"Be a guiding force in the world and lead the way to making all women of the world equal." - Target poverty campaigner

Just before International Women’s Day in March, we asked ActionAid campaigners to send Gordon Brown a personal message.

Gordon Brown has called for international action this year to make progress on UN poverty targets. But it is vital he faces the facts and recognises that tackling discrimination against women must be a top priority.

We were overwhelmed by the hundreds of inspiring, passionate and thought-provoking messages that streamed in, such as;

• "I am outraged that 70% of the world’s poorest people are female."
• "The western world has it in its power to change things. You have the power to influence it. Please use it."
• "Discrimination against women and girls is the major barrier to progress."

All these messages have been delivered to Number 10. The giant card we printed them on illustrated the shocking fact that 70% of the world's poorest people are women and girls.

The good news is that Gordon seems to have got the message. In this video he made for ActionAid, he said "I give you this pledge. This government will continue to do all it can to champion the cause of gender equality in 2008 and beyond."

This is a great start. Now we need to make sure he delivers. Play your part by lending your voice and helping ActionAid to target poverty.