You don’t need to wait until you’re a qualified professional to lend your voice to a cause: nineteen-year-old Saba Ghahari is a second year Bio-Med student at the University of Western Ontario, who, through Plan International’s Because I Am A Girl program, has been speaking at workshops and events throughout Ontario for the last two years.

She has also been on two advocacy-related trips to New York—the first time she attended the Conference for the Commission Status of Women at the UN’s New York headquarters, she was 17 years old.

“All the world’s delegates and ambassadors were there, speaking about women’s issues,” she says. “We got to hold an event on the side. We joined with girls from Australia and the US … did a whole presentation on Because I’m a Girl, and we had a crowd. It went really well.”

Saba began noticing subtle gender discrimination from a young age, but a trip to Iran over the summer really opened her eyes. “Girls couldn’t do the same things guys could do,” she says. “You didn’t have a choice.”

Back at home, she was much more sensitive to the subtle but pervasive gender discrimination in Canada. “I took in my world again and I realized it wasn’t as perfect as I thought it was. I started to notice things here and there. I was always aware of the self-esteem issues girls face—I know a lot of people who have been affected by eating disorders or just have been berating themselves.”

Saba came across Because I Am a Girl while surfing online and recognized an opportunity to act. “They had just started out their Girl Speakers Bureau ... . There was an application online and my mom helped me fill it out. Since then, I’ve been involved.” 

The [Because I Am A] Girl Speakers Bureau gives girls between the ages of 14 and 22 a deeper understanding of global women’s issues, as well as the tools to do something about them. This includes training in skills like public speaking. Now Saba speaks and runs group workshops at high schools, elementary schools, and girls’ and womens’ clubs around the province.

 “They have made me a lot more confident with my thoughts and voicing my opinions,” she says. “The [Because I Am A] Girl Speakers’ Bureau wants to hear what you have to say and not what others have told you.”

After this exposure to the world of international development, Saba now includes it in her overall career plan. She wants to become a dentist and work for Dentists Without Borders. We asked her if she had any advice for any other girls considering getting involved with activism or volunteer work. 

“There’s lot of room for more activism,” she says. “We need to educate more people on the cause. Girls’ issues are not just for girls: they’re everyone’s problem. Everyone can benefit from reaching gender equality in the end.”

Ghahari is a second year Bio-Med student at the University of Western Ontario, who, through Plan International's Because I Am A Girl program, has been speaking at workshops and events throughout Ontario for the last two years.

She has also been on two advocacy-related trips to New York'the first time she attended the Conference for the Commission Status of Women at the UN's New York headquarters, she was 17 years old.

All the world's delegates and ambassadors were there, speaking about women's issues, she says. We got to hold an event on the side. We joined with girls from Australia and the US  did a whole presentation on Because I'm a Girl, and we had a crowd. It went really well.

Saba began noticing subtle gender discrimination from a young age, but a trip to Iran over the summer really opened her eyes. Girls couldn't do the same things guys could do, she says. You didn't have a choice.

Back at home, she was much more sensitive to the subtle but pervasive gender discrimination in Canada. I took in my world again and I realized it wasn't as perfect as I thought it was. I started to notice things here and there. I was always aware of the self-esteem issues girls face'I know a lot of people who have been affected by eating disorders or just have been berating themselves.

Saba came across Because I Am a Girl while surfing online and recognized an opportunity to act. They had just started out their Girl Speakers Bureau ... . There was an application online and my mom helped me fill it out. Since then, I've been involved. 

The [Because I Am A] Girl Speakers Bureau gives girls between the ages of 14 and 22 a deeper understanding of global women's issues, as well as the tools to do something about them. This includes training in skills like public speaking. Now Saba speaks and runs group workshops at high schools, elementary schools, and girls' and womens' clubs around the province.

 They have made me a lot more confident with my thoughts and voicing my opinions, she says. The [Because I Am A] Girl Speakers' Bureau wants to hear what you have to say and not what others have told you.

After this exposure to the world of international development, Saba now includes it in her overall career plan. She wants to become a dentist and work for Dentists Without Borders. We asked her if she had any advice for any other girls considering getting involved with activism or volunteer work. 

There's lot of room for more activism, she says. We need to educate more people on the cause. Girls' issues are not just for girls: they're everyone's problem. Everyone can benefit from reaching gender equality in the end.