#ENDChildMarriage

International Women's Day

On International Women's Day I have decided to celebrate the incredible women I have had the honour of meeting, knowing and working with.

Teacher Ruth, Uganda

Here is Teacher Ruth, an incredible woman who has built a school for underprivileged children from the ground. Who was defiant against those that laughed at her when she began with 4 children and who continues to show the same motherly love and encouragement for each of the 80+ children who now attend her school. She also makes the best lunches.

 Teopista, Uganda

Every time I saw Teopista she greeted me with this wonderful smile. She radiates joy. Teopista is a widow and runs this fruit and veg stall to support herself and her family. She recently took in her nephew who had AIDS and was very sick, she cared for him in his final months with incredible strength. And she always gave us a free banana when we walked past her stall. Her generosity and joyfulness continue to inspire me.

"I am more than conqueror"

 Lucy, Tanzania

Lucy, a trailblazer for the empowerment of women in her community. Learning English, going to college, setting up a business, and teaching girls and women about menstruation. Her enthusiasm was inspiring and she helped teach the women in her community to sew their own sanitary towels to keep them and their daughters healthy and hygienic during their periods.

'The Gang'

These fantastic women who I am so grateful to have grown up with. Ministers, teachers, managers, nurses, community workers, students, youth workers; celebrating our differences in the knowledge that we are part of a wider 'family'. Supporting each other through tough times but also knowing how to throw a really good party.   

Captain Sal

The captain of our Girls' Brigade company. Over the last 20 years she has nurtured, encouraged, supported and loved hundreds of girls, no matter whether they were part of the group for 2 weeks or 10 years. She is always providing the girls with opportunities to get involved in national events, go on weekends away, go on missions abroad, take part in competitions, share their stories and make fantastic memories of laughter and friendship.

And of course she is my best friend and mum.

Our Girls' Brigade Leaders

The team that help Captain Sal! Making sure every girl feels welcome and included. Preparing crafts, playing games, making squash, washing up, putting chairs out, hoovering the carpet, telling stories, singing songs, learning names. Creating a safe space for girls to discover who they are, a space for them to be themselves and learn invaluable life lessons. And a space for them to laugh.

Hannah

My best friend. She always knows exactly what to say. She went to Thailand for 6 months and did incredible work at a Bible College, and spent time living in rural villages (even on Christmas Day). She always goes out of her way to help other people and you can always count on her to make you laugh. It's good to have someone in your life that knows you better than you know yourself. Not sure how I would have coped without her wisdom and daily phone calls.

Grandma 

My Grandma. Does she ever go a day without helping someone else? She volunteers, she cleans, she visits, she takes out for lunch, she welcomes, she listens, she loves. I have learnt so much from her, and have always admired her determination. I saw how she tirelessly cared for our Grandpa in his final months and was in awe of her as she spoke so beautifully at his funeral. The matriarch of our family, she is a pillar of strength and love.

Evie 

My beautiful cousin, who has already taught a class of 40 Tanzanian girls about the menstrual cycle before she hits her teenage years. I am so excited about what life has to bring for Evie, she is super talented in so many different things and the world is truly her oyster. While we were in Tanzania I could see her heart for the children and her natural ability to lead and care for them.

Aunty Helen

My Aunty who has such a heart for social justice. Living and working in Tanzania for several years, speaking up about the refugee crisis, writing to MPs, attending demonstrations and being the first woman in our family to go to university.

Martha

My brilliant Goddaughter. Who loves running and karate and dinosaurs and absolutely does not care that "those are for boys" (damn right). Who already knows the words "misogynist" and "feminist" and made sure everyone at our family barbecue identified themselves as the latter. Keep being yourself and keep doing what you love. Bring on our family's first paleontologist. 

Juliet

Juliet is currently involved in projects in The Jungle, Calais. The photo above is her welcoming refugees into the UK. She advocates and campaigns and stands in solidarity with the thousands of refugees and migrants who have made the treacherous journey to France. She has incredible wisdom.

Anna

Anna, or "Mumma Feminist". Her heart for women and girls in East Africa is so clear to see, and I just know that great things are in store. Her ability to lead a group of 100 children in song still amazes me! She taught me so much about feminism and what the Bible has to say about it all. I have no doubt that our paths will cross again in the future and I can't wait.

