Leymah Gbowee

How a young girl went from having 4 children out of wedlock, to receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.

One of the most incredible stories of personal transformation and the power of education that I've ever read is the story of Leymah Gbowee. By the age of 13, Leymah was a schoolgirl with a dream. By the age of 17, the war had turned her country's right side down. By the age of 27, she was a mother of 4 without a husband. They were children conceived out of wedlock.

By the age of 39, Leymah Gbowee had won the Noble Prize along with several other awards!

What happened?

Leymah Gbowee's life had been disrupted by war and by a pregnancy at a teenage. She was at point zero several times. She knew what it means to leave home and live in a foreign country suffering from a marriage she didn't want. One day, she woke up and returned home with nothing except her children. She got involved with a religious NGO that was working on trauma healing. Although she didn't attend a formal school, her informal education through the NGO built her mental capacity greatly. She eventually began to aspire for real formal schooling. At a point, the management of the NGO realized she was an intelligent lady and gave her more responsibilities. Leymah the leader was born there. Through many informal roles, she accumulated knowledge and skills that she will use to mobilize the women of Liberia to agitate for peace.

In 2011, that same woman whose life was once without direction became a Nobel Prize Winner.

Leymah will go on to obtain a formal degree, Masters's Degree, and a Ph.D.

Che Guevara said, "The first duty of a revolutionary is to get an education".

Leymah Gbowee has written an autobiography titled “Mighty Be Our Powers”.