Hi Friends

It really is time I updated you again as I come towards completing the final manuscript. The wonderful thing about having written and researched the lives of so many women is that it gives you a broad picture of the things it takes to succeed. Every one is different but so far there are two things that obviously stick out to me and the first is education. As someone who works in gender policy I know the ethos that educating girls is key to lifting families out of poverty, but never has it been more clear to me than writing this book. Time and again I have written about young women who were deeply grateful for their education, sometimes despite diffcult odds, and went on to have their political light-bulb-moment at university. The power of education and how it can change lives has been humbling for me to write about.

The second element I have noticed is family support, and certainly not all these women received it, but more often than not there is a quote from a woman leader recalling a family mentor who gave them confidence and courage to succeed. Sometimes this support was as simple as having a family culture of equality, for example Gro Harlem Brundtland, first woman to be Prime Minister of Norway (seen in the image above), says in her family boys and girls were treated equally, “which was not the regular thing”.  I hope you'll enjoy reading about the backgrounds of these women and why they went on to success when the book is finally in your hands.

Good news is that a majoirty of the illustrations are now drafted and I am close to the final edit of the manuscript. I will be so pleased to turn it over to my editor in the next month or so. After that I look forward to fulfilling the pledges that you so generously offered - it would be great to do our walks and talks over the summer. I'll be in touch.

In the meantime thanks for your patience and your support as ever.

Ros