Paola discovered that her activism grew as she learned more and wanted to do to something to make the world a more peaceful and happy place.

Meet PAOLA BRIGNETI Photographer, Activist

Her work with youth centered on the arts as a way to help at-risk youth cope with the challenges of life… youth who lived very rough lives and doing their best to succeed. Her mentoring taught her that every moment can be a teachable moment.

She also works in the field of women’s health and rights. And the more she learned, the more she believed in women’s ability and potential to change the world. So she started volunteering doing advocacy work in the field of women’s rights like Delta Women where she contributed their advocacy strategy, program planning, and different awareness campaigns when it just started out.

Paola plans to continue to find new ways to speak up for those whose voices have been unfairly silenced and whose lives have been violently taken away from them.

Meet ZYANDA XASO, Finance expert, Volunteer, Activist

When she returned to her hometown in 2007, she wanted to give back to her community and make a difference in people’s lives. So she joined a volunteer organization that coordinated with charities that needed help.

Discovering her true passion had not been easy. Corruption was a major obstacle. While working in a government department, she realized the need for civil organizations to work hand in hand with government to be able to bring social change in the country.

Zyanda combines her two passions, writing and social activism through online volunteering with Delta Women and Youth Leader Magazine. She believes that communities worldwide are also faced with similar social issues and an exchange of ideas and solutions can go a long way towards encouraging people and showing them that they are capable of tackling their own issues.

She hosted a fundraising dinner with a friend for the Reach for a Dream Foundation which was covered in the local newspaper, the Daily Dispatch.

She plans to continue her activism and further her studies with a focus in Development Studies.

Meet SUPREET KAUR, Lawyer, Activist

Supreet is from India and a lawyer by profession working in the field of environment

To her, the determination to stand for a fellow human being in its fight for justice and survival is what drives her into activism. The words of Malcolm X serves as an inspiration for her: , “I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I'm a human being, first and foremost, and as such I'm for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”

She is in activism to find a cure for a social disease called ‘Sexism.’ She stresses though, that it does not make her a feminist because she is not upset when a movie portrays a woman as the weaker sex. Nor is she against men who think women are ‘slaves’ but is against women who think they are no better than their male counterparts.

Every woman should remember that to earn respect she has to learn to respect herself.

Mellaney was born and raised on a small island in the Caribbean. She recalls in her childhood, going to a circus and seeing all the beautiful elephants in shackles and chains. She begged her parents to let the elephants walk free.

Meet MELLANEY ANGELLE HELENITA RODRIGUEZInternational Law student, Activist

Today, 20 years later. She is working on getting her bachelors degree in international law with a specialization in Human rights. A strong believer in rights, she is currently interning for an NGO in the Hague – Gender Concerns International – which aims at promoting women’s political participation. She also contributes to Delta Women by writing blogs regarding women in law and society.

To Mellaney, activism is a passion. It’s that feeling deep down in your core that you need to act, to contribute, to apply your skills to help in whatever it is that has meaning to you, no matter how small your contribution.

Activism is making a better future for the generations to come, fighting the battles and paving a path for a better future for all

Meet LYLIN AGUAS,Bank Professional, Volunteer

More than 5 years ago, a friend asked her to help support an NGO which focused on eradicating poverty and aids in Africa. They’ve always had talks about how things were in the world, the discrimination, violence, hate.

Being an emotional and sensitive personthat she is, It was inevitable that Lylin expressedher emotions by writing them…telling the worldabout the helpless and disadvantaged, the abusedand the discriminated.

She blogged about issues she found relevant.Distance was no barrier. She found her blog read and getting responses from people thousands of miles away…people she didn’t know, people who she touched and could relate to the issues and also wanted to make a difference no matter how small.

Wherever the future may lead her, Lylin sees herself as getting more involved in volunteer or cause-oriented work.

Meet Elaheh Zohrevandi,Teacher, Activist, the Girl with Big Dreams

Ela started working as a teacher when her friend introduced her to an NGO located in one of the poorest places in downtown, Tehran. There, live hundreds of poor afghan kids who don't even have enough food to grow up...not a surprising story as most of them have seen and worked among these people.

Growing up in a colorful and varied city like Tehran, she learned how to close her eyes on beggars, homeless kids and even sex-dealers. But working as a volunteer in DeltaWomen, she learned how to open her eyes to the reality of the world. From being a political and fictional writer, Ela has opened a new chapter in her life of being a worrier, an observer, someone who feels the pain of kids and women. As a young girl she was moved by the works of Shirin Ebadi, Iranian writer and activist, who won her nobel prize when she was a fugitive, and had to run away from her country to let the world hear her story. Ela tried to be like her and became a runner-up for the Best New Writing Award.

Ela never tries to change the world but knows how to change HER world...and it's going to be beautiful, safe and very colorful: Just like a rainbow.