For International Women's Day 2020 FTA interviews Violet Chanza Black, gender research assistant at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, about her personal struggles to obtain equal education. Listen to her explain how educating a girl can be seen a risk rather than a fundamental right. Her determination to deserve equal education ultimately brought her to achieve an MSc in Development Economics, majoring in Human Development and Food Security from the University of Roma Tre. Violet was born in Mulanje, Malawi (Rural). We hope that her story will inspire women and men across the world. Educating a girl should never be optional!