Malala visited Mexico and met with girls from across Latin America
Girls from Colombia, Brazil and Mexico joined Malala for a conversation about girls’ education — and for a delicious cooking class!
Last week, Malala arrived in Mexico City as part of her Girl Power Trip — her first time ever in Latin America! Eager to hear many different perspectives, Malala invited girls from across the region to join her for a conversation on girls’ education.
Young women from Colombia, Brazil and Mexico spent an afternoon with Malala in Mexico City. They went to a cooking class — where they learned how to make sopes and salsa — and talked about the challenges girls face in their communities.
Learn more about the young leaders who joined Malala in Mexico City:
María, Colombia
María joined Malala from Cali, Colombia. Colombia’s civil conflict displaced millions of people from their homes — including María’s family. After guerrillas killed her father, they fled their farm and lived as internally displaced people in the slums of Cali.
At the age of 16, María directed, filmed and narrated the award-winning documentary Displaced but Not Defeated with the support of the organisation ByKids. The film follows her experience as a displaced person in Colombia, the challenges she faces and the everyday joys that keep her family going.
María completed secondary education and now works as a nail technician to support her family. She hopes to go to university: “I want to study communications or social work and work with young children. I like being a mentor. I want to set a good example for my younger brother. I want to show him that you can get ahead by being a good person and having an honest job, that you don’t need to join a gang to succeed.” In meeting Malala, María hoped to share the experience of being a displaced person and what she has overcome in Colombia.
Alma, Mexico
Everyday Alma, a 16-year-old living Oaxaca, Mexico, walks over an hour to get to school. Alma is attending school thanks to a scholarship from Fondo Guadalupe, but before this she cleaned houses to pay her school fees.
With her classmates, Alma raises awareness about obesity, diabetes and its consequences through a film she worked on called “Dulce Agonía” — or “Sweet Agony.” She hopes to study medicine when she is older and maybe work as a teacher who can help other girls. She is passionate about improving the health conditions in marginalised communities. She dreams of being a leader in her community and becoming the first female president of her municipality.
Alma is passionate about her education, but many girls in her community are not allowed to go or unable to afford to attend school. During her time with Malala, she spoke about the barriers to education indigenous girls in Oaxaca face when trying to get an education.
Sydney, Mexico
15-year-old Sydney is also from Oaxaca, Mexico and fought machismo culture for her chance to go to school. When her grandfather said her role in life was to cook and clean, Sydney convinced him of the value of going to school. Her grandmother married early and never learned to read or write, so now Sydney is determined to make her family proud and complete her education.
Sydney speaks on a local radio programme each week called The Voice of Women where she talks about the the importance of female participation in the community and how girls can raise their voices. One day Sydney hopes to study medicine and be her town’s first paediatrician.
Many people in Oaxaca believe that girls aren’t capable of learning and should marry as early as possible. At lunch she spoke to Malala about these issues like early marriage, poverty and machismo culture that keep girls in her community from going to school.
Luiza, Brazil
Growing up surrounded by a family of reporters, Luiza understood the value of education and listened to news reports from an early age. At 10 years old, she learned of Malala’s attack. Curious to learn more about the young girl fighting for education, Luzia closely followed Malala’s recovery and rooted for her global campaign for education.
When Malala asked supporters from around the world to send her postcards about barriers to education in their communities, 15-year-old Luiza sent Malala a postcard describing the problems students face in government schools in Brazil.
Luiza told Malala that the public schools in Brazil suffer from overcrowding and that the quality of education is poor — they don’t have libraries or even enough chairs for their students. Luiza wants to stand up for girls across Brazil and ensure that girls receive the same opportunities as boys. She joined Malala to advocate on behalf of the girls in Brazil who need the government to increase investments in education and their futures.
Mariana, Mexico
Mariana, a 20-year-old university student from Guanajuato, Mexico, moderated the girls’ conversation with Malala and helped translate. Mariana is passionate about seeing girls in Mexico realise their potential through education. “Girls in Mexico don’t believe in themselves,” she said, “We live in a social structure that pushes them down.”
Mariana is currently studying international relations at university and hopes to continue working in Mexico when she graduates. As a young leader, Mariana recently attended the G(irls)20 Summit in Munich as the Mexican delegate, where she discussed how to economically empower women through art.
Malala is on her global #GirlPowerTrip to meet with girls like María, Alma, Sydney, Luiza and Mariana. Each girl has a unique story to tell — and their voices are our most powerful weapons in the fight for education and equality.
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