“I came up with the idea after being inspired by International Women’s Day online” says Charlotte. “Seeing lots of women coming together and supporting each other all over social media; it gave me the idea to use that camaraderie and do something that could have a real effect on women around the world.”
“Recently in the UK there’s been a surfer of women supporting one another within health culture and the emergence of ‘strong not skinny’ in women’s fitness. The culture of fad diets has been overtaken by a more positive and supportive female movement, I like the idea of taking that momentum and focusing it towards doing something worthwhile for women in other parts of the world too.”
The Strong Women For Strong Women events in London on June 10th will raise funds for girls in Uganda that are unable to go to school.
“I visited Uganda when I was 16 and had a firsthand look at the experience of many girls growing up there. Lots of girls are treated as subordinate and don’t go to school as they’re pushed into young child rearing and start their periods, which stops them from attending school every month.”
100 per cent of the money raised by these events will go to the schools and will be used to build a girls room, a shower and give counselling for girls who need it, as well as going towards providing sanitary products.
“We want to create a safe place to talk and to come to school on their period” says Charlotte. “It’s pushing the emphasis on girls education, telling girls ‘we want you to learn and you deserve to be here.’”