Waking up to Racism and White Privilege

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Yes, I am one of those white people who would say I am not racist. I don't believe I have ever treated someone less favourably on the basis of their skin colour and therefore how does racism apply to me? However, what I have been realising over the last week is that I haven't really considered racism too much. I haven't had to in my life, it hasn't been a feature and I now know that amounts to white privilege.

I'll be honest, I didn't realise racism was an issue that I needed to make my business. If I wasn't oppressing black people, holding them back or being derogatory and hurtful, then why did I need to think about racism, or champion the rights of BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) people?

My husband and I are both inclusive and happy to be around, work with, befriend and live with people from other races and those who have a skin colour different to our own. I've led inclusivity and diversity training quite a number of times in my past job role and I'd have considered myself abreast or many discrimination issues. I'm a HR Manager by trade and this means I have to be aware of and encouraging inclusivity. I have no problem with positive action, and I've employed people on the basis that our workforce was not an accurate representation of the community we served.

However, I now see how narrow my tunnel of vision has been for most of my life. Just because I wasn't treating people differently, it doesn't mean that the system wasn't. Yes, I've heard statistics of how BAME people are less likely to rise up the ranks in employment or have access to higher education, but I didn't really get why.

All Pregnant Women Deserve Good Care #DifferentPathChallenge

{This is a collaborative post}

When you're pregnant and expecting a baby, the one thing that every woman wants is for that baby to be born healthy, in a safe environment.  We all share in this basic right, every woman being the same. Where you live shouldn't be a factor as to whether that child lives or dies, or in fact, whether you live or die. There is recourse for you, your child, and your family should the unthinkable occur and result in a birth injury. Should that happen, it is important to know that there are empathetic Birth Injury Solicitors in this country who are available to guide you and help you every step of the way.

In Togo, West Africa, 1 in every 20 babies (1) will die before their first birthday. This is the equivalent of you going to your local toddler group and knowing that one or two of those babies won't be here in the next year. Just think how shocking that would be, thankfully in the UK, it isn't every week we hear of a baby dying.

In the UK our figures are quite different, with only 1 in 250 babies (1) not surviving their first birthday. So what's the difference, why are those babies in Togo not surviving? The quick answer is poverty, most families can not afford to access good healthcare or buy enough food. This means birth complications, infections and malnutrition are responsible for claiming far too many little lives.

I don't want to linger on these sad facts for too long though, as us being sad doesn't actually help anyone. What does help, is us using what we have to donate to programs that make a difference to these mothers. Compassion (a charity I have been supporting on a monthly basis for around 15 years) has 1520 Child Survival projects worldwide, with 52 of these being in Togo.

Join #TeamMum to Help Women gain Breastfeeding Support in Meru, Kenya

Any mother will know that breastfeeding isn't always an easy journey. Yes, I think we all understand that in most circumstances it really is the best thing, and of course when you're in a country that can't guarantee a good, clean water supply it becomes even more improtant, but it can still be super difficult.

I was lucky enough to attend breastfeeding classes run by the NHS, along with NCT antenatal classes when I was pregnant with JJ. I can honestly say that these classes made the world of difference to me. When I was in hospital after my C-section and I couldn't get JJ to latch on properly I remembered all I had learnt at the classes and had the confidence to persevere and seek out help. We then had a good few months of successful and enjoyable breastfeeding.

With girls the situation was different, as tandem breastfeeding is quite a skill and add a toddler in the mix and you are pretty busy and quite a demand on your time. But again, I had the help of the local breastfeding counsellor and my health visitors to help me, enocurage me and find the right way through for my family.

#TeamMum are Creating Pregnancy Support Groups in Meru, Kenya - Join Us?

Long term readers of this blog will know that back in 2004 I had an awakening, I'd definitely say it was a spiritual one. For 31 years I'd merilly gone along believeing that charity started at home and burying my head firmly in the sand. Then after becoming a Christian it was as if the blinkers were lifted as I started to see all the injustice in the world.

And you can't see it without it impacting you, so my husband and I started to do what we could, small steps - sponsoring a child abroad, helping with Christian Aid collections at church, giving our time and money where we could, around our work and family.

