Many of us are pleased to have seen the end of 2020, with a hope that 2021 will be a better year. Yet if you ask people about their highlight of 2020, most people can think of at least one thing that they enjoyed. One of the things that I enjoyed during the first lockdown, was the clapping on a Thursday evening for the NHS. It was a small way of being able to say thank you to each and every worker who had risked their lives to help others. I think though that we can all think of a person we know or who is in our community who have helped ‘the 1’ through this worldwide pandemic. Through the work that we do with FREEDOM 2, we have our…

Did you know that 1 in 3 women and girls experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, most frequently at the hands of an intimate partner? Did you know that 1 in 2 women killed worldwide are killed by their partners or family? Did you know since COVID began there are an estimated 15 million more cases of domestic violence for every three months of lockdown? Did you know there are over 40 million slaves being held across the world today? That 71% of all human trafficking victims worldwide are women and girls, with 3 out of every 4 trafficked for sexually exploitation? These are staggering statistics. Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread and devastating human rights violations in our world today. For most,…

My daughter has been learning about the Cold War at school. That it is now considered history is frightening as it was part of my own childhood. In fact, the end of the cold war was the backdrop of an early and very powerful lesson I learnt as a student myself, that the smallest things can bring about great change. I was a student in the late summer of 1989 and I remember unpacking at my new digs in Frankfurt with the TV news playing behind me. The headline news that day were the 40thAnniversary celebrations of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) which were soon to be followed by similar celebrations for West Germany. Part of the news that night were surveys, which concluded that almost no one believed…

Have you ever heard someone say, "I can do what I like, it's my life!" The reality of these words is partly true, yet, the impact of our decisions ultimately affects others. Whether we acknowledge, thrive on or hardly recognise this reality, simply put —our life impacts others. However, the degree and direction of impact depend on us.  My husband, Gary, and I have worked and served in the non-profit, community sector for the past 27 years here in England. We’re both from the USA, southern-born, having met here in the UK, expatriates and together have raised four kids who are now adults.  How easy it is to think, "We’re empty-nesters have given out plenty, let’s retire and relax.”  While that was in the forefront of my thinking, two years…

As I was thinking about writing this blog, a story came to mind. It was the ancient Indian Proverb about the Blind men and an elephant. In this proverb, six blind men are standing at different parts of an elephant and are describing what they feel. One man is standing by the trunk and describes what he feels as a snake. Another, standing by the ear, describes feeling a fan, whilst another, positioned at the leg, describes feeling a pillar. Soon all the men become cross with each other as they believe their perception of the elephant to be the truth. It takes an outsider, who can see, to come into the story and explain, how all their perceptions are partially true and partially wrong. On a personal note, and…