Photos celebrate the glory of girls on 'International Day of the Girl'

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Alexander Jesus González Rodríguez, left, and his daughter Yefreannys Isamar Muñoz López, right, work on math equations near the Paso del Norte Bridge between the United States and Mexico where they spend time during the day as they wait for their appointment via the CBP One app in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico on June 30, 2023. (Photo by Danielle Villasana for The Washington Post)

This father-daughter moment is actually ... homework. Alexander Jesus González Rodríguez and his daughter Yefreannys Isamar Muñoz López of Venezuela work on math equations near the Paso del Norte Bridge between the United States and Mexico. In this 2023 photograph, they were waiting for an appointment with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection representatives. Danielle Villasana/For The Washington Post hide caption

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Danielle Villasana/For The Washington Post

From the slight smile on Yefreannys Isamar Muñoz López's face, it might be a surprise to learn that she is working on math equations with her dad. The photo was made after they had trekked hundreds of miles from Venezuela to the United States-Mexico border, awaiting their immigration appointment.

Yefreannys is one of many girls photojournalist Danielle Villasana has met over the last decade as she's traveled the globe, capturing images that show how girls and young women persist in spite of the issues and inequalities they face.

Villasana remembers: "She was just so happy, so full of joy, not complaining, not upset."

It's a picture that resonates on October 11 – the International Day of the Girl on the United Nations calendar of special days. Dedicating a day to girls, according to the U.N., serves as a "rallying cry to see girls for who they truly are, to listen to their voices and to recognize their limitless potential."

We're featuring a selection of photos from Villasana's body of work over the years.

Villasana says she is in awe of the strong spirit of the girls she's encountered. "I've met girls and women who have been kidnapped by militants or faced gender-based violence when migrating, who have camped in vans going across hundreds of miles. It's just amazing that the women and girls can keep pushing forward despite these incredible, really unthinkable challenges."

"I think when given opportunity and support and education and resources," she says, "women and girls are unstoppable." That's the message she hopes to send with her photographs.

Judith Paola, 10, Nely Chambilla Huayta, 8, and Lisseth Carola Paredes Laura, 9. Out of 151 water samples recently taken by the World Health Organization throughout Peru, more than 75 percent exceed the recommended limit. In Huanucollo the arsenic level is nearly 50 times above the WHO-recommended level. Scientists estimate about 14 million people in Latin America are exposed to drinking water with unsafe levels of arsenic.

Elementary students in Peru take a break from their studies to hang out with a llama. They live in a community facing high levels of arsenic in their water supply. Danielle Villasana hide caption

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Danielle Villasana

Girls run in a field of poppies along the road to the monastery of Sapara in Georgia. Danielle Villasana hide caption

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Danielle Villasana

Young girls read and write at at the Fufore IDP camp in Yola, Nigeria, on Oct. 7, 2016.

It's lesson time at a camp for internally displaced people in Yola, Nigeria. Danielle Villasana hide caption

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Danielle Villasana

On Aug. 8, 2016, in Izmir, Turkey, children play outside an abandoned warehouse that houses Syrian refugees who work in migrant labor camps for roughly $8 a day. Because the migrant camps move with the harvests, there are no solid structures and no sewage or drainage systems. Thousands of Syrian refugees who have been smuggled into Turkey from Syria are recruited to work as migrant laborers on farms scattered throughout Turkey, with promise of accommodations and pay. Upon arrival, however, their new “homes” lack adequate facilities such as bathrooms, bedrooms or drainage and sewer systems. The unsuitable living conditions cause many health issues, which can be especially challenging for women and children.

Syrian refugees in a migrant camp in Izmir, Turkey, where their parents worked as farm laborers. Conditions in these temporary camps were challenging. Danielle Villasana/Redux hide caption

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Danielle Villasana/Redux

Children play in the community of La Joya near Puerto Maldonado, Peru, on Aug. 26, 2015. A newly constructed highway and lax land right laws have led to deforestation and mass migration in southeastern Peru.

Children play in the community of La Joya near Puerto Maldonado, Peru — an area that was disrupted by highway construction. Danielle Villasana/Redux hide caption

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Danielle Villasana/Redux