International Womens Day

When Noëlla Coursaris was five poverty forced her mother to send her away from her native home Democratic Republic of Congo to live with relatives in Europe. As soon as she became a successful model, appearing in luxury fashion magazines including Vogue and Elle, she returned to her motherland and set up Malaika, non-profit grassroots organisation that empowers Congolese girls and their communities through education and health programmes. Her goal is to propel the next generation of change-makers by ensuring they can access education.

Author, journalist and style maven Candice Brathwhaite has been long fought to make women’s lives better. In her acclaimed first book, I Am Not Your Baby Mother, she highlighted the racial disparities black women face during pregnancy and motherhood, while her second book, offered her wisdom on what she wishes she’d known as a young Black girl. For IWD 2022, she’s nominated Sistah Space, a domestic abuse charity that combines the specific needs of African heritage families. It aims to encourage African heritage survivors/victims to report abuse by providing a safe cultural venue for victims to talk in a confidential environment.

Most of us know Emily Hampshire as deadpan motel receptionist Stevie Budd in everyone’s favourite TV show, Schitt’s Creek. The Canadian actress has nominated The Downtown Women’s Center as her charity of choice, the only the only organisation in Los Angeles focused exclusively on serving and empowering women experiencing homelessness and formerly homeless women. It supports women through a combined approach of housing, wellness, employment, and advocacy.