Tererai Trent

"Marrying off a girl at age 11 is not marriage at all, it is rape, often people ask me how it felt. Honestly how am I supposed to feel? It is horrible having four children by the age of 18. Honestly what am I supposed to say? However, I maintain that I am not a victim; I am part of the solution."

"These girls are married off before they are able to define themselves. I come from this line of women who have been married very young before they could define the lives they wanted for themselves."

"Wherever you are in life, despite challenges and difficulties, your dreams will always call you and remind you who you are and what you want to become."

"I am incredibly honored to be standing among the World’s Top 10 Most Inspiring Women ‘Sculpted for Equal Rights’! Can you believe this rural Zimbabwean girl and just looking back where I came from to think I will have a life size statue standing in the streets of NYC! My goodness! The list includes Oprah Winfrey, Pink, Nicole Kidman, Jane Goodall, Cate Blanchett, Janet Mock, Tracy Dyson, Cheryl Strayed and Gabby Douglas."

"I am just humbled- it is unbelievable. Can you believe I am standing so tall in New York City? We know that 3% of statues in the city are female. My great-grandmother, my grandmother, my mother - ha - they would never have dreamt of something like this."

""Your dreams in life will have deeper meaning when they are tied to the greater good.”"

"We are strong already, but together we are stronger."

"As a child growing up in poverty, I witnessed how community consistently prioritize boys over girls in education because they felt boys had more chances to get job opportunities, These experiences made me want to write a story that decisively validates the value of giving educational opportunities to girls."

"Zimbabwean humanitarian, scholar, educator, and author, Dr Tererai Trent is one of the world’s most internationally recognized voices for quality education and women’s empowerment."

"Even after becoming a child bride who had three children by the time she was eighteen, Trent eventually earned multiple degrees, and a prominent global platform. A platform where she has interacted with world leaders and international businesses and audiences to advocate for universal access to quality education."

"The President said the nation is proud of her work of promoting equality and empowerment for girls and women. "Congratulations @TereraiTrent who has been honoured as one of the 10 most inspiring women in the world, part of the "Sculpted for Equal Rights" initiative. All the people of Zimbabwe are deeply proud of you & your work in promoting equality & empowerment for girls & women," the President wrote."