Photos celebrate the glory of girls on ‘International Day of the Girl’

From the slight smile on Yefreannys Isamar Muñoz López’s face, it might be a surprise to learn that she is working on math equations with her dad. The photo was made after they had trekked hundreds of miles from Venezuela to the United States-Mexico border, awaiting their immigration appointment.

Yefreannys is one of many girls photojournalist Danielle Villasana has met over the last decade as she’s traveled the globe, capturing images that show how girls and young women persist in spite of the issues and inequalities they face.

Villasana remembers: “She was just so happy, so full of joy, not complaining, not upset.”

It’s a picture that resonates on October 11 – the International Day of the Girl on the United Nations calendar of special days. Dedicating a day to girls, according to the U.N., serves as a “rallying cry to see girls for who they truly are, to listen to their voices and to recognize their limitless potential.”

We’re featuring a selection of photos from Villasana’s body of work over the years.

Villasana says she is in awe of the strong spirit of the girls she’s encountered. “I’ve met girls and women who have been kidnapped by militants or faced gender-based violence when migrating, who have camped in vans going across hundreds of miles. It’s just amazing that the women and girls can keep pushing forward despite these incredible, really unthinkable challenges.”

“I think when given opportunity and support and education and resources,” she says, “women and girls are unstoppable.” That’s the message she hopes to send with her photographs.