Then in 2011 my passion and fight intensified and I could see the difference that coming together with other bloggers makes. Each of us making a tiny ripple in a sea of change and those ripples, coming together and creating a wave and ultimately a long-term tidal wave of change that is necessary to erradicate extreme poverty.

Sadly this isn't a sprint, the journey towards an end to extreme poverty is very much a marathan, and one I want to remain in training for. I've realised that my heart is breaking for those who live in extreme poverty, especially women and children, and Africia is the continent that I particulalry have a heart for.

International Day of the Girl - Advice to my Teenage Self #AdviceforGirls

Sorry for the image quality but when you are dealing with pictures taken in 1990 before the digital camera was even around, you tend to find they aren't the best quality. The above is me aged 17 years; I'm on holiday in Corfu with my (then) boyfriend. 

Today, on International Day of the Girl Compassion UK asked me to share a picture of myself aged 15 years old and I didn't have one to hand, this is as long ago as I can access, so it will have to do. The idea is to share the advice I would give to my teenage self, so here goes....

Hey Mich, You're just a teenager still and already you have been on a number of diets and berated yourself for the way you look, but come on... just take a good look at that image above, you are gorgeous, you are brilliant and you are filled with potential. 

What I want you to know is that you are so much more than a body and a face. Please don't take any notice of what you see in the magazines, what you overhear the popular girls say about you, what the boys at the youth club or at school whisper about you, or even what you hear well-meaning relatives say when they think you're not listening. You are amazing!

In Psalm 139 God tells you that He knows you, inside and out, that He sees you, that you are fearfully and wonderfully made and that most importantly, you can never escape Him or His love for you. You don't need to meet societies expectations for beauty, because you already meet Gods. 

Mich, you are enough. God knows it, you need to believe it and live it. Please don't waste your time striving to be thinner, to be browner, to fit in or to be liked. Be uniquely you Mich, that is how God made you and He doesn't make mistakes. 

Have you got any idea how well this body will serve you in life? It will carry you to Ethiopia, Belarus and Washington as an advocate and activist working to help put an end to extreme poverty. It will birth three amazing and unique little beings. It will be a friend to many and help dozens of people, as a friend, volunteer and co-worker. 

Please don't waste another minute worrying Mich. God tells you not to be anxious  but to present your requests to Him in prayer and thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6-7). So the best thing you could do, right now, aged 17 years old is turn your life over to Christ and come to know His never-ending love for you.

He's got your back Mich! Just believe it.......

Of course today, many girls the world over, are worrying about their body and their beauty, just like I did and have done for many, many years. But as well as these kinds of worries like |I had, there are also girls in so many countries who are worrying about much bigger issues, like where to get clean water or their next meal from, or perhaps who their husband will be when they marry at age 15 or 16.

Research from NGO Save the Children showed that Brazil is the worst country in South America in terms of girls development opportunities. It scores 102 out of 144 countries and the data is based on teenage marriage, teenage pregnancy and those girls completing secondary education.

Given these facts, Compassion UK chooses Brazil as the focus for their Handbook for Girls campaign, which is hoping to educate teenage girls there and change the amount of them dropping out of education early.

Image thanks to Compassion UK

Launched this summer, the campaign aims to raise £20,000 so that all 10,000 girls in Compassion's church-based projects in Brazil receive a Handbook with vital information on health, education, relationships and employment. The Handbooks are being developed by Compassion Brazil’s programme staff in partnership with child development experts, including psychologists and education professionals, and are aimed at girls aged 12-20 years.

What’s more, church partners will receive training in how best to support girls in the topics covered in the Handbook and boys will participate in workshops on the value of women. Each book costs just £2 to produce and distribute, which I think is a great use of such little money.

If you think what Compassion are doing in Brazil is important then I'd urge you to text EMPOWER to 70140 to give £4 and change the life of two girls in Brazil and visit Compassion UK for more information and the text-to-donate terms and conditions. 

Thanks for getting involved friends. It might not seem a lot we can do from the comfort of our warm homes here in the UK, but as I always maintain, every small action adds up and creates a ripple of change that one day will be so big it makes a monumental difference.

