Two Teen-Aged Canadian Sisters Changing The World: Meet Susanna and Linda Manziaris

While most teen-aged girls these days are busy snap chatting and instagramming with friends, two Canadian sisters are working together to build schools and provide scholarships to destitute girls throughout the world.

Meet Toronto natives Linda and Susanna Manziaris— working together while each doing their part to change the world— and succeeding.

Linda, 14, is a designer and entrepreneur who designs her own jewelry line called Body Bijou. She makes body chains, leg jewelry, hip chains and the typical bracelets and necklaces and sells her products online. She gives 50% of her profits to GirlsHelpingGirls, a charity that her 18-year-old sister Susanna founded.

Through the efforts of the two sisters, more than $100,000 has been raised and 25 scholarships have been offered to girls in South Africa, Afghanistan and Haiti. Add to this feat the complete building of three schools in Jamaica and teacher training in Afghanistan.

On a mission in Africa

The efforts of these two teens is nothing short of remarkable and they are attracting local and international media.

Susanna watched a powerful documentary called “I Am A Girl” which tells the stories of six teenage girls growing up in different parts of the world. The film, which deals with the issue of gendercide or the killing of infant girls, changed her life.

“I saw that girls were being killed around the world just because they were girls, and I didn’t understand why. And that was my motivation to start my project,” she told CBC News. “I researched gendercide and came to the conclusion that a lack of education is what’s holding women back.”

The remarkable Manziaris twins at work in Africa

A visit to Kenya confirmed what Susanna already thought to be true— that even in young kids, a tremendous gender inequality and lack of education created start differences amongst young girls.

“The girls who were going to school all wanted to become journalists and teachers, while the other girls were stuck in a life of poverty and they didn’t have the ability to see what was out there,” she said.

Susanna and Linda in Jamaica

Susanna launched her charity GirlsHelpingGirls, and began awareness and fundraising campaigns to spread the word about her cause and the plight of girls in various countries throughout the world.

Her sister Linda donated $15,000 from her jewelry business to jump start GirlsHelpingGirls and continues with regular donations from her company’s profits. To date, they’ve raised $100,000 for educational projects around the world.