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.

What does a 13 Year Old do with his Inset Day from School?

On Friday it was an inset day at JJ's secondary school. I'm not sure what most of his friends do when it's an inset day but I suspect there are very few of them that do what JJ does and say "Yes Mum! Can I come to food bank with you?".

This is probably the fourth or fifth time that JJ has chosen to spend his day off school with me serving at the Hastings food bank and what does he get out of it you might wonder? Well firstly, he gets to spend the day with his mum of course. Then I sometimes take him to the local Premier Inn for a buffet breakfast before we start work and he also gets the satisfaction of a good days work and having helped some people.

I wouldn't say that at 13 years JJ is particularly altruistic so I don't think his main reason for doing it is because he loves to help others but to be frank it doesn't really matter to me. The fact that he comes along willingly, spends around four hours there and mucks in and helps the whole time are enough. He'll be learning so much from these experiences and they are not skills he'd pick up in the classroom so I'm happy.

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.

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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Let me introduce you to Saa #AYASummit #WhereAreOurGirls

Saa with Emmanuel and our summit host Patricia Amira

A couple of weeks ago I was in Washington DC with ONE at the first Girls and Women's #AYAsummit. The purpose of the summit was to bring leading digital and media influencers together so that we could be inspired and learn more about all facets of international development, of course with the hope that we would then go out and spread the word.

In West African Adrinka symbols the word AYA is the name for a fern. A fern is a hardy plant that grows in difficult places and people who choose to wear the AYA symbol may be symbolising their own strength, resilience, resourcefulness and endurance. This of course makes it a perfect symbol for this conference of mostly women exploring issues that affect women and girls in the main.

Hunger - it shouldn't be happening!

Next Friday I'm going along to one of the local Food Bank projects to see how it operates and investigate if I can help out on a regular basis. I know that hunger and poverty is rife in the world, I saw it firsthand when I travelled to Ethiopia with ONE in 2012. I also saw it far closer to my own home when I lived in Hertfordshire and befriended a lady who through a set of crappy circumstances had ended up without enough money to feed herself and her kids.

Since moving to East Sussex I've realised that Hastings is probably an area with a high level of poverty but I never realised how much of a problem it is. Tonight I've been investigating and according to the Campaign to End Child Poverty the level of children living in poverty (and thus hungry) in Hastings across all areas is 31%. When you look at some individual areas the figure is as high as 47% and I kid you not when I say I have a massive lump in my throat as I read that and type this.

I needed to read it too, it is so easy to live a comfortable life and think that everyone else is OK, but they are not and it is up to all of us to make a difference and do something about it and yes that is big and scary and feels like a massive weight but you only have to look at the progress being made in the battle to end world extreme poverty (defined as a person living on less than $1.25 per day for all their needs). In the last 20 years is has been halved and if we continue at the same pace it could be virtually wiped out by 2030 and that is surely something to whoop for joy about.

Taken in Ethiopia. Image Credit - Karen Walrond/ONE

So I choose not to get bogged down and to fall into the doldrums because the problem feels too big but I pledge to help with the Hastings food bank and to chat to people who are using the service and to help them feel valued and heard. But it is not enough for me to just help out locally I also have to keep playing my part in the bigger plan and I'll do that by working with the charities and NGOs that I believe in, like ONE, Compassion, Plan, Save the Children and Tearfund.

I'm trying to stay more up to date with what is going on at the moment, which campaigns are happening, who needs support and what with and also I'm heading to Washington, USA in October for the AYA Summit with ONE. At this meeting I will get to meet a whole host of inspirational women, and just like I was when I went to Ethiopia I expect to be fully humbled and inspired to do more, fight harder and be better. I feel more privileged than I can ever express to have this opportunity, in fact when the email came through inviting me I asked if they really wanted me, surely there were better advocates to spend the cost of the airfare on but it seems ONE believe in me and the people reading my blog and being influenced by my writing and travels. I sincerely thank you readers (friends) for taking the time to take small steps which help us change the world and change perceptions too.

