One of our favorite blogs here at Her Culture is called Humans of New York. Created with the intention of bringing the stories from the Big Apple to the rest of the world, it has revolutionized common thinking on life, society, and culture. Right now, Brandon, the founder of Humans of New York, is traveling with the United Nations and hearing the stories of people from the furthest corners of the world. Their stories are inspiring, and their voices are empowering. Read some of our favorite picks here:

1) Ukraine

"What's your greatest struggle right now?"
"I adopted a son about six months ago. He's 3.5 years old, and we've been having difficulty with his behavior. If he was here right now, he'd be running around, pulling up plants, and hitting things with sticks. He's spent all his life in an orphanage, and was deprived of adult attention. The psychologist tells us that's the reason he's acting out."
"What's been your happiest moment with your son?"
"One morning I was standing in the kitchen, and he hugged me without me asking."

(Korzhi, Ukraine)

2) South Sudan

I found her crushing up rocks and loading them onto the back of a truck, for which she got paid just a few dollars a day. But she also told me she was enrolled in school, and had high ambitions. "Maybe I'll be President," she said, laughing.
"What would you do if you were?" I asked.
"I'd take all the children off the street, bring them somewhere, and teach them," she said. Afterwards, she wrote down her name and email, so I could send her the picture.
Her name was 'Innocent Gift.'

(Juba, South Sudan)

3) Another favorite from South Sudan

"It's tough to be a journalist in this country. I've been arrested four times. It's very difficult to get information. Government institutions are forbidden to talk to you. Ordinary people are extremely suspicious, because they think you might be security services. But it's very important work. People need to know where the oil money is going, who's benefiting from the contract, where the proceeds are being used. The ordinary person doesn't know, and has never before needed to know. For decades, people have been conditioned to the idea that only government officials can make decisions on their behalf. It will take some time for the country to learn individual responsibility. It will take time and education to teach ourselves. But I believe that education is like cleaning yourself. And I think if you come back in fifteen or twenty years, this will be a very different country. With education, the spirit of being hostile will vanish."

(Juba, South Sudan)

4) Uganda

"I've sold fish in the market for the last thirty years, because I never had the chance to go to university. Recently my daughter graduated from Makerere, which is one of the best schools in the country. When I walked through the gates to attend her graduation, I felt so happy, because I never thought I'd see the inside of a university."

(Kampala, Uganda)

See Brandon continue in his journey to hear the stories of people throughout the world by following the adventure at http://www.humansofnewyork.com/.

Julia Schemmer, 17, lives in "Horsetown U.S.A" where she participates in several AP courses, nineteen clubs, musical theater and active community service. She loves Jesus, coffee, classic literature, and life in general. After high school, she wants to pursue being an international human rights lawyer.

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