Fearless. Ambitious. Fabulous. The International Rescue Committee knows that wherever they are in the world, with the right support, girls can be girls. While pre-teen and teenage girls are often the first to be harmed in a crisis, they are the last to be protected. They are most at risk of forced marriage, dropping out of school and violence.

Fifteen-year-old Maryama lives in a region of Niger that has seen violence escalate over the past two years. She dreams of one day becoming a journalist, so she can expose "all the bad things happening in the world." Through the support of the IRC’s tutoring program with the European Union, she and many other girls like her are getting the chance to catch up on school and work toward their goals. On the International Day of the Girl 2021 (Oct.