Taking my Sight for Granted on World Sight Day #WSD2017

Today is World Sight Day and I have an admission to make - I rarely think about the privilege that it is to be able to see the world in glorious colour. I take my eye sight completely for granted, I am so lucky to have been born in a country where healthcare and eye-care is free for every child. Of course the same can't be said for many living in the poorest parts of Africa. I recall when I was visiting Ethiopia just how many people I met who had numerous eye problems such as cataracts and these problems adversely affect their life in a massive way.

This years theme for World Sight Day is #MakeVisionCount and they are raising awareness that around 285 million people worldwide are visually impaired and that around 80% of those people are suffering from blindness or visual impairment due to a preventable cause (1).

I have no real idea of the impact blindness would cause on my every day life, so yesterday afternoon I did something simple and put on a blindfold and tried to navigate my house. It was after school so the kids were there if I needed them and I told them to just treat me as normal. I managed a trip to the loo on my own and I could do that OK although I have to admit I found it very scary living in the darkness, even only for a short time.

Just as I was about to come out I heard one of my girls calling my name and it was pretty shocking that I couldn't actually tell which of my twins it was. When I identified it was Miss E she said come and help me with my maths homework mum and normally I help her read the questions as she is dyslexic and it can take her a while but of course I couldn't do that. I had to ask my son to help her. Then my other daughter asked for a snack and could she have a cream cheese and ham wrap? I decided to attempt this without my sight as I wouldn't be using a sharp knife or such and it was fine but it took me twice as long, was pretty messy and she ended up with chicken slices rather than ham.

Stepping out of my comfort zone for women everywhere. #IWD2017

This morning I'm off to my local MP's office to deliver an open letter from @onegirlswomen urging #huwmerriman to speak up in parliament for girls and women everywhere. 130 million girls worldwide are currently denied an education. THIS IS NOT OK. Change needs to happen. Today's #1goodthing is being able to make a stand/ be a voice for others

A post shared by Michelle Pannell (@michelletwinmum) on Mar 3, 2017 at 1:17am PST

Today is international women's day and there is no way I could let this day go by without writing about the injustice that many women face in our world. I've learnt from my Nan and Mum how different things were for women in their day and still even now there are barriers for women in the UK to achieve the same as men but that's not what I'm writing about today.

I understand it is annoying or even infuriating that we can't earn the same wage as a man, achieve the highest level jobs or gain access to some exclusive clubs but compare that to girls and women in many countries not being able to access education, work in many professions, vote, own a home, inherit land or feel safe and the plight of equality for women in the U.K. pales considerably. There are women fighting and championing for this cause and that is right, as we all have our own passions and causes that set us alight.

My passion, the one that breaks my heart is for all those living in extreme poverty in developing countries. Yes, some of these countries many look rich on the face of it but I can't ignore their people as 'they are not helping themselves'. We all know the old saying 'the rich get richer and the poor get poorer' and it breaks my heart that it is often true. You might have seen that in 2012 I travelled to Ethiopia with ONE (the most amazing campaigning and advocacy organisation, seeking to see an end to extreme poverty) to see the difference that British and US aid made to the people there. It was a trip I'll never forget and one day I pray I'll get to take more trips to developing countries where I can offer my assistance, love and prayers.

Can you Give-up a Tub of Quality Street to help the Homeless this Christmas?

I wrote in my other blog recently how I'm going to be helping at a pop-up winter night shelter over the next few months. It's not something I've done before and truth be told I don't feel that equipped to do it but I know that after I've attended the training I'll feel more confident and to be honest, with God by my side I'll be able to do anything that is required of me.

Whilst I'm focusing my (small) helping efforts here, others have it so much worse. Can you imagine having no place to sleep and then the temperature drops to minus 9 and stays at that temperature? Back in 2012 I travelled to Minsk in Belarus for a week with the charity campaign Operation Christmas Child. Our remit there was to deliver shoe box gifts to those in need and as such I saw a great deal of poverty and met many children living in orphanages.

As I read some of the stories that MissionWithout Borders (MWB) have shared with me for their Street Mercy Project I was transported back to my time in Minsk and meeting all those gorgeous kids who were living in homes with holes in the roof (literally) and having to deal with the issues of abandonment and neglect by parents who have been driven to binge on cheap home brewed 100% proof vodka.

