What do an auto mechanic in Peru, a construction worker in Nepal, an electrician in Ghana and an IT professional in Indonesia have in common?
They’re all strong, remarkable young women who are smashing gender stereotypes, changing minds and inspiring young girls to reach for the stars.
These four trailblazers are showing the world that there’s no such thing as “man’s work” — and there’s no limit to what women can do!
Edith, Peru
When she was young, Edith loved to play with toy cars. As she got older, she helped friends repair their motorbikes, and it quickly became her passion.
“Although I was very interested in cars and motorbikes, I was afraid to choose this as a career because of what my parents and society would say,” Edith said.
During her last year of high school, Edith heard about the Changing Schemes project, an initiative that seeks to provide young people, particularly women, with access to training and employment opportunities, free of gender stereotypes.
“Changing Schemes came to my school to present us with the opportunity to access scholarships to study for a career in automotive mechanics,” Edith said. “I loved this idea … Plan International held talks for us and also for our families so that they would understand our desire to study this career. And so, my parents started to support me.”
In fact, it was her father’s encouragement that gave Edith the confidence to pursue her dream. “When my daughter told me she wanted to study this career, it was a joy for me, because I also studied mechanics, although I couldn’t finish it for economic reasons,” Edith’s father said. “But there was also the fear that my daughter would choose this career, because of the things that people say, such as ‘a woman can’t lift an engine, it’s heavy and you need strength.’ But I told her ‘No, daughter, don’t listen, just keep going.’”
Edith realized that it was important for girls to see women working in this profession. “I spoke to my classmates who also wanted to study this career and I realized that I was not the only one,” she said. “And what gave me the final push was that, during the selection process for the scholarship, the project introduced us to a woman mechanic who already had a name in the automotive world, and this made me realize that anything was possible.”
After graduating at the top of her class, Edith got a job at one of the world’s leading automotive companies. Now, she is living her dream, and encouraging other young women to do the same.
"I would like many more young women to have access to these kinds of careers, where they can develop and learn, because every day there is a new case, a new problem and a new way to solve it,” Edith said. “This is a very diverse world and there is plenty of room for everyone."
Sushma, Nepal
Sushma’s life became harder after the death of her father. The oldest of four children, she often worked alongside her mother in the fields to bring in extra income, but the family struggled to make ends meet. She was forced to drop out of school early and married a man her family chose for her. Her husband worked abroad and sent a small sum of money each month.
Wanting to earn an income herself, Sushma moved to the city with her daughter and two younger sisters. But without any skills or training, finding employment was difficult.
Then, she saw an advertisement from Plan offering free excavator operating training to unemployed women. The Promoting Young Women in Employment in Pokhara project aims to equip 800 young women like Sushma with marketable skills and help them to make the most of emerging job opportunities in Nepal.
Curious to learn more, she decided to apply. “Before joining the training, I didn’t have any idea that women could also be construction workers and operate heavy equipment,” Sushma said.
She found it difficult to convince her family members, including her husband, that she could work in the construction industry. They suggested that she apply for a different skills training course more suitable to her gender, but she was firm in her resolve, no matter how scared and nervous she was on the first day of training.
“I questioned myself, how was I going to operate such heavy equipment?” Sushma recalled. “But gradually, everything became normal. There were also nine other young women trainees, so I was motivated by them. We used to cheer each other on … I took part in various training sessions which helped boost my confidence. I am proud to say that after completing a month of training, I was offered practical work experience. I worked for 15 days as a trainee. Luckily, I then received a job offer at the same place. Now, I am working as an assistant excavator operator.”
Sushma would like to obtain her heavy equipment license after she has worked for two years as an excavator operator. She is happy with her job and hopes to pay for her daughter and sisters to go to school.
“I feel happy to say that I am an excavator operator,” Sushma said. “I am one of very few women who have chosen a different profession, one mainly dominated by men … Women should get equal employment opportunities as their male counterparts in order to achieve gender equality.”
Nashira, Ghana
Growing up in Ghana, Nashira didn’t think it was possible for a woman to be an electrician. Then, she found out about Plan’s Pathways for Sustainable Enrollment for Women and Youth project, which is equipping 1,200 women and young people with the skills they need to find employment or set up their own business in Ghana’s growing construction industry.
“When I went to apply, I thought it was for men only,” Nashira said. “I didn’t think I could do it, but the staff encouraged me and said it was not meant only for men.”
[Read more: Meet the girls engineering a more sustainable future]
Nashira’s course taught her about electronics and installation, including power control, wiring and safety. “I thought electronics would be very difficult but now I can see it’s not, it’s very easy for me to learn,” Nashira said. “I was really afraid I may not be able to do this work but now am really doing it. My friends even told me I could not do it, but I was motivated to try.”
“I would like to extend my appreciation to Plan International for the opportunity to transform my life,” Nashira said. “I would encourage other women to take up male-dominated skills and challenge themselves to do it, to make a difference to their lives and to society.”
Kumala, Indonesia
Indonesia has one of the fastest-growing digital economies in Southeast Asia. But the lack of training opportunities for young people, particularly women, means that job opportunities in the tech industry are often limited to men living in urban areas.
To address this inequality, Plan developed the Work in Tech Indonesia program to provide free IT skills training to 10,000 Indonesian young people, including Kumala.
“Even though I have an educational background unrelated to technology, I was interested in starting a career in IT,” Kumala said. “I realized the importance of understanding the IT world during the COVID-19 pandemic, when all human interactions were replaced by technology.”
Participants take part in hands-on assessments that illustrate real-world IT support scenarios, and everyone who finishes the course receives an IT Support Professional Certificate that helps them enter the tech industry.
“After completing the Work in Tech program, I received a call about an internship in IT support administration,” Kumala said. “I will use this opportunity to work well and continue to develop my skills.”
“Previously, I was shy and unconfident with the work I produced,” Kumala said. “Now, I have become more confident.”
