08 maart 2018: Photo and words by @hannahreyesmorales (Hannah Reyes Morales) | A Filipino girl, fondly called Puti by loved ones, climbs a tree branch in Tondo, home to hundreds of thousands of shanty dwellers. 'My dream is to become queen,' she proudly declares, in Tagalog. She tells me this is her favorite dress. 'It is beautiful when my papa washes it.' Her father collects coal for a living.
This International Women's Day, my greatest hope is for the future of girls like Puti, whose dreams are boundless but whose opportunities are sparse. I know she will craft a life with the little she's been given, but today I am thinking about the greater heights she can climb if more opportunities were available to her. Happy Women's Day, everyone - there is so much to hope for, and so much work yet to be done.
#PressforProgress #InternationalWomensDay #IWD2018 #WomensHistoryMonth #NatGeoWomen