This International Youth Day WLP is celebrating the spirit of young leaders across our Partnership and the transformative power of their poetry. WLP’s work with youth provides mentoring and training to young women and men, empowering them to become advocates for equality.
Across borders and languages, poetry has been a powerful tool for driving social change. We hope that the words of these young women encourage and inspire you.
Poem by Esther Olanma Shedrach, 24, Nigeria
They said "the man is the head and woman the neck"
But I've seen a woman who is the head, the neck and the man the stomach.
I've watched her run freely
like spring, watering every
dried ground and making them fertile.
I've seen her piggyback responsibilities,
cracked hard knots
and quench her children's thirst.
Her eyes has been cloudy for long
but for her children's sake
she won't let it rain.
She plays the ball
minds the post
while her husband sits and watch
with a bowl of popcorn.
She plays
She scores.
She plants her seed
watered them with her tears
and hoped they spring forth healthy and one day becomes her shield.
I am that woman.
They said "the man is the head and woman the neck"
But I've seen a woman who is the head, the neck and the man the stomach.
I've watched her run freely
like spring, watering every
dried ground and making them fertile.
I've seen her piggyback responsibilities,
cracked hard knots
and quench her children's thirst.
Her eyes has been cloudy for long
but for her children's sake
she won't let it rain.
She plays the ball
minds the post
while her husband sits and watch
with a bowl of popcorn.
She plays
She scores.
She plants her seed
watered them with her tears
and hoped they spring forth healthy and one day becomes her shield.
I am that woman.
"Look Ma! I Made It" by Hania Imran, 19, Pakistan
Look Ma! I made it
I’m in Europe for the first time,
I’m putting on my shiny, new dress in front of the cupboard mirror,
Makeup is not necessary today,
My blush is natural, after all, I have been crying for days
Maybe I’m the one that flooded my own home with my heartbreaks
Maybe it is the tears that the people cried when food was too expensive to eat, that caused their homes to be washed away
That’s what they told me, ma, when I was young
They called it a carbon footprint
As my ma is wiped away
Entire villages, communities, families, and homes, gone over night,
I put on my shiny dress, maybe it will light up the system that has murdered these people
Look Ma, I made it!
I’m in Europe for the first time,
They have big houses, big trees
And Ma, they have breathable air too.
I grab my keys, I go out
I breathe in, breathe out
What a wonderful world to live in.
Ma, I know you are flooding, I know you are burning, and I listen to great songs in Europe
Ma, I dance in Europe
I’m free, Ma
But you have not called in months
And I hope the little pill they sent you in the form of dollars helped you feel better
Something is better than nothing
Look Ma, I made it!
I made it away from you, saved myself from you
You are drowning, I do not want to go down with you
300 children and counting, I might actually learn some maths,
300 children and counting, and none of them will solve cancer
I’m in Europe for the first time, and for the 100th time, my home is dying
900 people and counting, and what’s a few more?
There is no bubble I can live in anymore, it popped and has started submerging countries like mine
My dress, it shines
Ma, you kissed me goodbye at the airport
And I text you everyday, but the electricity was shut out, so maybe you can’t respond
Look Ma, I made it
I am in Europe for the first time and
I am soon to be nowhere found
You are soon to be nowhere found
Look Ma, keep looking
I will fight for you, I will die for you
Ma, we build your noose out of plastic
And I think change needs to happen, drastic
But Ma, we have so many problems of our own
You must get up and dust your own mess
Maybe I will talk to you once I am back home,
Maybe I will never talk to you again
You are a fighter ma and I know you ask yourself, for how much longer must I keep fighting?
Just a little longer Ma, a little longer
Because I hope one day soon the whole world will fight with you.
Look Ma, I made it
I’m in Europe for the first time