This year, a wildlife activist and a social entrepreneur from Vietnam made BBC’s list of 100 women epitomizing “The Female Future.”
BBC 100 Women is an annual list first compiled by the British broadcaster in 2013. It highlights women whose life and work provide inspiration to a global audience. The honorees are selected from a wide array of fields, including diplomats, monks, climate change activists and athletes. According to the BBC, it goes through headlines worldwide to pick out stories that have positive impacts, or stories that need to be told on a global platform.
In 2019, the list revolves around a theme of “The Female Future,” looking at visionary women who have and will shape our history through their work. “Futurism - the act of predicting and shaping the future - is dominated by men,” BBC writes in the description. “But we're asking: What would the future look like if it were driven by women?”
This year’s list features 100 women from 58 countries with an age range of 15–98, including two from Vietnam: Nguyen Thi Thu Trang and Nguyen Thi Van. The list is divided into six main categories: earth, knowledge, leadership, sport, creativity, and identity.
Trang, 29, has been involved in wildlife protection since she was 16 years old. She holds a PhD in Biodiversity Management and founded WildAct, a non-profit dedicated to monitoring the illegal wildlife trade and educating young conservationists. She has worked on wildlife projects in Vietnam, Cambodia, South Africa, Madagascar, Kenya, and more. Most recently, WildAct collaborated with Vinh University to launch Vietnam’s first postgraduate course on combating animal trafficking.
Nguyen Thi Van was born healthy, but gradually developed spinal muscular atrophy and now uses a wheelchair to get around. After her brother, who founded the Nghi Luc Song (Will to Live) center, passed away, she took over the management of the school, which provides vocational training to people living with disabilities. Then, with just US$5,000, she founded the social enterprise Imagtor, a company specializing in providing digital services for real estate projects. The majority of her staff in the new venture are also disabled.
BBC 100 Women 2019 also includes high-profile names such as US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, climate change activist Greta Thunberg and US footballer Megan Rapinoe. See the full list here.
[Top image via Thoi Dai and Forbes]
