Equality Change Makers
"Equality Change Makers" is an interview series of leaders doing groundbreaking work in empowering girls and women and promoting gender equality around the world. Through this interview series, we want to uplift the voices and highlight the work of activists working for women's rights and safety. We also hope that the stories, life, and the journey of these change-makers will inspire our readers to follow their passions to create a better world.

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Hadil Al-Ashwal : Founder of The Middle East and North Africa Advocates for Gender Equality initiative
Hadil Al-Ashwal is the Founder & Managing Director of the MENA Advocates for Gender Equality. Born and raised in Yemen, she has lived in different countries in the Middle East, Europe, and North America. Hadil holds an MBA from Cardiff Metropolitan University where she was selected as a representative, exemplary woman to inspire others. Currently, she works…
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Angeline Makore: Uplifting girls and women in Zimbabwe
Angelina Makore is a young activist from Zimbabwe and an alumna of Women Deliver Young Leaders, who escaped a forced marriage at 14! Now her organization, Spark R.E.A.D (Resilience, Empowerment, Activism, and Development), rescues child marriage victims and sexually abused girls and offers psycho-social support to them. Spark R.E.A.D also focuses on reproductive, maternal, child, and…
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Alaa Al-Eryani : Founder of Yemeni Feminist Movement
Alaa Al-Eryani is a gender equality advocate and Women Deliver Young Leader Alumna. She is the founder of the Yemeni Feminist Movement (YFM) platform. Born out of the frustration of women being constantly sidelined throughout Yemen’s political instability and war, YFM is the first Yemeni feminist online platform. It raises awareness about feminism and discriminatory laws and practices…
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Dr. Lina Abirafeh : Executive Director of the Arab Institute for Women
Dr. Lina Abirafeh has served as the Executive Director of Arab Institute for Women, AiW since 2015. She is based in New York and Lebanon. Lina brings a strong feminist activist orientation to the Institute, promoting education and research to advance social change and policy change – and ultimately to improve the lives of women and…
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Ananya kamboj : Using Sports to Empower Girls and Women
Ananya kamboj was just 12 when she was selected by mission XI million, an initiative by FIFA, All India Football Federation and Supported by Government of India as a young journalist at the Global Football for Friendship (F4F) social program at St. Petersburg, Russia in 2017. Since then, she has been selected to represent India as…
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Masooma Ranalvi: Fighting to End Female Genital Mutilation(FGM) in India
Masooma Ranalvi still recalls the day, at age 7, when she was taken to a dirty apartment in Bhindi Bazaar in Mumbai with the promise of ice cream. The horror of that day remained with her as a shameful secret until, in college, she was able to put a name to her experience: Female Genital Mutilation(FGM). Masooma…
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Maya Vishwakarma: unraveling menstruation stigma in rural India
Maya Vishwakarma, popularly known as the “Padwoman Of India” is on a mission to promote menstrual hygiene and to fight against menstrual stigma in rural India. Her organization ‘Sukarma Foundation’ campaigns at the community level in remote villages about menstrual hygiene and manufactures low-cost sanitary napkins for tribal women in Madhya Pradesh, India. Hailing from a…
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Phionah Musumba, Founder & Executive Director Malkia Foundation
Phionah Musumba is the Founder & Executive Director of Malkia Foundation, a non-governmental organization(NGO) in rural Kenya which helps and empowers underprivileged girls and women. Phionah’s remarkable journey of establishing the Malkia Foundation to help others while she herself was fighting with acute poverty is just phenomenal. We are deeply grateful and honored to be able…