“When a girl is educated she can have a job, which she can use to generate income. She can also become a teacher, a doctor or a nurse who can come back and support her community. And because of this, more parents and girls will become encouraged and they will seek education and go further. “

Mai Unguwa Ali Abdullahi, Chief of Tsamiya Goma village in Jigawa State, Nigeria, knows the power of education.

As leader of his community, he is dedicated to making villagers aware of the importance of sending children to school. When a nearby river used to cut off the village access to the nearest town—and school—he would carry children across on his back, one by one. Now, they have a canoe.

Education is a priority for his whole family, including his 8-year-old granddaughter Mariam Isah. He hopes she will become a doctor, but she wants to be a teacher and “help other children to learn.”

Whatever path she chooses, she knows that her family and community want to see all girls and boys complete their schooling so that they can have the potential to fulfill their dreams.