10/13/2026
Sometimes, we place so much emphasis on success.
College degrees. Careers. Money. Achievements.
But sometimes, success looks very different.
Sometimes, success is finding the courage to speak up. To protect yourself. To save your sister from abuse.
That is what “Susan” did.
Years ago, Susan found the courage to speak up against an abusive father, protecting herself and her younger sister.
After attending Bookwallah’s storytelling sessions, she made a beautiful card for one of our team members. On it, she wrote:
“Before, I was in the river. Now, sometimes I can fly.”
We have never forgotten those words.
Because success isn’t always about how far we go in life. Sometimes, it’s about how far we’ve come.
And sometimes, the greatest victory is discovering that we have wings.
This International Day of the Girl Child, let’s celebrate girls who rise.
Girls who find their voices. Girls who protect one another. Girls who dare to believe that their stories can have a different ending.
And girls like Susan, who remind us what courage truly looks like.
Every girl deserves the chance to write her own story.