8 Reasons Not to Take Part in a Shoe Box Appeal (Operation Christmas Child)

Christmas, it is a time for giving and for receiving but for me, much more than that it is a time of goodwill, for thinking of others, for being generous and for reaching out.

You'll see lots of blog posts at this time of year from people taking part in shoe box Christmas gift schemes (particularly Operation Christmas Child) and your children might come home from school, church or something like brownies with a leaflet asking you to help and make a shoebox of gifts for a child, family or elderly person in need.

What do you do with this leaflet? That request from your children? Because let's be honest most kids want to get involved, their heart is to do something kind.

Do you bin the leaflet and hope your kid will forget? Do you tell them 'No, we are not getting involved as that charity is making kids become Christians'? Do you quickly remember how low your bank balance is and decide that £10 would be better off spent on your own child? Or maybe you adopt that age-old opinion, that charity starts at home.

Let's be honest, it is completely up to you what you do. No-one has to do anything they do not want to and no-one has the right to judge you for your choices. You just have to be happy yourself with what you choose to do or as the case may be, don't do.

It's the Global Fund Replenishment Today, Should You Care? #Girlseverywhere

I suspect many of you reading this are wondering what the Global Fund is and that is OK, as it is not necessarily something that Joe Average knows about. I only know as the amazing people at ONE helped to peel the scales back from my eyes and now I actively seek out information about the positive steps being taken towards a fairer world where extreme poverty is being eradicated and preventable diseases minimised. 

Let me explain a little - The Global Fund is a public, private partnership, where Governments, companies, consumers (via the RED brand) and private donors come together to pledge money into the fund that specifically fights HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.

Blogging: Not Always Easy but it can Change Your Life!

In Ethiopia with BritMums Jen Howze, supermodel Maya Haile and Cherry Friedmeyer, Director of Women at Risk

Having been blogging since 2008 it is now easy to see that the same things come up time and time again. Every 18 months or so you get a few bitchy people who are jealous of the opportunities that other bloggers have been offered and they start to stir up ill feeling. You see posts, tweets and general ill feeling towards a few, often the very successful few and sometimes the most vulnerable. It is so depressing.

The accusations of cliques (or more recently tribes) begin to flow and many bloggers start to question why they are doing it. 'Who needs this kind of controversy and animosity?', 'I only started my blog as a memory trove for my family' and 'thats it, I'm out of here' are the kind of statements you see shared. Sadly I've seen dozens of really decent bloggers stop writing and sharing because others have targeted them.

Yet here I am eight years on and the nasty trolls didn't manage to scare me away. I've had two particularly bad blogging times when I easily could have thrown the towel in, but no, I'm still here. I'm not sure what has made me so resilient, maybe it is my faith or maybe it is because I believe I am doing important work.

Can You Transform a Child's Future? #GiveABackPack

I don't expect you realised that being the kind of person who reads this blog that you have the power to change a child's future.

Not just change it but transform it and make it better. In fact help it alter beyond recognition. And I'm not talking about a child that is your own. As parents we tend to realise that we can help shape the course of our children's futures. I'm talking about giving hope, dignity and the knowledge that someone believes in them to a child living in difficult conditions in Eastern Europe.

We tend to take education for granted here, it is standard for all kids in the UK to attend school five days a week and the implications are pretty high if we let our kids skip school. But life is very different elsewhere and it is universally acknowledged that education (especially for girls) can be the difference between a family staying in a cycle of poverty and no prospects and a young adult being able to break free from their chains and gain a valuable job with a bright future.

I'll Raise My Voice for You #PovertyisSexist #PledgeForParity

....and you .... and you.  Yes I'll raise my voice for all women and girls the world over and that is not because I'm a staunch feminist, it is because it is the right thing to do, whether you are male or female.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. 

(Proverbs 31:8–9 NIV) 

Image Credit: Karen Walrond for ONE

Look at these girls above, they are all aged between 10 - 15 and are part of the Bright Future project in the Merkato slums in Addis Abba, Ethiopia. I wrote about them back in 2012 when I visited Ethiopia with ONE to see the living proof that international aid really does work.

