Tanzania, April 22 -- There is a pivotal point in one's life when a decision is made that changes one's trajectory.

For Joyce Msuya, the turning point was when her parents advised her to take science subjects in secondary school.

"I thought I would be a doctor; one of my brothers is, but I realised I didn't like seeing blood," she recalls.

It's that scientific foundation that has set Joyce's trailblazing career in international institutions, from the World Bank to her current role in the United Nations as Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator. She has broken many glass ceilings.

She is the epitome of the possibility of what investing in a girl's education can achieve.

Joyce, a fi...