Why Empower Her Matters: Reflections from Our CEO
As I reflect on International Women’s Day this year, I’ve been thinking a lot about equity. Equity involves fairness, justice and addressing inequality on an individual level. It’s a value at the heart of the Snowdrop Project, and at the heart of a world I dream of.
I dream of a world in which everyone has everything they need in order to thrive. What would it feel like to live in that world? How would our communities be transformed? How would fairness and justice and equality transform society?
And I wonder, how can I hold on to that dream, when it feels like a vapour, slipping through my fingers in the face of a very different reality. As we approach International Women’s Day, sometimes this dream feels like grief for a world that could be.
Recent events remind us how far we still have to go. The release of the Epstein Files, the Rotherham scandal, the shockingly low charging rates for sexual violence offenses and intersecting factors of race and class alongside gender, all reveal a world that remains a difficult place for women and girls.
Whilst many legislative changes have been made to address inequalities based on gender in the UK- The Equal Pay Act 1970, The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Equality Act 2010, there remain significant cultural barriers to the safety and equity of all women.
We still live in a society that, more often than not, doesn’t believe women and girls. This disbelief allows misogyny and injustice to pervade our culture. Culturally, the systems are set up to disadvantage and allow exploitation to thrive in the shadows, the hidden cost that women and girls pay with their bodies and their minds every day.
I know this because 80% of the individuals supported by Snowdrop are women. I know this because as a woman I have seen, and heard, and experienced misogyny that disempowers us all.
My desire is for every survivor who encounters Snowdrop to have what they need in order to thrive. To build within this place access to justice, to fairness, to equity. And I believe, as Dr Lilla Watson reminds us, that our liberation is bound up together:
“If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”
This year’s global International Women’s Day theme is Give to Gain — a reminder that generosity, collaboration, and shared liberation create stronger communities. At Snowdrop, we see this truth every day.
Snowdrop’s own campaign, Empower Her, celebrates the women who have been on the journey of empowering themselves into brighter, safer futures. Their courage shows us that empowerment isn’t something given from the outside; it grows when women are believed, supported, and surrounded by community.
Throughout March, we will highlight stories of women whose empowerment shows us that change is possible — and already happening.
We’re inviting you to be part of this movement. Join our events. Give if you can. Engage with the stories we share. Partner with us as we work toward a future where every woman and girl can thrive.
Will you help us build that world together?
In solidarity,
Rachel Medina, CEO