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Nargiz Valiyeva

Biography

As a 16-year-old, Nargiz Valiyeva is already making waves as a passionate philanthropist and social activist in Azerbaijan. She's the driving force behind ‘Qızlarımızı Öyrədək’ (Teach Our Girls), a platform dedicated to empowering young women. Driven by a deep passion for women's rights, and inspired by her dad, Nargiz started volunteering for social change at the ripe old age of 13. Since then, she's been a powerhouse, getting involved with some seriously impactful organizations: Gender Hub Azerbaijan, HeForShe, Umud Community Center, TeachForAzerbaijan, NAYORA, AEGEE, and the Young Women Planetary Health Club. For someone so young, she's got an incredible drive to champion girls' causes.

In December 2023, Nargiz launched ‘Qızlarımızı Öyrədək,’ and Nargiz, then just 14, organized a huge library opening for girls and women. She managed to collect and donate 400 books from the public, bookstores, and universities - this showcases remarkable initiative. Her project really hit its stride when she secured a $15,000 grant from the US Embassy to provide IT literacy and psychological support to women and girls at the Umud Community Center. With that money, she bought 15 new computers, helping women of all ages get up to speed with tech. This is a massive achievement for someone so young, and it's a clear sign of the awesome impact she's going to have in the future as she continues to fight for girls' education and empowerment.

But it hasn't all been smooth sailing. Nargiz has faced her share of challenges, including overcoming social anxiety and the fear of failure. She's a real go-getter and puts a lot of pressure on herself to succeed, so dealing with setbacks like university rejections was tough. She learned that fate often has better plans.

Nargiz draws significant motivation from her father's unwavering support, particularly his emphasis on kindness, simplicity, and generosity. His advice to "be known as someone who is kind, simple, and giving" is something she really takes to heart.

Her message to the youth of Azerbaijan is pure fire: "The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me," a quote by Ayn Rand. Nargiz says, "Don't ever give up, no matter what other people say." She's all about chasing your passion until no one can stand in your way.

In the next 5-10 years, Nargiz wants to pursue a career in law or work with the United Nations, focusing on fighting for women's rights and justice. Her dream is to establish an NGO that helps disadvantaged women in Azerbaijan.

Her advice to other young professionals in her field is simple: "Be yourself and don't compare yourself to anyone else. Do what's best for you. Everyone has their own path to success; there's no one-size-fits-all rulebook."