was a woman and a feminist. My story, unfortunately, is the one faced by many young women in LATAM. We live constantly terrified of how our professors, teachers, mentors, may tomorrow be our abusers and, due to the justice system and ignorance of this problem, today I raise my voice for a pandemic that costs many of us our professional dream. I want to begin this narrative by acknowledging the privilege I had to go all the way to third level education. I am not unaware that in my country and my region, dreaming of being a professional woman is unthinkable for a painful amount of the population. However, I believe, without a doubt, that this is one of the reasons why when we arrive, we do anything to survive... even to die in silence. When I started my university career I can say without a doubt that I was sure that my life had begun. I had too many dreams, goals, ideas of what professional life was going to do for me. However, the first day of my first semester I was surprised by how many times I had to listen to my professors question whether women should be in the classroom and not raising our children. “You don't come here to find a husband!” was the first thing they warned me, before I even knew which classroom I was in. From the moment I started my college career, I always felt out of place in the formal education space. I was constantly asked invasive questions about my personal life: when and how I planned to become a mother, if I had a partner, if I planned to get married. I spent hours in class listening to my professors dictate what, according to them, a “good woman” should do to be a “good professional” in higher education. However, in my third semester, the violence intensified when I decided to dedicate myself to social activism. My professors began to persecute me, conditioning my grades on my feminism and militancy. This semester, for the first time, a professor humiliated me in front of the entire class, saying that my success would always depend on how many people I was willing to please. I was 19 years old, the first time one of my professors decided to sexualize my professional capacity. This is a reality for women at all levels of education, at all levels of their professional career. I am 26 now and I know, I still don't live the last time this happens. As the years progressed, the violence not only persisted, but became more vicious. Professors made fun of the green scarf I wore tied to my suitcase, a symbol of my struggle, and jeered at me when I left class as I listened to them ridicule victims of sexual violence. In seventh semester, I was forced to read aloud a rape case in front of the class. I refused, and that decision cost me the semester. This constant series of abuses made me decide to speak out. I started with small peer groups, then seminars, and soon, I decided that I needed a formal and consistent space to support more people going through the same thing. When I turned 22, I decided to start a page on instagram to collect anonymous testimonies of young women who were going through the same abuse in university classrooms and 4 years later, I lead the first organization in my country dedicated to accompany victims of educational violence to prevent them from dropping out of the higher education system. Today, my former professors continue to call me by names that are not mine and continue to question before the new generations the type of professional I have become. They continue to make up stories about my time in the classroom, trying to silence young women and keep them in fear. But now, surrounded by brave women, I feel the fear that once paralyzed me fading away, replaced by the certainty that safe spaces in universities are closer than ever to becoming a reality. Every day, my conviction in gender-sensitive education grows stronger, and I know that I will never regret risking my career to get this far. Today, I raise my voice with young women, so that no other has to survive higher education, so that we can all live our professional dreams, and so that the classroom is the path to our goals, not a cage that limits us. I remind myself everyday before I start working, that little Ljubi of 19 would´ve done anything to have a space like the one we are creating now to feel safe, I remind myself that feminist education can be the answer to gender inequality and I repeat to myself... Education must be feminist, or not be at all.

Sage Voyageur*

age: 24 years
Bujumbura, ​Burundi

As a woman, my journey with health and education has been both enriching and eye-opening. I've always been passionate about learning, but I've also had to face unique challenges related to my health. For example, I struggled with anxiety during my studies, which affected my concentration and performance. However, with proper support and mental health resources, I learned to manage my anxiety and excel academically. This experience not only strengthened me, but it also motivated me to advocate for the importance of mental health in women's educational journeys. I firmly believe that every woman deserves access to resources that support both her education and her health, so that she can realize her full potential. As a woman, my educational journey has been enriched by health challenges, particularly anxiety. With proper support, I learned to manage these challenges, which motivated me to advocate for the importance of mental health in women's education.