They are a beautiful group of girls, so full of life and hope but each one of them had a devastating story to tell us of how they came to be a part of this project - slave labour, gender based violence, sent away by their parents to earn for the family but it hadn't worked out and deaths of parents to preventable diseases and HIV/ Aids. They were so excited to hear that the group of western women who had visited them would go away and share their stories and people across the world would know what was happening to girls and women in Ethiopia.

We all know there are both men and women the world over who are passed by, shoved aside and not given the respect or dignity they deserve but the statistics tell us that women and girls fare far worse than their male counterparts in all parts of the world, especially where poverty is at its most evident.

Last year I wrote about the #PovertyisSexist report launched by ONE, this demonstrated two truths:

1. Poverty and gender inequality go hand-in-hand. In 2016 half a billion women still cannot read, 62 million girls are denied an education and 155 countries still have laws that differentiate between men and women. 
2. Yet, ironically perhaps, it is widely accepted that investing in girls and women lifts everyone out of poverty more quickly. So it really does seem like a no-brainer, doesn't it?  Ensure women and girls in the world poorest countries receive investment and the countries start to lift themselves out of devastation. 

I look at that graphic there on the left and if I'm honest it makes my stomach churn. How can it be that in 2016 there is nowhere on earth where women have as many opportunities as men? Gender parity is of course the focus of International Women's Day today, but we are not fighting for a world where women are treated better or differently from men, just one where we are given equal opportunity and judged on our merits rather than our ability to have children or our body parts.

Furthering the cause to ensure that men and women are equals is of course a good thing but I am fearful that many people only consider the issues affecting those of us in the developed world. Like the glass ceiling on the corporate arena or the lack of female political leaders.

There are girls and women in the poorest countries that cannot go to school, own land, speak in front of a group or men or give birth with dignity as they are denied these rights purely because they are a woman. It's an outrage, right?

As I was reading the new 2016 Poverty is Sexist report from ONE, I came across the following statement and this hit me so powerfully -

If you care about gender equity here, care about it everywhere.

It's simple. It's time we all looked outside of our own lives and offered some help to those who need it most.

How to get involved

1. Sign the petition and urge world leaders to put girls and women in developing countries at the top of their agenda. It takes just seconds - http://bit.ly/1Qz7kdy

2. Share the petition on any of your social media channels. After you sign, there are very easy share buttons that you can press and help spread the word.

Of course there is loads more you can do if you want to. Go ahead and write a blog to encourage others to share, meet your local MP, talk to your friends, host a coffee morning, inform the students at your school during assembly, give a presentation at the local W.I. meeting. Whatever works for you, just don't let all the voiceless girls and women go on being unheard. They all have powerful stories and we need to stand with them.

And if you want more information then read the open letter to our world leaders and also the full Poverty is Sexist report which is just launched today - You can find them here.

Thanks for any help you can give. With blessings, Mich x

I'm linking this post up with Lucy over at Lulastic and the Hippyshake for her International Women's Day 2016 blog linkup. Hop over and have a read of the many varied and inspirational blog posts there.

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U2 at The O2 - Inspired to Speak Out

I've been working with the NGO (non-governmental organisation) ONE for a few years now and my passion for the work they do continues to increase day by day. As they are not a charity seeking funding but a grassroots campaigning and advocacy organisation they suit me much better as a partner. I'm more comfortable giving voice to issues and allowing my voice to speak on behalf of those who can't be heard than I am at raising money.

One of the founders of ONE is Bono, the lead singer of U2 and as such my husband and I ended up as guests of ONE at the U2 concert at The O2 this week. To say it was good is a major understatement, U2 really know how to put on a show. Due to my poorly knee I had changed our standing tickets to seated ones at the last moment and this meant we were up in the Gods on the 4th floor.

Good News - There has been Progress but we need more...

Today was a historic day and sadly it pretty much passed unnoticed in the UK. I find it so hard to understand why massive things happen in the world and the UK just seems to ignore them and let it pass us by. Or it is just that the media want to focus on all the bad happening in the world and anything with potential to be really world changing is relegated to page 52?

Today the Sustainable Development Goals were ratified by the 193 member countries and that's a big deal.

Why is it a big deal?