Claire

Claire is an incredible advocate for girls and women worldwide. She is always at an airport somewhere! She works tirelessly to equip, empower and encourage women through the Girls Brigade and Esther Generation project. Claire taught me so much about self worth and the idea of beauty. She has also been campaigning for the Nigerian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram (#BringBackOurGirls).

As I wrote this I began to think of more and more women in my life who are amazing and inspirational and I could genuinely go on for hours! I am so grateful to be surrounded by women who are breaking boundaries and fulfilling their potential as strong, intelligent, courageous women. 

Alex who is studying medicine.

Anna who is a kick ass sailing coach.

Lydia who is a manager at Chanel.

Jess who is training to be a youth worker and has so much wisdom already.

Steph who does DEV and is going to be CEO of somewhere someday.

Emma who is making fabulous documentaries and films.

Daisy who is studying engineering.

Amy who is passionate about animal rights.

Rebecca who slayed at LFW and will take men's fashion by storm.

Aimee who is bossing her degree in language and linguistics.

Susie who can bake and sew and sing and holds a group for young mums.

Alice who will make a wonderful teacher.

Keeley who makes the most incredible cakes.

Kathryn who does criminology and forensics.

Aaminah who is a dependable accountant and who I would probably trust with my life.

Shelby who has her own radio show.

Abi who studies maths.

Jazz who writes her own songs and is gonna make it big one day.

Claire who studies in France and introduced me to the blogging world.

Kate who is going to be a West End star.

Chengetai who writes a blog on issues facing women of colour.

Sara who does dentistry.

Zoe who is a veterinary nurse and mum of a beautiful son.

I could go on and on and on....

Netflix Must-See List

We all know that Netflix provides us with all sorts of TV shows and films that we love to binge watch... but they also have an amazing collection of documentaries and films that I'm slowly making my way through. They are definitely worth the watch and below I'll keep an updated list of films I recommend you see. 

Girl Rising

Girl Rising is one of my favourite films. It tells the stories of nine girls from developing countries around the world and their struggles to overcome the barriers to getting an education. Each girl was paired with an author from their country to help tell their stories and each story is presented in a different way. The stories are those of oppression and poverty but also of defiance and victory.

The Honor Diaries

The issue of honour based violence came to my attention when I had an assessment based on it for university. Honour based violence is a very real and dangerous threat for thousands of women and girls around the world, even here in the UK, but it is rarely ever spoken about. This film brings together nine women with roots in Muslim societies to break the silence surrounding honour based violence. Some scenes are quite shocking addressing the issues of FGM and suicide, I advise you watch the trailer first.

The Square

This is a film about Egypt's revolution that saw the fall of three presidents. No matter how much, or how little, you know about what happened there between 2011 and 2013, you should watch this. This revolution saw the largest demonstration in the history of the world and will be part of global history that we lived through, so you should really know about it. It follows a set of revolutionaries and members of the Muslim Brotherhood party. There are some scenes of violence and injury. Age rated 15 (Swearing and violence)

Born into Brothels

This film follows an American photographer who has been living in a Red Light district in Calcutta. The children of the prostitutes who live there soon became students in her photography classes. The film offers an insight into the lives of the children in the brothel and the opportunity for the children to take photos themselves enables us to see the world through their eyes. Some of the photos the children take are amazing. The film is also about the struggle to get these children into school. Contains swearing. 

Saving Face 

Saving Face follows surgeon Dr Mohammad Jawad, who visits Pakistan to help victims of acid attacks. Many of the women were attacked by their own husbands, or by men who they refused to marry. These women are left with life limiting scars and injuries, and some of them are forced to live with the family that attacked them. 

What is the Zika virus?

Global media attention has recently turned to the outbreak of the Zika virus in South and Central America. But what actually is it? I thought I would do a bit of research into the virus and write a blog while I was at it! 

