Over the last several weeks, the TrustAfrica blog has profiled 14 inspirational women from seven French-speaking countries in West and Central Africa. The profiles were commissioned as part of our MDG3 Project, which is working to curb gender violence and expand women's political participation in these countries.

The women we shined a spotlight on are “Everyday Heroes.” They have demonstrated their outstanding capacities in fields ranging from law and higher education to journalism, music and business. In addition to committing themselves to their professional lives, they have also dedicated themselves to their families and made contributions in support of numerous noble causes.

Younger generations — girls and young women in particular — need to know about these remarkable women and to be inspired by them as role models. For whether it is in Senegal or Burundi, Cameroon, Mali, Niger or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the fight to promote women’s rights is similar. The future of the African continent rests in the hands of women, who constitute 70 percent of the informal economy. This is the essence of the message presented here in “Everyday Heroes.”

Download Everyday Heroes (pdf).