I've never been to America before and I've not been on a plane since my amazing blogger journeys in 2012 but these are not the things that are really exciting me. What is really blowing my mind is the chance to meet some change makers. African women who with the necessary education and tools are making a massive difference within their families and communities. These are the real champions who are slicing the figures for those living in extreme poverty and I pray they impact me and inspire me to keep taking small steps or maybe even to return to the UK and to take a really bold and scary step. Who knows what lays ahead for me...

Can you add your voice and help ONE to campaign for an end to extreme poverty?

If you are not familiar with who ONE are, then please take a look at earlier posts of mine - here, here and here or Liska from New Mum Online interviewed me about ONE and you can read that post. Or go and check out the website. They will never ask you for money, they are an NGO (non-governmental organisation) not a charity, what they require is your support and voice. Can you sign a petition, tweet a message, talk to friends, share on FB or speak to your MP - all those things make a difference when a massive collective of people do them.

I'll leave you with this very short video, I've shared it before but I love it.  It is a bunch of kids talking about why poverty is not our problem!


Disclosure: ONE have invited me to be their guest at the AYA summit in October and they will be paying my expenses to be there. I fully believe in the work they do and I have not been instructed what I must write, I am free to be honest and always am.

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Are there 100 supportive MP's out there?

I sure hope so is the short answer, we really need them to show their support and turn up in parliament on 12th September 2014 for the second reading of the International Development Bill.

What is that you may well ask? and don't tune out if you don't know what it is, if politics is not your thing because I'll be honest I wouldn't say politics is my thing either. I'm not one of those clever types who know exactly what is going on or how it all works but I know right from wrong.

And quite simply it is right for our rich country to commit to giving 0.7% of our national income as UK aid. The fight against extreme poverty has come so far in the last few years, there are massive success stories -

• like under 5's child-deaths reduced by 50% in the last 50 years
• like cases of polio being reduced by 99% and smallpox being eradicated
• like primary school enrolments up by 50 million from 1999 to 2007 *

and it would be sinful to allow all that good work to start to ease. There is still so much more to be done but if the rich countries pull together and provide the aid needed there are forecasts which show we could put a end to extreme poverty by 2030, that's not that far away, right? But it sure is exciting!

So today I'm asking you to do a few things to play your part in helping our Government make this 0.7% commitment law. They made the first commitment 40 years ago and then last year all 3 of our major UK political parties pledged their support and said they would enshrine that promise in law. The private members bills will be discussed and voted on on 12th September 2014 and if there are 100 supportive MP's there, the proposer Michael Moore MP can force a vote.

So could you please take a moment to help?

• Sign the ONE petition to encourage your MP to be there on 12th September
• Click this link to tweet your support and encourage your MP to #BeThere
• Check out all the other ways you can easily share this important message - by Google +, email etc
• You can also easily email your MP via Save The Children too

Any one of these things would be brilliant, two would make you fantastic and if you do them all then God bless you and thanks for your help.

Come on, lets pull together and pester those MP's!

* Source - http://www.one.org/international/living-proof/#

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Meet Joyce, one inspirational lady who is creating #lastingchange #IWD2014

Late last night I received this digital postcard from Penny, Annie and Tanya, AKA the Team Honk bloggers.

They are currently out in Tanzania with Sports Relief meeting women and visiting projects that have received funding from Sports Relief in the last few years. The aim of the trip is to show them how the money that we (Jo average in the UK) give is making a difference in the worlds poorest countries (as well here in the UK, there are lots of home projects too) and creating #lastingchange.

I know that many people are sceptical and they believe that money given abroad goes down the drain but from what I observed when I was in Ethiopia, this is not the case when the money goes to a country with a stable government and one interested in equipping and empowering its people. I believe Tanzania is similar to Ethiopia in it's desire to change history and to break the pattern of poverty.

As today is International Women's Day I am so pleased to feature Joyce here on my blog. There are so many women in Africa who are entrepreneurial and are creating sustainable and effective businesses.and we need to celebrate them. These women did not have the best starts in life but they have chosen to work hard and to believe they can make a difference. What a great example they set to the younger generation.

So what is Joyce's story?

