Beyoncé, Madonna, Prince Harry and Archbishop Desmond Tutu were among the celebrities who appeared at a star-studded concert on Saturday 1st June to highlight the millions of women and girls denied adequate healthcare, education and justice. 50,000 people attended the Chime for Change concert at London’s Twickenham rugby stadium, which was broadcast to more than 150 countries around the world and raised over $4million (USD) for projects in 70 countries.
Performances by Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Florence and the Machine, Rita Ora, John Legend, Timbaland and Simon Le Bon were interspersed with videos of projects working to support women and girls and messages of support from celebrities and campaigners, including Gloria Steinem and Humaira, a young Pakistani school teacher, fighting to bring education to the women of rural Pakistan .
“How can we move forward if half of us are held back?”
The event was organised by Chime for Change, a new global campaign founded by Gucci designer Frida Giannini with friends Beyoncé and Salma Hayek, to unite and strengthen the voices speaking out for girls and women around the world. Focussing on education, health and justice, the campaign raises funds for projects run by partner-organisations around the world, working on issues such as female genital mutilation, domestic violence, maternal health, human trafficking and illiteracy.
The Chime for Change website uses a crowd-funding platform, Catapault, which allows visitors to read about projects run by partners such as UNICEF, Plan International, Pro Mujer and Women Deliver and donate directly to the initiative of their choice.
Bringing in a new generation
Soroptimist International President Alice Wells welcomes the new attention that the concert has brought to issues facing women and girls.
“It is wonderful to see Beyoncé and other household names casting a spotlight on the fact that millions of girls and women worldwide are denied their right to education, healthcare and justice.
"This concert has brought worldwide media coverage to these issues, so close to all of our hearts as Soroptimists, and I’m sure that many, many people, particularly girls and young women, will be informed and inspired to take action."
"We could find it disheartening that a pop concert gets global attention on a huge scale, while an event like CSW, with 6000 women’s rights activists and Governments reaching a historic agreement on violence against women, struggled to catch the media’s eye. On the other hand, we could see it as a wonderful opportunity."
"Beyoncé has helped us to catch the attention of young people who might never before have considered women’s rights as anything to do with them. And it was great to see male celebrities like Jay-Z and Prince Harry add their voices and show that it is an issue for men and boys too. But now it’s up to us to take that spark of interest and keep it burning."
"We need to escalate what we are doing to educate young people about the issues facing women and girls in our communities and around the world, through social media, talks to schools and partnerships. We can empower and enable this new generation by showing them how to make a difference, whether as individuals or collectively, through online networks, by volunteering or as members of clubs and societies."
"Let’s not waste this amazing opportunity to involve a new generation in working for a better world for women and girls!”
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