What is the Zika virus?
The Zika virus is an infection that is not usually harmful. It was first identified in monkeys, in the Zika forests of Uganda in 1947 (hence the name). The first cases of the Zika virus in humans were in 1952, with cases in Uganda and Tanzania. Since then, there have been outbreaks across Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific. The Zika virus is able to spread in countries where the climate is mosquito-friendly.
How does it spread?
The virus is spread through mosquito bites, particularly Aedes mosquitoes which are usually active in the day time (especially morning and late afternoon), unlike malaria-carrying mosquitoes that are usually out in the evening and at night. 
What are the symptoms?
Most people infected by the virus do not present with any symptoms. However if they do occur, they are not usually very severe and last between two and seven days. Some symptoms include a fever, joint pain, itching, headaches and eye problems. There were outbreaks of the Zika virus in French Polynesia (2013) and Brazil (2015) and during these, questions were raised over potential neurological and auto-immune complications caused by the virus. In Brazil, local health authorities have seen a correlation between an increase in cases of the Zika virus and an increase in babies born with microcephaly. The relationship between the Zika virus and microcephaly is not yet understood but there is research underway to determine the link, as well as look as other potential causes of microcephaly. The global scare about the Zika virus has been focused on this possible correlation between the virus and microcephaly, with fears that thousands of unborn babies are at risk of having abnormal brain development. 

A baby with microcephaly in Brazil

Where is the outbreak?

Why are people being warned against getting pregnant?
As above, there is growing evidence to suggest that the Zika virus can cause babies to be born with microcephaly. Microcephaly means an abnormally small head and can be associated with abnormal brain development. Pregnant women, or those trying for a baby, are being advised to avoid areas where the Zika virus is prevalent in order to minimise the risk to their baby. The government of El Salvador has warned people not to get pregnant until 2018, with similar messages seen in Colombia, Jamaica and Ecuador. However these precautions are difficult to put into practice, as Latin America is predominantly Catholic and teaching on sex education for young people is limited. Abortion is also illegal and emergency contraceptives or contraceptives of any type are hard to come by. 
How are women supposed to manage their fertility when their choices are so restricted? Are governments contradicting themselves by telling women not to get pregnant, but at the same time denying women access to abortions even in cases of rape or severe risks to health? 
Rosa Hernandez, the El Salvador director of Catholics for Choice said 
"How are we going to prevent pregnancies of these girls... [if] there are no emergency contraceptive pills available at health units after someone is raped?
Abortion would be the solution but [it] is fully penalised... Asking only women not to become pregnant is irresponsible when all these factors exist...
It is absurd; women have the right to decide what to do." 
Women have the right to hold autonomy over their own bodies. Surely if the governments are serious about protecting expectant mothers and enabling women to be in charge of their own fertility they should also educate them about contraception and make it easier for people to access contraceptives. But maybe this isn't about empowering women, after all they just 'advised' women not to get pregnant for 2 years, which sounds like an attempt to control fertility and sexuality even further. 
How is it treated?
There is currently no specific treatment or vaccine for the virus. Those infected by the virus usually recover with rest, plenty of fluids and medication for fever. The best prevention is protection from mosquito bites through the use of insect repellent, sleeping under mosquito nets and wearing suitable clothing. Containers that hold water are an ideal environment for mosquitoes to breed and so people are being advised to clean and cover these containers.  
What is being done by development agencies?
The World Health Organisation raised the alarm over the Zika virus for four main reasons:
"- the possible association of infection with birth malformations and neurological syndromes
- the potential for further international spread given the wide geographical distribution of the mosquito vector
- the lack of population immunity in newly affected areas
- and the absence of vaccines, specific treatments and rapid diagnostic tests"
The WHO have been working on the ground in affected countries since the outbreak began in May 2015, investigating how the infection arises and is spread. They are also working on treatment options and the development of a vaccine. The WHO have also been working to track the spread of the virus and encourage people to protect themselves from contracting the Zika virus.

This is just a very brief overview of the Zika virus and why people are so concerned about it and its potential impact. I'm interested in the government advice to avoid getting pregnant for two years, I think I will read around and see what the feminist/health/development worlds think about it all! 

In my research I found this from MSF: Five Epidemic Diseases to Watch in 2016

Sources: Al Jazeera, Independent, World Health Organisation, NHS, Mother Jones