Sport Relief funding kicks off change, improving not just one person’s life, but giving people a leg up so their families and whole communities benefit from the ripple effect.
A small amount of money can be all that’s needed to help people in unimaginably tough situations turn their lives around. The Gatsby Trust provides training and mentoring to help women entrepreneurs get their businesses off the ground, in very challenging environments.
Today is International Women's Day and I have been sent the most amazing pictures of Eliafura from Tanzania by the equally amazing #TeamHonk ladies.
Eliafura makes the most beautiful batiks and tie dyed material. With the support of the Gatsby Trust Eliafura has registered her business and learned important health and safety rules around the chemicals she uses. Eliafura now also trains other women in the village who bring material to her and she shows them how to create these beautiful patterns. They sell easily to not only local schools where teachers like to buy them but also overseas.
Why are we talking about women?
The stastistics speak for themselves:
- 70% of the world’s poorest people are women and they own only 1% of the world’s property.
- Nearly 50% of all sexual assaults worldwide are against girls aged 15 years or younger
- Domestic violence is the largest cause of women’s injury and death – leading to more deaths and disability among women aged 15-44 than malaria, war, traffic accidents and cancer.
- The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that female genital mutilation (FGM) has affected as many as 138 million women and girls in Africa, and the numbers continue to rise every year.
- Many women and girls have poor access to education and about two thirds of all illiterate people are women.