“Leadership requires action: daring to take steps that are necessary but unpopular.”
Benazir Bhutto was a dreamer and a doer. She knew that in order to make peace you must be an uncompromising leader and yet embody compromise. She was a woman who believed in challenging the status quo, and that’s why we’re delighted to feature her as a Woman Who Dared, a change maker for her time.
Born the eldest child of a prominent politician, it would seem that Benazir was destined to lead. However, opposition was fierce and foes were many. It would take tenacity, determination and a commitment to an ideal bigger than her self to stay the course. For Benazir, that ideal was democracy.
Through house arrest, imprisonment, attempted murder and exile she persevered. Eventually she was elected as the first woman to lead a Muslim state – twice as Prime Minister.
During her time in office Benazir brought electricity to the country side and built schools all over the country. She made hunger, housing and healthcare her top priorities and worked tirelessly to continue modernizing Pakistan. However her greatest achievement may have been using her charismatic leadership to inspire her people, to see beyond their current circumstances and reach for a brighter future.
Her impact was extraordinary, but her life far too short. Just weeks before the 2008 elections, a suicide bomber snuffed out her light. She is gone but not forgotten. For her legacy continues to light the way for another generation of women who are determined to shatter the status quo.
So tell us – what are you willing to risk it all for? Will you dare to live within your destiny? We sure hope so! For the world needs more change makers like Benazir.
Hugs and Blessings ❤
PS – Share Benazir’s inspiring story via Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #Dare2BMe. Let’s set women around the world on fire with these empowering messages.
[…] force in the global fight against oppression of nearly every kind. From Harriet Tubman to Benazir Bhutto, we have raised our voices while risking life and limb so that others could be […]