Safe from harm

If you’re anything like me, you’ll agree that Tuesdays are often the worst day of the week. You’ve already filled all your colleagues in on your juicy gossip from last weekend, and next weekend is too far away to even think about. But this Tuesday is different. This week it’s #GivingTuesday; the day created to encourage people to do something good for a great cause. In 2015, £6,000 per minute was raised for charities in the UK, breaking the world record for the most amount of money donated online in 24 hours. Read more

How do you cope with losing a child? It’s a question that no parent should have to answer. When Mehreunnessa’s son was murdered in 2011, she felt her life was over. But the Bangladeshi mum found love and hope again in a place that few people would choose to look. She got a job at Happy Homes, an ActionAid-funded rescue home for street girls in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Every day Mehreunnessa, 52,  helps girls to rebuild their lives. In exchange, they’ve given her a new reason to carry on with hers. Read on to find out how.  Read more

Dangerous and dirty, the streets are no place for a young girl to call home. But that is the reality in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where thousands of homeless children live, work and sleep on the streets - at constant risk of violence, sexual abuse and exploitation. Jesmin, 10, was one of those children, caring for her younger brother while her mother searched for work to support them after her father left. But Jesmin's life was changed for good when ActionAid gave her a place in a Happy Homes centre. Here, Jesmin tells her story. Read more

In the slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh, two young girls are growing up. They share the same surroundings, and the same dreams, but their lives couldn’t be more different. While one girl dresses her baby brother, the other puts on her school uniform. While one girl looks for litter on the streets to sell, the other learns English and maths. And while one girl is scared of the boys who shout at her on the street, the other plays with her friends in safety. I’d like to tell you the story of Halimoon and Jharna, and how you can transform a girl’s life through child sponsorship this Christmas.  Read more