5 women empowering change for International Women's Day 2019

What better day to learn a little more about a few of the most inspiring women out there? If, like us, you're always looking for more colourful, creative and all-round awesome women to brighten up your Insta feed, then look no further.

We've pulled together a list of five powerful women who are inspiring change for the better, in their own unique ways, every single day.

At just 11 years old, Malala began her campaign for girls’ education, writing an anonymous blog for the BBC about life under the Taliban in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. Since then she has gone on to become one of the most well-known activists for female rights in the world, as well as the youngest Nobel Prize laureate.

“Back in Swat, I didn’t know if my voice would bring any change. But I spoke up anyway,” she says. “Your voice is powerful, and you can raise it in different ways.”
@malala

Molly is the founder of Selfish Mother, an online blog encouraging women to take the pressure off themselves. “It’s a space to share what us parents are really thinking; a world away from that image of ‘perfection’,” she explains.

“It’s a chance for us to breathe a sigh of relief and say ‘Phew... I’m not alone.’” Molly shares posts that are relatable and funny, covering everything from navigating single parenting to finding time to take a shower.
@selfishmother

When Lauren was diagnosed with breast cancer at 31 she realised how difficult it was to find real support for people facing the disease in their 20s and 30s.

To combat this, she set up GIRLvsCANCER and started sharing tales of her treatment in an authentic and relatable way. “Have faith in yourself that whatever situation you’re in it will pass,” she says, “In that moment, when you’re feeling ‘this is overwhelming’, know you will get to the other side.”
@girlvscancer

Also known as She Takes on the World, Natalie is an entrepreneur, author, speaker and CEO of her own business coaching company. She shares wisdom online to help other women make their business dreams happen – recently she helped to build a school in Tanzania, The Conquer Academy, using profits from her community of female entrepreneurs.

“Having a business that can make a difference in the lives of others is one of the things that drives me the most.”
@nataliemacneil

Sonita describes herself as a rap-tivist – she writes and performs songs challenging childhood marriage. Having faced forced marriage herself at 14, she now works to raise awareness of the issue, while also empowering young girls to see that there are other options for them.

“The world is full of young people with bright minds and big hopes. Imagine what could happen if all the girls being forced into marriage could instead make their dreams come true,” she says.
@sonitaalizadeh

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This article was first published in In The Moment issue 23. To enjoy more features like this one, find the magazine in store, subscribe or order your copy from buysubscriptions.com.