Djamila, Niger

"Once I started high school, there was a steady stream of people visiting my father, telling him he was ruining me. There are so few girls in my community who go to high school that we are not understood. I share what I learned with my community, especially with those girls who were not able to go to school because they were forced to marry early. This summer I worked with the other Expanding Lives’ leaders at our young girls’ conference. I also went back to my village and did an internship at the local health center. I learned and helped with malnutritional screening of babies and pregnant women using a system that relies on body measurements called anthropometry. I have learned to keep my spirit up in adversity. Without Expanding Lives continued support, I could not continue my studies."

Djamila is beginning her second year of university, majoring in Nutrition. She will be a community health agent.