2 Kickass Projects Giving Women & Girls a Leg Up
Let's hear it for the girls
To celebrate International Women's Day, I want to tell you about two projects I've recently been involved with, both of which are fighting to give women and girls in difficult situations the support they need to thrive.
Hub for Change
Fighting for an end to forced marriage and FGM
I had the privilege of working with Livity to help build a digital platform for leading the fight for girls' rights around the world. Hub for Change is the central hub for the Youth for Change activists to communicate with each other and the wider community of young people, leading the fight against forced marriage and female genital mutilation, as well as other issues facing young people today.
Most of the content on Hub for Change is produced by the young people themselves, a global network of youth activists working in partnership with organisations and governments to create positive change for girls, boys, young women and young men. Youth For Change launched in 2014 with the support of Plan UK, and currently has teams based in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, UK and Tanzania. If you want to see the power of young people on a mission, head over to Hub for Change and prepare to be wow-ed.
Awamu Together
Empowering the women & kids of Uganda, through business skills and education
This next one has a soft spot for me, as I've been lucky enough to watch Awamu grow, and have been honoured to donate my time along the way. Awamu is a social enterprise that provides support to the most vulnerable people in the slums of Kampala in 3 ways:
- They provide mums and girls who are head of household with training, business skills and equipment that enables them to make beautiful products to sell to support their families. You can buy their handmade fashion & accessories here >
- They provide scholarships to the most at-risk children to ensure that they get the education that will increase their skills and chance at a better life.
- They work to improve the health of children and guardians by creating gardens and training them to grow nutritious, healthy food.
Awamu is in the process of becoming a fully-fledged charity, and to celebrate they are throwing a 3-day party this August. Check out the website I built for the Awamu Together celebration, and if you fancy shaking your money maker in the Wiltshire countryside while supporting a fantastic cause, you better shake a leg and get your ticket now.
Want to be my next charity project?
I love to donate my time whenever I can, so every year I do at least 1 pro bono project. If you're a charity - particularly one that supports women & girls, seeing as it's IWD today - and you need a new website but can't afford one, then put yourself forward using the following form to see if I'll be able to donate my skills to your cause:
Skirt by Awamu