Through mentoring and training funded by Sport Relief and provided by the Gatsby Trust Joyce expanded her poultry business from just a few chicks to now having 300. She has also recently built an extension to house another 400 which should be arriving next week. The training that Joyce has received has enabled her to make her own feed, thereby saving her money, and also to ensure the feed is healthy.

She has also been educated to recognise the signs of disease in her chicks to such an extent that she now has a completely healthy clutch. Other poultry keepers in her area phone Joyce for advice and training as she has established herself as a successful poultry keeper. She is also part of a network of women and this means she is in a much more powerful position to broker deals to sell to supermarkets as they can promise supply, this Joyce couldn't do on her own.

Joyce is proud to be able to support her family and pay for her son to attend a boarding school, therefore breaking the cycle of poverty and poor education and giving him the best chance for a successful future for himself.

Take another look at that photo and see the joy in Joyce's face. She is working hard and it is probably not the most attractive job in the world but with it comes respect, change and a feeling of worth.

Joyce, you are an inspiration to us, thank you.

Do you want to join in and help Team Honk raise awareness and funds for Sports relief and the projects it helps?

• Please RT, share and support any updates you see with the #lastingchange hashtag. 
• DONATE You can help create #lastingchange by sponsoring #teamhonkrelay for Sport Relief 
• GET INVOLVED Join up for your local Sport Relief event here.

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I want to make a difference with Tearfund

Some might look at this little orphan girl and see poverty, I see spirit and beauty

Right now I feel a spark and a passion that I've not felt for a while and it feels really good. Not just good from a gratuitous sense but good as in right. Since becoming a Christian eleven years ago I've had a strong desire to 'work for God' and to do what He requires of me. Of course I have found that being a Christian is not always easy, life is not full of the big glamorous stuff and much Christian service is the mundane and everyday but of course that is necessary too.

However, there have been times in the last eleven years where God has required me to step outside my comfort zone and to do something that makes a difference. Something that impacts others in a positive way but also allows me to grow and to know Him more. It is in these times when I feel alive and I know that I am in the right place doing the right thing.

Today I'm feeling a sense of anticipation, I'm buzzing with excitement, my husband has said that I should go ahead and apply to be one of three bloggers who will travel to Cambodia with the Christian charity Tearfund in March. He will ensure that our children are looked after while I travel (if I am lucky enough to be chosen) and tell the stories of the people I meet.

Now what I need to do is convince the judges that I am a worthy winner. I wonder what would make Michelle the right choice to send abroad to blog for Tearfund?

I could literally write pages to persuade you why I feel I am right but at the core this is not about me, this is about the people who live in Tonle Batie, Cambodia and how I can possibly help them. This community are working hard to pull themselves out of poverty and along with the local church they are finding innovative and original ways to make a difference to their everyday life. I would be privileged to lend my blogging community and social media power to help Tearfund find another 60 regular donors who are able to give £3 per month ongoing.

Here is what I can offer -

1) A heart to serve our Lord and to be faithful to Him. After much conversation, prayer and contemplation I feel I could do a really good job as a storyteller for Tearfund.
My natural writing style is 'from the heart' and hence the name of my blog. When I travelled with ONE the blogger coordinator told me I had a beautiful writing style which people relate to as it is authentic. I get the kind of joy from my writing which only comes when you are utilising one of God's gifts.

2) Experience of travelling abroad with a charity in the capacity of blogger to tell the stories of the people I meet.
In October 2012 I was privileged to travel with the ONE Campaign to Ethiopia as a #ONEMom blogger and during this eight day trip I wrote, photographed, recorded and shared the stories of the amazing people I met. Our trip was designed to find out if aid works; when our developed and wealthy countries give money to those in need is it used for good or just thrown away by the governments and people in power? I was overjoyed to find that in Ethiopia so much good is being done and I loved being able to tell the stories of the Mums and inspirational people that I met there, people like Mulu and Gebeyehu.

Gebeyehu at the Bright Future project in the Merkato slums, Ethiopia

Then in December 2012 I travelled to Belarus with the Christian charity Operation Christmas Child to host their live web casts and to tell the stories of the children I met on both my blog and the OCC blog too.

