Sutton Coldfield MP and Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell, has visited Sutton Coldfield Rainbows to hear about a project they are taking part in to encourage girls to take action on the Millennium Development Goals.
The project, ‘Together we Can’, was launched by Girlguiding UK to raise awareness of the Millennium Development Goals and encourage girls of all ages to volunteer or fundraise in their communities. Girls from Sutton Coldfield Rainbows voted to focus on Goal 3: ‘Make things fair for girls.’
Speaking about the project, Leader of Sutton Coldfield Rainbows, Amy Fox, commented “After playing some games to get the Rainbows thinking, they voted to look at gender equality and we explored some of the injustices facing girls around the world.”
“The Rainbows wanted to do something to help, so we did a sponsored walk in Sutton Park, collecting water from the stream in yoghurt-pot buckets to symbolise the daily journeys made by women and girls around the world to collect water for their families. I was very proud of the group raising £289.57 to help Oxfam send girls to school.”
“It was fantastic for the Rainbows to meet Andrew Mitchell and see that they can have their voice heard and make a difference.”
Following his visit Andrew Mitchell MP, said “I enjoyed meeting Rainbows from Sutton Coldfield and receiving their postcards asking me to help make things fairer for girls in developing countries.”
“The empowerment of women and girls is at the heart of the Government’s development policy. Investing in education for girls is vital, as this provides children with the best route out of poverty and I am extremely proud of Sutton Coldfield Rainbows for standing up and doing their bit to help girls in developing countries.”