Because change happens when people come together. Back in 2000 the Millennium Development goals were set and I'm pretty sure many of you reading this have no idea what they are but just read on to see the results of them. In 2013 the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon announced that “The Millennium Development Goals have been the most successful global anti-poverty push in history.”

The target to halve the number of people living in extreme poverty has already been reached, as have the goals for improving access to drinking water and making conditions better for the world’s 200 million people who live in slums. There have also been marked improvements in primary education and health. Progress in the response to malaria, tuberculosis and HIV has had a dramatic impact, according to the report.  

Taking HIV as an example, the level of new infections in sub-Saharan Africa fell by 25% between 2001 and 2011. The Caribbean saw an even sharper decline of more than 40% in the same period. A record 10 million people living with HIV now have access to antiretroviral treatment and there has been a significant acceleration in roll out and uptake in the last year. (1)

See, this is massive stuff we are talking about and I hope you can see why I don't want the momentum to stop and why I'm so pleased that the new sustainable development goals (known as the global goals) have now been formally adopted.

The Global Goals set out to achieve 3 extraordinary things in the next 15 years -
1. End extreme poverty.
2. Fight inequality & injustice.
3. Fix climate change.

If the goals are met, they ensure the health, safety and future of the planet for everyone on it, but if the goals are to be achieved, everyone needs to know about them. You can’t fight for your rights if you don’t know what they are and this is where today's post comes in. This is just one of a series of posts over the next 15 years publicising the goals and (I pray) sharing the successes that have come about because of them.

Wouldn't it be amazing if our children are the first generation to live in a world where no-one is hungry? That could just be 15 years away....... Mind blowing, isn't it?

Have a watch of this short video and it will put it into perspective (in a fun way) why we have to strive on and fight for a better and fairer world for everyone.



Share your #GlobalGoals Selfie
Today thousands of people around the globe are sharing a selfie to help raise awareness of the Global Goals (remember we want to make them famous, so that world leaders have to act on them and keep their promises). Choose the goal that appeals to you most (see the image of the 17 goals below), snap a picture and share it socially. You can copy and paste the text below if you like or use your own words but just make sure you tag in @theglobalgoals or use the #GlobalGoals #TellEveryone #PrayerforEveryone hashtags as appropriate.

Twitter - “I’m passionate to #telleveryone about @TheGlobalGoals Visit http://goo.gl/hFcr4x & now you take a selfie & share”

FaceBook – “I’m passionate to #telleveryone about @TheGlobalGoals. My goal is (insert your goal here) Visit http://goo.gl/hFcr4x for more information & now you take a selfie & share the goal you want to see realised”

If you want to read more about the Global Goals then head over to the website.

If you would like to blog or share details socially about the Global Goals then please do come and join our Facebook Group and you can have access to the briefing document which should allow you to share easily (or I can email it to you if you ask).

(1) Source UNAids. Org

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Friends of Faith - We need you to join together for #PrayerForEveryone

As Christians we are taught to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and every one of us who is committed to an intimate relationship with Jesus knows the power of prayer. God speaks to us in many ways, but for me none stronger than through His word and I speak to him through prayer. Not always long, deep or particularly complex prayer, mostly just chatting throughout my day. Thanking Him, asking for strength, looking for guidance, lifting His name and praying for others.

Probably one of my most common prayers to God is about the state of His world. How broken things are here, so much crime, injustice and people going hungry. Countries at war and all for no good reason. Satan and the love of money often being the root of that evil but the day will come when all will be right again. Until that day we all need to play our part in both prayer and actions to support the people who are not as fortunate as us.

Dear So and So - I'm 1 in a Million!

Dear ONE,

You are such an amazing advocacy and campaigning organisation and I'm really pleased to work with you. It is you who has shown me that everyday people like me have power. When we come together things can and do change.

Your Poverty is Sexist campaign that you launched back in March this year was provocative and pioneering but it is working. Thanks for updating me and letting me know that over 1 million people have now signed the petition and said that there must be equality between the sexes. It is not OK that millions of girls are denied an education, that hundreds of thousands of young girls are pushed into early marriage, that women cannot own the land they farm nor that so many lives are ruined through gender based violence or FGM (female genital mutilation).

I am so proud to be involved in the tireless work that you do. Thanks for believing in this small-time blogger.

