Mother’s Day and International Women’s Day event Diary Notice: CARE International’s ‘Walk In Her Shoes’ on Sunday 6 March 2016 Led by Annie Lennox, Bianca Jagger, Helen Pankhurst and a celebrity line-up in
London
Dr Helen Pankhurst, great-granddaughter of suffragette Emmeline, Annie Lennox and Bianca Jagger will lead a mass walk through London on Sunday 6 March, ahead of International Women’s Day. They will be joined by crowds of supporters as they walk in solidarity with women and girls worldwide who endure inequality and injustice. The annual event will launch CARE International’s nationwide campaign, Walk In Her Shoes.
Supporters are invited to spend an unforgettable Mother’s Day walking alongside a star line-up of outspoken feminists, including celebrities such as ‘Suffragette’ actress Romola Garai, director Sarah Gavron, comedian Bridget Christie and activists from around the world – many of whom will be bringing their mums and children. They will be joined by London’s very own 21st century ‘Olympic Suffragettes’, who will walk in traditional Edwardian costume to highlight the fact that the Suffragettes’ goal of equal rights remains unrealised.
Crowds will rally at 10am at The Scoop by City Hall and the walk will take a scenic riverside route along the Thames.
Helen Pankhurst said: “Join us in this annual walk ahead of International Women’s Day, to walk in solidarity with women and girls around the world who are all too often denied the rights to live, learn, earn and thrive. Walk In Her Shoessymbolises the gruelling treks millions of women and girls make daily to collect water, at the expense of their education. When a girl’s childhood is taken away, her future goes with it.
“And this year, of course, we’ll also be thinking about the many refugees who have trekked hundreds of miles to find safety, many of them mothers, forced to carry their children from one danger zone to the next. I’ll be walking with my daughter – we can’t think of a better way to mark Mother’s Day.”
Annie Lennox, who will join the walk on the day, added: “In 2016 there are 757 million adults who cannot read or write a sentence – 2 out of 3 of these are women. Globally the leading cause of death of women of reproductive age is HIV/AIDS. Women around the world aged 15-44 are more at risk from rape and domestic violence than from cancer, car accidents, war and malaria.
“Whether the issues are education, health care or security – disempowered women and girls around the world face unimaginable challenges. There is still so much more to be done in terms of creating transformative change towards a fairer and more equitable world. That is why I’m joining the Walk In Her shoes, in solidarity with women and girls worldwide who bear the brunt of the burden of poverty.”
The Mother’s Day walk in London is the start of a nationwide Walk In Her Shoes campaign, which encourages people here in the UK to raise money for CARE by walking 10,000 steps a day for one week in March. The charity’s work includes providing clean water sources in poor communities, allowing girls and women more time to go to school or work instead of walking miles each day to collect water.
Attendees to the London event will be invited to reflect on the obstacles that keep women and girls from fulfilling their potential, but also celebrate the fantastic resilience of women both here and around the world who continue to break down barriers to equality and to defy expectations.
The lively programme on the day will include female drummers and spoken word artists and entertainers, making this a family-friendly occasion for all.
To join Helen, Annie and Bianca on March 6 or take part in the Walk In Her Shoes campaign, visit www.walkinhershoes.org.uk/IWD
Notes to Editors
Available images: Celebrities on CARE’s 2015 Walk In Her Shoes walk last year; women walking with water in Africa; CARE’s Walk In Her Shoes logo.
For information, images or to arrange an interview with Helen and/or Laura Pankhurst contact: Jo Broughton, at broughton@careinternational.org or 020 7091 6014.
About CARE International
CARE fights poverty and injustice in 75 developing countries around the world to help the world’s poorest people find routes out of poverty. CARE also delivers emergency aid to survivors of war and natural disasters, and helps people rebuild their lives in the aftermath.
CARE and women
CARE tackles the underlying causes of poverty so that people can become self-sufficient. Recognising that women and girls suffer disproportionately from poverty, CARE places special emphasis on working with women to create permanent social change. Women are at the heart of CARE’s community-based efforts to improve basic education, increase access to quality healthcare and expand economic opportunity for all.
Bianca Jagger
President and Chief Executive, Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation (BJHRF)
Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador
IUCN Bonn Challenge Ambassador
Senior Fellow, Centre for International Governance Innovation
Member of the Executive Director’s Leadership Council of Amnesty International USA