- Bishop of Gloucester partners with Christian Aid and Restored for International Women's Day event.
The Bishop of Gloucester, the Right Revd Rachel Treweek will be inspiring and challenging MPs and guests at an event in the House of Lords on Tuesday 7 March to mark International Women’s Day.
Bishop Rachel will be hosting the event in partnership with Christian Aid and Restored, to promote gender equality.
The aim is to give guests and parliamentarians a deeper insight into faith leaders’ commitment to secure a more gender inclusive world and to inspire each person to engage actively with this issue. The event will showcase powerful examples of people and organisations working to drive change for women.
Bishop Rachel said, “My hope is that by bringing people together for conversation we will each be challenged to take action in ways that will help transform the lives of women around the world. For me as a follower of Jesus Christ, my motivation to do this is to see every woman flourish and become the person that God has created them to be.”
Speakers will include representatives of Christian Aid; Restored, a charity working to end violence against women; Side by Side, a global faith movement for gender justice initiated by Christian Aid; and the Nelson Trust, a Gloucestershire-based organisation that supports disadvantaged women with complex and multiple needs.
Also speaking at the event are Muzoon Almellehan, an 18-year old Syrian refugee campaigning for girls’ education; and the Rt Hon Lord Bates, Minister of State for the Department for International Development (DFID), who will reflect on DFID’s work with faith leaders in addressing gender-based violence and supporting gender equality.
Christian Aid’s Chief Executive Loretta Minghella said, "Christian Aid is delighted to partner with Bishop Rachel and with Restored, as together we seek to mobilise the faith community to challenge and change the discriminatory beliefs that lie at the root of gender inequality.
"Our voices have the power to transform people’s experience of gender – especially for women and girls living in poverty – and to ensure they are shaped not by oppression, but by justice, dignity and hope."
Mandy Marshall, Co-Director of Restored said, “30% of women worldwide experience violence from their partner. Faith based organisations have great reach and influence at both national and local level in millions of communities across the globe. With the right support, we believe they have the potential to challenge the injustice of gender inequality and hasten the end of violence against women.”
The event is being held on Tuesday 7 March in the House of Lords. International Women’s Day is on Wednesday 8 March, with the theme #BeBoldForChange.
Notes to Editors:
1. Christian Aid works in some of the world's poorest communities in around 40 countries at any one time. We act where there is great need, regardless of religion, helping people to live a full life, free from poverty. We provide urgent, practical and effective assistance in tackling the root causes of poverty as well as its effects.
2. Christian Aid’s core belief is that the world can and must be changed so that poverty is ended: this is what we stand for. Everything we do is about ending poverty and injustice: swiftly, effectively, sustainably. Our strategy document Partnership for Change explains how we set about this task.
3. Christian Aid is a member of ACT Alliance, a global coalition of more than 130 churches and church-related organisations that work together in humanitarian assistance, advocacy and development. Further details at