I still partner with both organisations and blog for them as well as organising twitter parties, giving advice and on-the-ground volunteering for OCC too by coordinating shoe box collections.

3) My blog is well read and I have a strong social media presence
My blog started (2008) as a personal journey and soon morphed into a parenting blog which has grown beyond my wildest expectations. I have always been very open about my Christian faith and I believe God uses my blog as an evangelistic tool. I have a strong readership and rank highly in all the parenting charts. I believe my readers and blogging community would be happy to support me and to share my content across their own channels. They did this back in 2012 when I travelled and I know I can call on them again.

Another good example of people supporting initiatives I have been involved with is the meme I started with a blogger colleague in September 2011 for the Save the Children Healthworkers campaign, in a weekend we managed to persuade 164 bloggers to post about the cause and I don't have the statistics to hand any longer but the reach on twitter was in the millions.

I currently write for the BritMums blog and I'd happily speak to the other blogging networks that I have affiliations with to see if I could guest post for them about the Tearfund bloggers journey. I feel quite confident I could secure a number of guest posts.

4) I use a variety of media and social media and will share across multi-platforms
As well as posting via words and photos, I'm comfortable on film and audio and will happily share my journey in these ways to ensure that I reach the most people possible. I've embedded one of the soundclips that I made whilst In Ethiopia, people really seemed to enjoy these unedited and raw accounts of my time there. My Instagram feed was also really popular and a great instant way to draw people in and make them feel as if they are there with you.



I'm hoping you can tell that I am on fire about this opportunity and that I would go out of my way to do my part to ensure that new donors are secured and also to tell the stories of the people I meet.

Thanks for your time considering my application. Whether I'm chosen or not I'll happily support those bloggers who go on this journey. I did speak to the representatives at Spring Harvest last year about supporting Tearfund as a blogger and I left my details with them but sadly I did not hear anything back and then of course life got rather busy when we upped and moved to our new home in a Christian prayer and conference centre last summer. Of course this move is a wonderful thing in terms of this opportunity as it no longer means I am in a tied job and I am free to take up opportunities such as these when they present themselves.

Praise the Lord.

Mich x

Disclosure: This is my entry to the Tearfund bloggers challenge. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

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Nelson, may you rest in peace brother

I had a chat with the kids tonight about the passing of Nelson Mandela and like whenever Miss E hears about someone dying she gets very sad. I had to remind her that Nelson is now in the best place ever and he is reunited with Jesus.

Nelson Mandela was a man who inspired a generation and showed us that average and ordinary people can make a difference. It won't always be easy and it won't always be fun but it will be worth it.

I love that quote above from Nelson, there are so many I could have chosen as he spoke such sense during his 95 years here on earth but this one sits really well with me. You'll know that I am a supporter of the ONE Campaign and I think they embody this - they have vision and they take action and one day we really will see the end to extreme poverty, I feel sure of it.

I've added in a clip of Nelson speaking in Britain back in 2005 as part of the Make Poverty History campaign and I think it is important to acknowledge there has been progress but there is still so much further to go.



I'd urge you to visit ONE and to sign up to offer your support and voice in the fight against extreme poverty.  You don't have to give any money and you don't have to do anything you don't want to. Every small action makes a difference - 1 signature on a petition, 1 tweet, 1 share on Facebook, 1 letter to an MP or one conversation with your coffee group - we all have different ways and we can all help.  But please add your email so ONE can keep you up to date with what is going on and what needs our most urgent support.

Thanks for your time, Mich x

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Absorbed in my own life.....

At the moment I feel that I am completely insular, everything is about me and my close family and whilst I realise sometimes it is necessary and that is life, it is also making me quite cross. Our move to the countryside is not going as planned, we have found out we don't own part of our front garden and that is causing issues, we have now lost two buyers and dh is already down in East Sussex, whilst the kids and I are here.