Mich xx

Digital Activism - Why bother?

I can't find who to credit this picture to but thank you and let me know if it is you!

Last Saturday I was privileged to be part of a session at Britmums Live on the subject of digital activism and how it's shaping the world we live in. The 40 minutes went past way too fast and I don't feel I got to share all the information I wanted to, so here I am sharing the rest (and a few things I did get the chance to say for those of you who didn't make it to the session).First off let me reassure you that digital activism does work, it is not just slactivism or armchair activism as some people call it. I can give you so many examples of where bloggers have made a difference; we have a voice,
influence and credibility.

Digital activism works
Here is just a couple of examples - back in 2011 Chris Mosler was heading off to the US for a UN General assembly after her trip to Mozambique with Save the Children (STC). About 30 bloggers have been at a STC conference that day and at the end Hello it's Gemma and I wanted to do something to increase the amount of people who had signed the #healthworkers petition and show the UN assembly the strength of opinion on the need to fund more health workers in developing countries. So we set the challenge for bloggers to write 100 words on what their midwife meant to them and we targeted ourselves to get 100 posts live. Within 36 hours there were 164 posts shared and linked up and over a million impressions on twitter. It was an awesome time and possibly the most viral post I've ever had with in excess of 35,000 hits on that page within about a week.

I'm Raising Two Strong Girls

As part of ONE's #Poverty is Sexist campaign I have a great video to share with you today. 'Strong Girl' is a powerful song featuring nine female artists from seven African countries -Victoria Kimani, from Kenya, Vanessa Mdee, from Tanzania, Arielle T, from Gabon, Gabriela, from Mozambique, Judith Sephuma, from South Africa, Waje, from Nigeria, Selmor Mtukudzi, from Zimbabwe, Yemi Alade, from Nigeria and 14-year-old South African rapper called Blessing.

I've shared before that this year is when the new Sustainable Development Goals will be set and ONE is calling on the prominent women who will be part of the summits this summer to make sure that the interests of women and girls will be top of the agenda. It's widely known that poverty disproportionately affects girls and women but only ONE are being brave enough to shout it out that Poverty is Sexist. When women in many countries can not earn a fair wage, own land, attend school, marry of own their free will or make decisions for themselves then things have to change.

Strong Girls Unite to Fight Together - Will YOU Join Us?

In March on International Women's Day ONE launched their latest campaign, titled #Poverty is Sexist as it is a sad fact that girls and women the world across are disproportionately impacted by poverty.

Together with Beyoncé, Sheryl Sandberg, Meryl Streep, Angelique Kidjo and others, ONE called on world leaders to unlock the full potential of millions of girls and women by taking real action that leads to real change this year. As I type this so far 150,700 people have signed the Poverty is Sexist petition with ONE, calling on world leaders to make sure that the rights of girls and women are key discussion points at the upcoming summits this summer.

Please do sign the petition if you have not already.

It is now time for phase two and ONE want our help to spread the message that Poverty is Sexist far and wide and this is where we all come in. I've said it before but I'll never tire of saying it, when all us regular people come together and show collectively that something matters to us the powers-to-be have to take notice.

So, ONE wants us to share a #Strengthie and you may be wondering what on earth one of those is, let these strong women show you -

Have you heard of Rosie the Riveter? No, well you will recognise the image on the right I'm sure but basically Rosie was the cultural icon of the United States, representing the American women who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II when the men were shipped off in the army. She was a symbol of strength and girl power.

ONE are asking us to take a picture of ourselves in the iconic pose that Rosie had adopted on the right there and to share these images on social media.

We need to show the world we stand #WithStrongGirls everywhere by posting a #strengthie (our own photo version of the iconic ‘Rosie the Riveter’ image) to our social media channels.

Ideally we will share our #Strengthie #WithStrongGirls image with the strong girls and women in our lives by tagging them and encouraging them to take and share a #Strengthie too and then ONE will do the hard bit and make sure the world leaders get to see and know about all our photos and the strength of our protest.

I have to be honest, I felt stupid and fat adopting this pose and taking a photo but when it comes down to it, the message is too important for me to ignore it and thus I had to take the #Strengthie and to share it with you all.

I beg you, please will you join in and take and share a strengthie too?

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