because I’m a girl

I mentioned last year that Martin and I joined Plan Ireland, and we’re now sponsoring a girl in India.

In December we received our first note from her. Both the letter and its translation were hand-written. It was lovely to hear from her in a way that makes the connection immediate and real.

I returned her note with my own hand-written letter. I could have sent it via email, but in this case I felt it was important to take the effort for her to see my writing – not as neat as hers! Plan Ireland acts as the intermediary, so I included a note saying how much I appreciate the work Plan was doing, and especially its Because I am a Girl campaign.

The Irish branch of Plan International has started an inspirational blog as part of this campaign, called the Because I am a Girl Blog. A diverse selection of Irish women have been featured in the blog. The contributors fill out a series of sentences that begin with ‘because I am a girl’ that express their thoughts and experiences.

Much to my surprise I received a phone call from Plan a couple of days before the holiday thanking me for my appreciation! It seems that telling people they are doing a great job doesn’t happen so often (and aid agencies like Plan deal with heart-rending issues on a daily basis). They also invited me to submit an entry to their Because I am a Girl blog. I was touched, and a little taken-aback at the thought of being among such good company.

I hope I managed to convey myself well: the blog entry is up today.

Again, I’d like to thank Plan Ireland for its resolute, important work. Organisations like this make a concrete difference in the world. They deserve attention and our support.