But things are starting to come together and it is always important to focus on the good parts. Yes this limbo living is hard and is costing us money we do not really have but it will all come good in the end. Thursday I accepted an offer from a buyer with no chain (please Lord help this one to work out).  The kids have their school places for September at our first choice school, our new house is now ready to move into and is fully refurbished and I've finished work so I have enough time to be seeing all my friends for proper goodbyes. Like I said, I really should not grumble.

So apart from the delayed house sale and dh being 100 miles away from me and the kids what am I cross about? I'm cross or mad or sad or angry that I have not been able to get involved with all the amazing things that are happening at the moment in regard to the fight to end extreme poverty. At least every other day an email arrives in my in-box from ONE and the IF campaign and they are all sharing with me exciting and inspiring news and I have not been able to get my head round them all.  I so want to blog and tell you about what the G8 summit achieved, how the BIG IF event in Hyde Park went and what Agit8 is but the truth is I can't right now and I need to accept that, as it helps no-one with me being mad.

Let me point you to a few places where you can read/see some good material from people who have the head space to deal with everything that is going on right now -

The One Campaign low-down (easy to read and understand) on what the G8 has achieved

Songs that change the world by Jen Howze

This great video from the BIG IF event that Lindsay (lillies are like) shared with me. Did you know there is a massive community of YouTubers who are working together to change our world?



and I can't let you go without sharing the good news with you..... these are the latest facts released by ONE to show how global assistance is making a difference to those living in poverty, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Global Progress on Ending Extreme Poverty

• From 1990 to 2000, global extreme poverty dropped from 43% of the world’s population to 33%.
• From 2000 to 2010, extreme poverty worldwide went down again to 21%—cutting it in half over the past twenty years. 
• If this trajectory is continued into the future we get to the zero zone before 2030. (This one sends shivers down my spine)

Living Proof that Development Assistance Works

• Almost 9 million people worldwide are on lifesaving HIV/AIDS medicine, up from just 300,000 in 2002.
• Malaria has been cut by 75% in 8 African countries since 2000.
• Over the last decade, 51 million more children in sub-Saharan Africa are going to school for the first time.
• Since 2000, child deaths are down 2.65 million a year—that’s more than 7,200 children saved each day.

(Source:  The ONE Campaign)

Please don't think there is nothing you can do.  One signature, one tweet, one mention to a neighbour, one read of this post all come together and make a difference.  We have power as a collective and we CAN make things happen.

If you want to sign up to find out more about the ONE campaign and to be notified when new petitions are live then do that here.  Don't worry, they are a campaigning and advocacy organisation so they will never ask for your money (and in case you are worried the emails are not that frequent I just get a lot more as I am a #ONEMum)

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Are you coming to London on 8th June to show your support?

I posted about the launch of the Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign back in January. I'm really encouraged by this campaign as it sees over 170 charities come together to work towards the end of world hunger. Whilst I think it is really important for us to all take our responsibility seriously and use our voice and collective power to help others, I know that it can be a bit overwhelming to know which charity to support or blog for and in the end it can be all too easy to finish up doing nothing as you get bogged down in the politics.

So no need to feel overwhelmed with the IF campaign. There has already been some major success in that in March this year the British Government committed to spend 0.7% of gross national income on aid in 2013 and this is great news as there had been speculation about this figure being dropped. That alone is not enough though, we need David Cameron to take note of how we feel about millions of people starving across the world.

We need him to know that we are appalled and we want it to stop. There is enough food for everyone, yet one in eight people do not have enough food and go hungry. The fact they are denied a very basic need is outrageous. The IF campaign focuses on aid, land, tax and transparency as the four big focus areas that need to be tackled as a way to sort out the global hunger issue.

BIG IF London - 8th June
In June this year from 8th - 17th there are a series of summits happening in the lead up to the G8 summit in Northern Ireland on 18th and 19th June. This is the time when the most influential leaders from across the world come together and make plans to change our world.

The 8th June sees a hunger summit being hosted in London and as such it is the right time to make some noise and create a presence to show how Britain feels about injustice towards the worlds poorest people. I plan to go along to the BIG If London event in Hyde Park to add my support to tens of thousands of other committed and caring people. From 2pm in Hyde Park we will all gather with the intention to create an iconic symbol of support for tackling hunger. This will be made out of spinning flowers, a powerful reminder of the 2 million children who die because of hunger every year. Each of us will add our own flower to this symbol.

