Jack Andraka (America, 1997-)
When he was just 15 years old, Jack Andraka found a cheap way to detect pancreatic cancer. After the death of a family friend from pancreatic cancer and having read some relevant scientific texts on the Internet, Jack invented a new type of sensor that can detect the presence of cancer cells.
Malala Yousafzai (Pakistan, 1997-)
At the age of 11, Malala publishes a diary about her life in Pakistan, which will capture the attention of many people around the world. Thus, Malala begins to make various speeches in which she refers mainly to the right of girls to education. In 2014, having survived an assassination attempt, Malala becomes the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Boyan Slat (Netherlands, 1994-)
At the age of 16 and while diving in Greece, Boyan was shocked by the multitude of plastics in the sea. So at the age of 18, he thought a system that would use the ocean currents, in order to collect plastics. In this way, the process of cleaning the oceans could be reduced from millennia to years.
Louis Braille (France, 1809-1852)
After a terrible accident, 3 years old Louis, went blind. However, at the age of 10 he managed to get a scholarship and study at a suitable university. There, he worked on a new system that would help the bilnd people to write and read and he presented it to his classmates at the age of 15. Thus, was created the Braille writing system, which is widely known to this day.
Nkosi Johnson (South Africa, 1989-2001)
Nkosi was born HIV-positive, from a mother who carried the virus, so she was too weak to care of him and therefore he was adopted. In 1997, a school in Johannesburg did not accept him due to his illness, so his case provoked a lot of reactions and that’s how he became known. He and his stepmother, created a shelter: “Nkosi’s Haven”, which helps mothers and their children with AIDS. Nkosi fought against discrimination that people with AIDS face and eventually died at the age of 12 due to his illness.
Amika George (United Kingdom, 1999-)
Amika finds out that many girls are unable to get the necessary hygiene products when they have their periods, so they do not attend school. Therefore, at the age of 17, she organizes a demonstration in the United Kingdom, in which 2000+ people participate. The British government finally announces that free hygiene products will be provided to all schools and colleges and Amika achieves her goal.
Ryan Hreljac (Canada, 1991-)
Six-year-old Ryan learns that children in Africa are forced to walk extremely long distances to drink water and that if this water is contaminated, they die. Shocked, he returns home and wants to change this situation. So he raises a lot of money by giving speeches to schools about the problems children face in Africa and his dream of building a well so that they can drink clean water. Today, the foundation, created by Ryan’s initiative (the “Ryan’s Well Foundation”), has built more than 800 wells that provide clean drinking water to more than 745,000 people in 16 countries.
Anna Frank ( Germany, 1929-1945)
Her diary has become one of the most widely read books in the world. Describing her harsh daily life as a Jew during the Nazi occupation, Anna gives a shocking testimony to all readers. Through her diary, we can now realize with more details, the barbarity of the Holocaust, as Anna bravely describes the situation. Her diary has been translated into over 60 languages and there have been many cinematic and theatrical adaptations.
The artwork in the photo of this post is created by: Carme Sole Vendrell and it belongs to the collection: “Why?”
You can see more of he artwork here: http://www.carmesolevendrell.com/en