Earlier this week, on July 6, the world turned its attention to rural communities on...
Earlier this week, on July 6, the world turned its attention to rural communities on...
By 9 years old, in grade 6, I was already used to the rigidity of...
IRC team posing for a photo during the IGNITE inception workshop
Earlier this week, on July 6, the world turned its attention to rural communities on World Rural Development Day. The MarBen Foundation, an IGNITE grantee partner, works with rural communities, specifically adolescent girls and other youth, every day and marks World Rural Development Day by bringing attention to their work through Project Inspire
Rural communities are often celebrated for their natural beauty, quiet serenity, and close-knit culture. Yet, behind this charm lies a stark reality: about 43% of the world’s population lives in rural areas, often far removed from the opportunities that foster a higher quality of life. In many of these places, necessities like electricity, clean water, good roads, and quality education remain out of reach, mere aspirations for the children and families who call these places home.
Rural realities mean that the odds are stacked against youth, especially adolescent girls, who often bear the brunt of generational poverty, limited exposure, and systemic neglect.
In such communities, the MarBen Foundation, which has worked for years with rural youth, especially adolescent girls, has repeatedly seen a concerning pattern of complacency born from hopelessness. While some constantly strive to rise above the contexts in which they live, too many brilliant minds have stopped dreaming, instead believing that struggle is permanent and change is impossible. It was in response to this quiet crisis that “Project Inspire” was born.
On the surface, Project Inspire is a mobile cinema; at MarBen, we often refer to it as “Bringing Netflix to Villages”. In reality, it is so much more because it is bringing cinema to rural areas with a purpose. It is a moving classroom of hope, lighting up open fields and village squares with stories that change lives. Through the power of film, we take young people on journeys that inspire and challenge their status quo.
We carefully select movies like Queen of Katwe and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, which tell the stories of real young people from poor and remote communities who dared to dream. These are not fictional heroes; they are young, disadvantaged, and deeply relatable to the audiences we serve. They simply chose to champion change within their communities.
By connecting to these stories, rural adolescents do not just watch; they see a different future for themselves. They begin to believe again. If William from The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind could build a windmill with scraps and save his village, why can’t they build solutions too? If Phiona, Queen of Katwe, could master chess and buy a home for her mother, why not them?
These stories are creating shifts in the minds of rural youth and awakening something powerful within them: hope. A teenage girl from Manang stood up after one screening and said, “If William can do it, so will I. I will keep chasing my dreams and never get tired.” In Kasuwa Bera, a young girl declared, “Phiona inspired me. I want to buy a house for my mother too.”
These are just two of the over 1,000 people across 9 rural communities in Nigeria that Project Inspire has reached in just a few months.
These are not just movie reviews; they are mindset shifts. While in Jen, a young man shared, “The movie taught me to stop complaining when I see a problem; I’ll start finding solutions instead.” This might sound small, but MarBen, we see the early signs of a new kind of revolution where purpose replaces passivity and dreams replace despair.
Through Project Inspire, movies are catalysts for transformation. They are opening eyes, stirring ambitions, and planting seeds of possibility in places the world often overlooks. Across the villages we visit, young people are beginning to see life through a new lens where they are not victims of circumstance but authors of their own stories.
Project Inspire is a reminder that where you are from should never limit where you can go and of what is possible when we invest in rural youth not just with infrastructure, but with inspiration. When young people are given the tools to imagine, to dream, and to lead, they become the change makers their communities need.
On World Rural Development Day, we reaffirm our commitment to unlocking the potential of rural youth, equipping them not only to survive but to thrive, because every village holds a William, every girl carries the potential of a Phiona, and every story – when ignited with hope – can transform the future.
Inspiring Girls and Grassroots Networks for Inclusive and Transformative Education (IGNITE) is a 36-month project that aims to amplify the voices and agency of feminist-led CSOs and adolescent girls to subvert gender-related social norms that hinder girls’ participation in education and promote girls’ social inclusion and empowerment.
©2025, Inspiring Girls and Grassroot Networks for Inclusive and Transformative Education (IGNITE). All Rights Reserved.