There will be a host of inspiring speakers and artists from across the globe, as well as us joining together to demonstrate against hunger. I'm told it will be an event for all the family, I'm probably just going alone though and hoping to meet up with some like-minded friends.

I'll tell you the truth, I'm a tad nervous about going, I logically know I have nothing to fear but I never imagined I'd be the sort of person who had become so passionate about the wider world. I'm so glad that in becoming a Christian my eyes have been opened and my knowledge expanded. It is my privilege and duty to be able to do what I can for all those who at the moment can not do it for themselves -people like the wonderful faithful Ethiopians I met last October when I traveled with the ONE Campaign.

Will you come and join me in Hyde Park on 8th June?

Read more about the Enough food for everyone IF campaign here, check out Facebook for the latest updates and keep in touch via twitter too. You can also join up to the ONE campaign to be kept informed about all the excellent work they do to campaign for an end to poverty.

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Every parent feels the same pain

I've just sat and watched Mary and Martha on BBC catch-up and I can't begin to recommend it to you. It is a powerful and poignant watch.

I sat and wept as I watched the grief of those parents who lost their children to malaria and because they are western parents just like me I could really relate to their sorrow and imagined how I would feel if I lost one of my children, my heart broke for them. I know everyone back home would consider it a tragedy and there would be great mourning. Then as I sat there and reflected on that it struck me that just because parents in Africa are losing their children to malaria everyday does not make it any different, any less sad. We are all parents who love our children and seek the best for them and it hurts each one of us the same when we lose a child.

Malaria is a preventable disease, very simple measures can stop children dying of malaria. Put a quality insecticide treated net over the child's bed and you are potentially saving their life and how much does each one of these nets cost? You can get a decent net for less than $5, not a lot is it? The charity Malaria No More says it can purchase, transport and safely install a net for £5, I'd say that's value for money.

I'm sat here with tears streaming down my face and I'm pretty sure this is not a coherent entry on my blog but it is a heartfelt one. Every child deserves to live or as Save the Children would say 'no child is born to die', no matter what country that child is born in. They should all live and be able to fulfil their potential -

That could be their dream to be a farmer like their mother...

Or their dream to be a nurse, a teacher or a mother themselves.... these are all good valid dreams that they should have the opportunity to live out.

Next week when Comic Relief ask you to give money please think about the children dying needlessly of malaria and give generously. Or if like me you feel compelled to act now then why not check out Malaria No More, there is real progress being made in the fight against malaria, the film Mary and Martha ended with a statement saying 'we could see the end of malaria in our lifetime' - wouldn't that be out of this world?

Did you know that at the moment malaria kills nearly 2 million people per year, 90% of these people will be living in sub-Saharan Africa, places just like Ethiopia where I travelled to last year. Even though that death figure is still horrifyingly high it has been reduced by 26% globally since 2000, over 1 million children's lives have been saved in Africa. The progress has been pushed forward as many governments have recognised malaria as a priority and since 2000 international funding has risen from less than $100 million to almost $1.84 billion in 2012 – a 17 fold increase.

This year our government in the UK will meet and agree what figure they will be giving to the Global Fund in the fight against malaria, I pray they make the right decision and choose life for all, not riches for some and poverty and death for others.

I'd urge you to watch Mary and Martha, why not think about gathering a group of friends and showing it or an evening at Church and see what you can all come up with to help fund some nets. Every small donation we make adds up and makes a real difference to those living in countries where the common mosquito is a killer as it is carrying the malaria parasite.

Bloggers - IF we make a noise then things change!

As a blogger time and time again I hear the same things -

IF charities provided me with better information and made the campaign engaging then I'd blog for them.

IF the PR representatives of charities were more engaged/ responsive then I'd write about their campaign.

IF charities did not waste the money they are given then I would give them a donation or blog for them.

You know what?  For me, these are not the IF's and THENs that I am interested in. Yes, things are not perfect and you might get fed up but this problem is far bigger than you or me and that is what we must stay focused on.

