Why girls' voices matter in shaping their future

Every girl deserves the opportunity to shape her own future.

But around the world, many girls grow up in environments where their voices are overlooked and their choices are limited by poverty, early marriage and social expectations.

When girls are listened to, they gain the confidence to advocate for themselves, influence others and help create lasting change.

Princess is one of those girls. Her story shows why girls' voices matter, and what can happen when they are heard.

Meet Princess - who refused to let teenage pregnancy define her community

Princess knows the power of being heard.

Today, she is encouraging girls to stay in school, believe in their potential and speak up for their rights. But her own journey began in a community where poverty, teenage pregnancy and early marriage were limiting opportunities for many girls before they had the chance to choose their own future.

Princess dreamed of becoming a medical doctor. She dreamed of helping others. Yet she also saw talented girls around her leaving school and losing confidence in what was possible.

Today, she is helping change that.

As a youth leader and advocate, Princess is encouraging girls to stay in school, believe in their potential and speak up for their rights. But her own journey began when someone helped her see that her voice mattered too.

A future that felt uncertain

Princess was raised by her grandmother in a remote community in Ghana, where girls' voices were often overlooked and teenage pregnancy was common.

"The thing that causes teenage pregnancy and early marriage is poverty," she explains.

She saw the impact all around her. "Teenage pregnancy has been the cancer that has spread through this community. Many girls are given into marriage." She watched girls leave school and lose opportunities that should have been theirs.
"When they get pregnant, they may not be able to go to school and they may not be able to achieve their dreams."

Princess already had dreams of her own. "As for me, the dream I have is to become a medical doctor."

But without support, guidance or opportunities to develop her leadership skills, the path ahead felt uncertain.

Discovering her voice

Everything changed when World Vision introduced a children's club in her community.

Each week, girls and boys came together to learn about their rights, leadership, life skills and adolescent health.

"When we go to our school, when we go to the kids’ clubs, we learn about adolescent reproductive health, teenage pregnancy, the causes and the effects and how to prevent it."

The sessions gave Princess knowledge. But they also gave her the confidence to speak up.

"All these lessons empower me to be speaking in public."

For a girl who once felt unsure about her future, that confidence became life-changing.

"At first, I thought girls are for the kitchen," Princess says. "But through the help of World Vision and the kids club, I've been able to identify that it's not only boys that can be dreaming wide, but the girls too."

For the first time, Princess began to see a future without limits.

From participant to leader

As Princess found her voice, others began to listen.

Within six months, she was elected president of the Children's Club. From there, she began sharing what she had learned with other children in her community.

"When we come back, I organise the children in the house, those that are not attending the club, and I teach them what we've learned."

Her leadership continued to grow.

She was later elected deputy speaker of the District Children's Parliament, representing children from 19 communities, before becoming clerk of the National Children's Parliament.

What started as one girl attending a children's club became a platform to influence change far beyond her own village.

Empowered girls empower girls

Today, Princess uses her voice to help other young people recognise their potential and protect their futures.

She encourages girls to stay in school, speak up and keep believing in themselves.

"Through education and the support of our parents, we can become what we want to become in the future."

She also knows that creating change means helping others access the same opportunities she received.

"The best thing you have to do is go to school and achieve what you want to become."

For Princess, this is about more than one girl succeeding. It is about helping more girls realise that their voices matter and that they can help shape their own future.

Sponsor a girl. Help her dream without limits.

Every girl is born with extraordinary potential.

But too many girls still face barriers that limit their opportunities before they have the chance to choose their own future.

Child Sponsorship helps change that.

By supporting a girl and her community, sponsorship helps create safe spaces where girls can learn, build confidence, develop leadership skills and have a greater say in decisions that affect their lives.

Princess is proof of what's possible when girls are given that opportunity.

Today, thousands more girls are waiting for the same chance.

Sponsor a girl today and help create a future without limits.