This year International Women's Day falls on 8 March 2013: a celebration of achievements, progress and all good done by the talented women of the world.
I don't want this blog post to be obvious; showcasing how one celebrity do-gooder has helped promote an international charity group, or how a female politician has visited a village in some far away nation. Of course, these are all positive and wonderful things to happen and things that continue to happen. They're what we see day in day out through media coverage. We even have whole shows dedicated to celebrities visiting villages and how we, mere mortals, should take initiative and do something of a similar nature.
I want to pull this closer to home. I want to talk about the women you find surrounding you. Those female campaigners around campus. Those females who take time off from their everyday schedules to volunteer. Those ladies who push for what they believe in from their bedroom, laptop and beyond.
It is sometimes too easy to think that those with greater power and a greater following have more authority to make a change or make a difference. I believe anyone, as long as they have the compassion and passion can do just as much. Be it through your local community and building it up into something bigger, to the person who donates smalls sums of money or time to create a brighter future.
A bright future may mean teaching a child once a week a new language, helping them with their homework or simply being there. One of my favourite examples is that of the young Pakistani girl Malala Yousafzai - the youngest individual (as well as female) to ever be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Her dream was to be educated, and she campaigned for all females her age and beyond to have this right. A shot to the head by Taliban gunmen did not dampen her passion and persistence. After a steady recovery in a UK hospital, Malala now wishes to organise the Malala Education Foundation, which would help poor girls have the opportunity to go to school.
Sometimes, too much emphasis is put on the biggest organisations to inspire and influence you to work towards a goal. But as the example of Malala shows, you can be any age, have gone through anything and still feel ardour to continue and make a difference.
Here's to the campaigners. The mothers. The daughters. The students. The ones with an idea in their head. Act on it. It's never wrong to be afraid of a small idea that will probably grow into something a lot bigger and more beautiful.