For International Women’s Day, Giselle Green has pulled together a diverse selection of stories affecting or inspired by women that have been shared with NCVO’s Constructive Voices project.
Leap Confronting Conflict
Leap Confronting Conflict is running a three-year project working with young women who may be at risk of exploitation or gang activity. It’s helping them develop a positive self-image, challenge objectification, make safer choices and develop healthier relationships.
Housing for Women
Rehousing mums released from prison with their children is seriously reducing reoffending. Check out the ReUnite project from Housing for Women. The charity also helps victims of domestic abuse and women who have been trafficked into the UK for exploitation.
Mercy Ships
Mercy Ships runs the world’s largest civilian hospital ship, providing free, safe surgery on its hospital ship and in land-based programmes in some of the world’s poorest countries. They have a women’s health programme in each country they visit, which focuses on treating childbirth injuries.
Mindsong
The woman using music to reach people with advanced dementia – Dr Anthea Holland of Mindsong fought to bring music therapy to care homes for people living with dementia. Mindsong is currently working in around 50 care homes and also providing a service for individuals living in their own homes.
Brighton Oasis Project
How can a nail bar help young women at risk of self-harm? Check out the Young Women’s Wellbeing Nailbar from the Brighton Oasis Project.
Sreepur Village
The Sreepur Village in Bangladesh offers a safe haven and livelihood training to destitute single mothers and their children. They’ve even started up a girls’ cricket team
Suicide Crisis
The woman who averted suicide and now saves the lives of others – Joy Hibbins set up Suicide Crisis offering an effective combination of an accessible crisis centre, home visits and emergency phone lines: “We have never had a suicide of a client under our care.”
Giselle is in charge of 'Constructive Voices', an NCVO project aimed at ensuring the positive impact of charities and social enterprises is heard and encouraging a more constructive, solutions-based approach to news coverage in general. Giselle is a former BBC News producer on The World at One and PM. 
