Stand with vulnerable in fight for better lives

THOUSANDS of heroic women across the world are unseen and unsung.

They live in unimaginably difficult circumstances yet continue to fight for themselves and their children.

The Circle, the global feminist organisation I founded, exists to empower the most vulnerable.

One of our project partners is a women’s refuge centre called Nonceba in Khayelitsha, near Cape Town, South Africa.

Nonceba was set up by two exceptional women, Nocawe Mankayi and Hazel Black, in response to the extreme violence suffered by children and women.

I’m inspired by a young woman, Siyanda, who sought help from Nonceba.

As a young child she was homeless and living on the streets with her mother.

They had no security and very little to eat. Eventually her mother married a man who turned out to be an abusive drug addict.

He inflicted terrible abuse on Siyanda and threatened to kill her if she told anyone. She went on to marry a man who was also abusive and adulterous.

After Siyanda, left, became pregnant, she discovered she was HIV positive. Her child didn’t survive. After her second child was born, she tried to take her own life.

As a stroke of fate, she was found by a nurse who took her and her baby boy to Nonceba. It was the first time she had found herself in a safe place that would protect and empower her.

Siyanda has grown in confidence, managed to find a job and is working towards finding a home for herself and her son. She is fighting for a better future; despite everything she has endured.

Her determination and resilience inspire me.

This International Women’s Day, let us continue to stand shoulder-toshoulder with women around the world.

Join the campaign #CirclesOfChange to learn how to help on International Women’s Day. www.thecircle. ngo/circles-of-change