Bendu Ben is 14 and in the 2nd grade. She feels a little bit embarrassed about it, but it's not that uncommon in Liberia, where an estimated 82% of children in primary school are over-age. “I will keep coming back,” Bendu says, because she dreams of becoming a doctor. GPE supports Liberia since 2007.

Fauzia, a student in class 5 in Kenya, walks an hour to school on an empty stomach. After school, Fauzia will walk another hour each way to fetch water, and then eat dinner, study and sleep. Yet the next day, she will do it all again.

At only 20 years old, Amina Yusuf is a girl advocate with the Malala Fund. Amina says girls' education is not valued in her community in Nigeria, so she speaks out "to demand that every girl, no matter where she lives, should have equal access to... free, safe and quality education so she can be who she wants to be in the future."

When Zinah was 9, a tornado destroyed her school in Madagascar. Zinah and the other children had to study in an old church. Two years later during another storm, Zinah was struck by lightning and started having learning difficulties. Now in the 5th grade, Zinah is attending a new school and is determined to pass the end of year exam. In Madagascar, GPE has provided more than US$200 million in grants since 2005.

Maureen, 16, from Uganda missed a lot of school due to her period: “My mother never talked to me about menstruation, and when I first saw the blood, I was scared. Every month I would miss three or four days. I was fearful of going to school when I had it." Access to sanitary pads has changed this.

Like many girls in Yemen, Raysai was married off early. Her in-laws insisted she stay home, but with her husband’s support she returned to school. “I had to take my children with me every day to the school walking almost 8 km,” she recalls. "My role now is not only teaching but also advocating for girls’ education."

“There are many challenges that I face to get an education,” Siphethangan, 18, from Zimbabwe says. “I would encourage girls to learn, to finish their education and not get carried away by what’s happening in their environment. We need to stay focused.” GPE supports Zimbabwe since 2013, with more than US$44 million in grants to date.

Growing up in Sudan, Rumana didn’t go to school, but when she became a mother she wanted to help her children with their homework. So she enrolled in school, starting a small ice-cream business to cover her school fees. Rumana is now 26 and in 7th grade. She continues to sell ice-cream, take care of her family and go to school.

Kadiatu was in 7th grade when she got pregnant. Her mother is elsewhere, her father passed away, her boyfriend left and she doesn't think he will return. Yet, she says she is going to try and return to school if her job allows, so she can achieve her dream of becoming a pilot.

Shabana and her family risked their lives so she could go to school under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Now the co-founder of the School of Leadership in Afghanistan that provides education opportunities for girls, she says, “I am one of the lucky 6% of educated women in Afghanistan... It’s a problem, and we can fix it."