Hi John,

We know many of you will be worried and shocked about the events happening in Ukraine. We are too. ONE and our teams in Europe, Africa and North America, stand with the people of Ukraine at this moment of peril and injustice. If you're looking for ways you can help, this is a great list from our friends at Global Citizen. 

Also in this newsletter, we'll update you on the long-awaited Africa and EU leaders’ summit that took place this month, with ONE’s young activists at the forefront pushing for global access to COVID-19 vaccines and a global economic recovery. We also want to tell you about a groundbreaking initiative that is empowering disadvantaged high school girls in South Africa to pursue a career in science, tech and math, and we want to hear from YOU about the women in your life who have inspired you, so that we can celebrate them on International Women’s Day.

Celebrate an inspiring woman in your life this #IWD

Ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March, we want to collect your stories of women that have stepped up and done amazing things, especially during the challenges of the pandemic. 

Do you know a care home worker who has shown resilience or compassion supporting elderly residents? Has your child's teacher gone above and beyond to keep students learning? Or maybe you just want to recognise someone who helped lift your spirits when you needed it most. 

Tell us, in just a few words, who this amazing woman is and why she has inspired you. We'll gather all the messages we receive and share them in a giant digital THANK YOU card around International Women's Day!

Girls rise through STEM training in South Africa

Have you heard of Techno Girl? Working in collaboration with UNICEF South Africa, the program selects high school girls from disadvantaged communities to take part in mentorships, skills training, and job shadowing in science, tech, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.

For young women from communities where unemployment is almost 40% and where women are more likely to be unemployed than men, a career in science and technology can seem like a distant dream. Read more about how Techno Girl is bringing that dream to reality.

Campaign update: EU-Africa Summit

On 17-18 February, African and European leaders came together in Brussels. ONE young activists delivered powerful messages to them, calling for joint action to address the pandemic and create a global economic recovery that leaves no country behind.

• ONE activists wrote an open letter to African and European leaders, signed by over 20,000 people, including French President François Hollande, former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.
• Tonny, a ONE activist from Nigeria, was chosen to speak directly to leaders from both continents and present our activists’ recommendations and letter.
• European countries committed some new funding to strengthen health care systems in Africa and to get vaccines delivered to African countries. But the elephant in the room is still the EU's refusal to support the sharing of COVID vaccine recipes, even though it would be key to increasing production globally and getting us all out of the pandemic. 

THANK YOU to our supporters and activists for helping to push vaccine justice and a fair global economic recovery at the top of the agenda!

And in other news

• Twitter: We’ve decided to help world leaders schedule the next global COVID summit.
• Instagram: How many people get tested for COVID in France vs Africa?
• South African pharmaceutical company, Afrigen, successfully produces the continent’s first-ever mRNA vaccine.
• How Russia-Ukraine conflict could influence Africa’s food supplies