I have dealt with a load of contacts so far with regards to charities and NGO's and a few of them have not been great communicators, nor particularly organised nor have they even understood social media and what us bloggers do, but I don't care.  I'll keep on blogging and shouting out loud as I hate injustice. There is enough food in the world for everyone, but at the moment that food is not accessible to everyone. This CAN change. We have to help fight for that change. 

So a charity/ PR contact gets my name wrong and sends me boring bog-standard information - I'll live.  Aren't I lucky to be able to say that? Not everyone can - currently more than 2 million children die each year from chronic malnutrition.

Don't get depressed though, get mad and get your fingers typing on your keyboard and spread the word.

Today sees the launch of the Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign. This is being launched nationally by a collective of about 100 charities and NGO's. All the big regulars that you might support are part of this - Unicef, Oxfam, Save the Children, ActionAid, Tearfund, ONE..... so please get involved.

This year the G8 in being held in the UK and that means that world leaders are interested in what is happening here and we have a special opportunity to push for change. There are 4 centrals IFs to this campaign, these are the ones I'm interested in -

1. IF governments keep their promises on aid, and invest in small farmers, then the poorest people will not only have access to more food and better nutrition, but will lift themselves out of poverty too.
2. IF we stop poor farmers being forced off their land then we can use their crops to feed people and not cars
3. IF loopholes are closed to ensure companies pay the tax they owe in poor countries, then governments will be able to invest this money in their people’s livelihoods and futures.
4. IF we insist governments and investors are honest and open about the deals they make, then people in the poorest countries can hold their governments to account over how they spend their money.

But ultimately it all comes down to IF we all work together as one, then world leaders will hear us and will have to act.

You be part of this and work as one, it is easy -

1. Sign now to add your voice to pressure the govenment to listen and respond at the G8.
2. Visit the Enough Food IF site and see what it is all about or check out Save the Children's digital bloggers kit and get tweeting (#IF), blogging, sharing, liking, pinning - whatever it is that you do to get people engaged and responding to this new campaign.

Remember this isn't about you or me, blogging for a specific charity or becoming a celebrity blogger, this is about our world and justice for all people. Let's be part of the generation who changed our world. I pray my children will see an end to hunger.

Thanks for reading, please do what you can to help. You never know the impact, even one tweet or RT makes a difference.  Mich x

The Race Against Hunger - Play the game...

While we are all wrapped up in the glory of the Olympics here in the UK there is still a very real problem, one which is so much bigger and more important than gold medals. The eyes of the world are on London at the moment and I am pleased to see David Cameron make use of this with his global nutrition event to be held next week to coincide with the closing day of the Olympics.

Right now world leaders are in a position to act to help prevent another famine. How much of a privileged position is that? How can they sit on their hands and wait for the famine to take grip?  There really is no need to wait for us to start losing people at a rapid rate. Surely enough lives have been lost with the famine in East Africa?

There is time to change things for the people in the Sahel region. We must join together and urge David Cameron to announce the biggest ever push on hunger at his global nutrition event. This summit will be attended by influential business figures, non-governmental organisations and campaigners as well as prominent world leaders. We CAN pressure them to make a difference. When us average people stand together we CAN be heard.

One easy way is to sign ONE.org’s petition to show David Cameron the strength of opinion of the British public.  Please sign and share and do it NOW, the petition will be given in to No. 10 this Friday, ahead of the summit.

But if you are the competitive type who likes a bit of fun, don’t just sign the petition, play ‘the race against hunger game’.  It will take moments to sign in via Facebook and then you can play against your friends and family.  I have to admit I was really terrible at this game and my best score was about 20 seconds!  Whereas my contact at ONE is at 6.74 seconds, I have no idea how she got that good – I hope there has not been any cheating Claire?

Go on have a go at the game and let me know the score; surely you can beat my lame 20 seconds?  Then straight after sign the petition and share it.

Thanks for walking with me in this battle against injustice. There is just ONE people and we all deserve to live.

Mich x

Click HERE to play the game, the above is just a graphic on my blog!