The Trailer


  1. Sokha | The Phoenix

    Sokha | Cambodia

    “This is not the end. It is the beginning.” Sokha was a Cambodian child of the dump: orphaned and forced to pick through garbage to survive. But, through a series of miracles, Sokha finds her way to school – and, like a phoenix, she has risen to become a star student on the brink of a brilliant and once unimaginable future.

    Where is Sokha today?

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  2. Ruksana | The Dreamer

    Ruksana | India

    “That’s when I learned to never give up.” Ruksana’s family are “pavement dwellers” – living on the streets of Kolkata, India, where her father has sacrificed everything to send his daughters to school. Ruksana’s life is filled with danger but she escapes into her artwork and draws strength from her father’s resolve.

    Where is Ruksana today?

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  3. Suma | The Emancipated

    Suma | Nepal

    “Change is like a song you can’t hold back.” Though her brothers go to school, Suma is forced into bonded labor at age 6. The Nepali girl endures years of sorrow by writing beautiful music and gets a glimpse of freedom when she learns to read. Now, she uses her education in a fight to free other girls.

    Where is Suma today?

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  4. Yasmin | The Defender

    Yasmin | Egypt

    “He was strong but I was stronger.” A young Egyptian girl falls prey to a violent attack but, rather than become a victim, she becomes a superhero. Yasmin’s is the story of the triumph of imagination over a reality too painful to bear.

    Where is Yasmin today?

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  5. Senna | The Warrior

    Senna | Peru

    “Poetry is how I turn ugliness into art.” Senna’s family struggles to survive in a bleak Peruvian mining town. Her father has dreams for her – and so insists she go to school. There she discovers the transformative power of poetry. Her passion and talent seem to ensure she’ll have a better future – and be the success her father dreamed she’d be.

    Where is Senna today?

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  6. Azmera | The Courageous

    Azmera | Ethiopia

    “What if a girl’s life could be more?” When 13-year old Azmera is told she must marry, she does something shocking: she says no. Meet an Ethiopian family where a brother champions his younger sister’s cause to be educated and to be free.

    Where is Azmera today?

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  7. Amina | The Hopeful

    Amina | Afghanistan

    “Look into my eyes. Do you see it now? I am change.” Amina is constrained by Afghan society, confined by her gender and expected only to serve men. But this child bride has had enough. She is determined to reject the limitations prescribed by society and to lead others to do the same.

    Where is Amina today?

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  8. Wadley | The Undaunted

    Wadley | Haiti

    “I will come back every day until I can stay.” Wadley is just 7 when the world comes crashing down around her. Haiti’s catastrophic earthquake destroys her home and school, but it cannot  break her irrepressible spirit nor extinguish her thirst to learn, even as she’s turned away from the schoolhouse day after day.

    Where is Wadley today?

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  9. Mariama | The Catalyst

    Mariama | Sierra Leone

    “Now there’s nothing to stop me. Nothing in the world. Nothing in the universe.” Mariama, a teenager from war-torn Sierra Leone, is the voice of the future. The first in her family to go to school, she has her own radio show, big dreams and boundless imagination.

    Where is Mariama today?

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  1. Aminatta Forna | Sierra Leone

    Aminatta Forna | Sierra Leone

    Aminatta burst onto the international literary scene with a voice that is vivid, passionate, and unafraid. She was born in Glasgow and raised in Sierra Leone and the U.K. In 2007, Vanity Fair named her one of Africa's most promising new writers – even before her novel, The Memory of Love, won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize Best Book Award 2011 and was short-listed for the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Warwick Prize.

  2. Edwidge Danticat | Haiti

    Edwidge Danticat | Haiti

    Edwidge is a standout literary talent both in Haiti and the United States. After emigrating from Haiti to New York at age 12, Edwidge maintained strong ties to her homeland. Her writing is a testament to the richness of Haitian life and to the power of language to bridge cultural divides. Her vision and clarity as a writer open lucid windows into the lives of Haitian girls, gifts we are glad she is sharing with 10x10.

  3. Maaza Mengiste | Ethiopia

    Maaza Mengiste | Ethiopia

    Maaza is a novelist who possesses a deep pride in her homeland, with its rich and complicated history. She writes with empathy for her characters as well as an understanding of the complex forces that shape their world. Maaza was pleased to have an opportunity to write about Ethiopian girls living on the margins - and we are elated to add the talents of this Fulbright Scholar and accomplished author to our efforts.

  4. Zarghuna Kargar | Afghanistan

    Zarghuna Kargar | Afghanistan

    Zarghuna has done as much to expand our understanding of women in Afghanistan as any writer in the world. Born in Kabul, her family sought refuge in Pakistan during the Soviet invasion. She was a producer and presenter of the groundbreaking BBC program, Afghan Woman's Hour, and her book of stories about women in Afghanistan, Dear Zari, is inspiring and heart-wrenching. We are honored to have her on the 10x10 team.

  5. Marie Arana | Peru

    Marie Arana | Peru

    Marie's writing explores and embraces both continents of the Americas, North and South. Born in Lima to a Peruvian father and an American mother, she is deeply engaged in both worlds. As a writer of fiction and memoir, Marie has dedicated herself to explaining each culture to the other. Her commitment to Peru, and to the struggles of the disadvantaged there, permeates her work.

  6. Mona Eltahawy | Egypt

    Mona Eltahawy | Egypt

    Mona is a powerhouse. As a writer, she is direct, funny, and unafraid to raise some eyebrows. As a thinker about the role of women in the modern Arab world, she is a breath of fresh air. When the events of the Arab Spring unfolded, few voices were as clear, as passionate, or as critical. Mona is a prominent voice both in America and her native Egypt - and we are grateful to have her on board at 10x10.

  7. Manjushree Thapa | Nepal

    Manjushree Thapa | Nepal

    Manjushree is a writer and activist who's not afraid to take a stand for her deeply held principles. She has written both fiction and non-fiction works that help elucidate the complicated world of modern Nepal. She writes with a full heart and a sharp eye. With a hand in the worlds of anthropology, politics, and human rights, she brings to 10x10 a fierce commitment to protecting the vulnerable through her work.

  8. Sooni Taraporevala | India

    Sooni Taraporevala | India

    Sooni has always believed that films can have a positive social impact. Her first screenplay, for the Academy Award-nominated film Salaam Bombay!, helped create awareness of and inspire outreach programs for the street children of her native Bombay (now Mumbai). A photographer, director, and screenwriter, she continues to be drawn to children’s issues and brings that unshakable compassion to Ruksana's story.

  9. Loung Ung | Cambodia

    Loung Ung | Cambodia

    Loung is one of the most powerful voices to emerge from modern Cambodia. An orphan of the Khmer Rouge, she fled Pol Pot's brutal regime at the age of 10. Loung's bestselling memoirs have brought home the tragedy of Cambodia for millions of readers. Through the lens of her own extraordinary experience, she speaks directly to the fractured reality of her country as the past continues to reverberate through the present.