Stop Whistling, Start Listening

Sky High fundraiser

I’m am so excited to announce the launch of Sky High - a fundraising evening for two fantastic charities. 

Earlier this year I read the amazing book Half The Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. It inspired me in so many ways, not least in starting this blog  I consider it a must read, and fortunately one of my friends took up the challenge. She in turn has also been spurred into action and together with a few friends we’re organising an indiepop club night to raise funds for some of the charities who address the issues raised in the book.

First things first, Sky High will be held on 27th January 2012 at the Dogstar in Brixton (389 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8LQ). Doors open at 8pm and Kerry Collins from the Frame nights in Edinburgh is DJ-ing for us. Tickets are available on Eventbrite and cost £6 plus Eventbrite’s fee.

All proceeds on the night will be shared between two charities.

The first is Camfed who use a community-based approach to identify girls in most need of an education and help support them in getting it. Their website provides great detail on the kind of work they do and I encourage you to check it out. 

When you educate a girl in Africa, everything changes. She’ll be three times less likely to get HIV/AIDS, earn 25 percent more income and have a smaller, healthier family.

The second charity is The Orchid Project  who take a grassroots approach to ending Female Genital Cutting (FGC). They work to end the silence and taboo around FGC and raise awareness of groups like Tostan who they are paired with, and are part of a community-based movement to end the practice. 

There are many debates about which terminology to use. “Cutting” seems less of a judgemental phrase to us than “mutilation” bearing in mind the communities we wish to work with. For the Orchid Project, the important thing is not to get diverted too much into a debate about language, but keep working with everyone to end it!

For those of you based in London I really hope you can all come along and dance around to some old school and new school indiepop tunes. For those who can’t make it we’ll be setting up a page which will allow people to still make a donation. Please spread the word and help us raise some cash for two incredibly deserving charities. 

Tickets here available now. 

*update 8th Dec. 

We also have an event page on the Camfed UK website so if you can’t make it on the night please consider donating directly to them instead.