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CHANGE: Dr Miranda Brawn

DR MIRANDA Brawn has not taken her foot off the gas pedal since launching The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation in January 2016, helping to close the diversity gap across the UK and beyond by empowering the next generation.

The diversity champion and philanthropist has shown us once again that the future is female and diverse by delivering a powerful keynote speech on Women’s Empowerment. This was for c which was held at the Banqueting House, Whitehall in London on February 1 2018.

Guests included CEOs and Lords from across the UK coming together in support of Opportunity International’s Empowerment Awards, celebrating the strong and driven women they serve from some of the poorest countries in the world.

Attendees heard the powerful stories of women who, despite incredible hardship and disadvantage, have built successful livelihoods that enable them to provide food, education and medicine for their children.

Inspired by their stories, guests were incredibly generous and dug deep to raise much needed funds for people living in poverty. Opportunity International’s work and ambition to create 20 million jobs by 2020, will enable people to provide for their families and create sustainable change amongst their own community.

The evening was compered by impressionist and comedian Rory Bremner who welcomed Dr Miranda Brawn to the stage to give her keynote speech on women’s empowerment.

Brawn said: “We are all decision makers tonight and we can make a decision to support these wonderful organisations. We can also think about other ways to support in our own lives to help leave a legacy impacting women across the globe. Together we can change the world!”

She added: “Empowering women entrepreneurs has been at the heart of Opportunity International’s mission for over 45 years working across 22 countries. This is achieved by providing financial solutions and training which empower people living in poverty to transform their own lives, their communities, and their children’s futures. World-wide 89% of Opportunity’s clients are women.

"Opportunity International works together with Vision Fund International to enable impoverished households to increase their incomes. It is unacceptable that of the 780 million illiterate people in the world, two-thirds are women. It is these statistics, combined with the ambition described by female clients, that have driven them to launch the Women’s Empowerment Fund, a new initiative to empower two million women by 2021."

Establishing gender equality is widely recognised as one of the most effective ways to fight poverty. When women have equal access to education and labour markets, they increase their earning power, boosting household incomes and enhancing their decision-making power in the home.

Investing in women makes economic sense and when a woman is empowered, real change happens. Women reinvest over 80% of their income into their families compares to just 35% by men. Opportunity International and Vision Fund International are partnering to build the resilience of women and their families.”

The room was full of philanthropists from the business, finance and charity worlds who commented that Dr Miranda Brawn’s speech was “compelling and passionate where the whole audience stopped to listen” and “you could have heard a pin drop” leaving the “guests in adoration of her enthusiasm and determination!”

Everyone left the evening with a strong desire to help and donate. The UK Government is matching all donations made to Opportunity International before March 1 2018, helping them to provide opportunities to even more people living in poverty.

For every pound donated, the UK Government will match it with another pound to Opportunity International’s agricultural programmes in Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo. If you would like to support the appeal, please donate online at www.opportunity.org.uk/double or text ‘CITY10 £10’ to 70070 to donate £10 or phone 01865 725304.

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