Hazel Larkin, writer & her daughters Ishthara and Kashmira

Hazel Katherine Larkin started working for children when she was 18 and was a full-time volunteer with the CARI Foundation, which was in its infancy at the time. Since then, she has campaigned for children’s rights, mental health rights and women’s rights both in Ireland and in Asia, where she lived for 10 years.  At the end of 2004, she and her two daughters returned to Ireland, where she was awarded a BA (Hons) in psychology in 2009. Currently studying for a Master’s in Sexuality Studies at DCU, Hazel’s passion for the rights of children – particularly girl children – has not waned and she is keen to continue doing all she can to improve the lot of girls everywhere.

Because I am a Girl I ask…that more be done to make the world a safe place for all our children
Because I am a Girl I believe…that ‘despite its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, the world is still a beautiful place’ (from the Desiderata by Max Ehrmann)
Because I am a Girl I hope…that more women will be welcomed to take their rightful places beside men in politics worldwide
Because I am a Girl I wonder…who I might have been if I had never been sexually abused
Because I am a Girl I dream…that female foeticide will become a thing of the past in my lifetime
Because I am a Girl I remember…the first time I held each of my babies in my arms
Because I am a Girl I like…the scent of jasmine flowers in the cooling night
Because I am a Girl I dislike…patriarchal systems of law, health, education and politics that don’t serve women
Because I am a Girl I feel…deeply
Because I am a Girl I celebrate…motherhood and give thanks for it every day.

Ishthara Larkin was born in India in 2002. Since then, she has lived in three other countries but visits India regularly with her mum and sister, Kashmira. Ishthara loves being a girl. She feels very lucky that she is not homeless and is getting a great education. Ishthara would like to be an actress and would like to continue to highlight issues that affect girls throughout the world.

Because I am a Girl I ask…for all children to be treated with kindness and understanding
Because I am a Girl I believe…in myself
Because I am a Girl I hope…that I’ll look good at a special event
Because I am a Girl I wonder…do I have a chance of having a ‘happy ever after’? Because I am a Girl I dream…that I will do something big for the world
Because I am a Girl I remember…the first time I made the dinner
Because I am a Girl I like…dancing
Because I am a Girl I dislike…fighting
Because I am a Girl I feel …precious
Because I am a Girl I celebrate…The International Day of the Girl Child

(Ishthara,  aged 10)

Kashmira Larkin was born in Singapore in 2004. Since then, she has lived in, and visited, many other countries. Everywhere she goes, she is aware of how much luckier than other girls she is. It makes Kashmira sad when she sees other children suffering. She knows she is lucky to be loved and to live safely. She would like all girls in the world to have a chance to have enough food, clean water and a house as well as an education. She would love for no girl ever to be forced to marry. Kashmira would like to be a zoologist when she is older.

Because I am a Girl I ask…of myself that I be the best I can be
Because I am a Girl I believe…in magic
Because I am a Girl I hope…to be a zoologist
Because I am a Girl I wonder…who decided that only boys could have ‘cool’ toys
Because I am a Girl I dream…of having a great education
Because I am a Girl I remember…being frustrated because all the girls’ clothes in the shops are pink!!!
Because I am a Girl I like…animals
Because I am a Girl I dislike…knotty hair
Because I am a Girl I feel…pretty
Because I am a Girl I celebrate…The International Day of the Girl Child

(Kashmira, aged 7)

Suzanne Murray, Plan Ireland volunteer & her daughter Laura James

Having worked in event management for years Suzanne Murray bowed out of the working world to travel and have her kids – Daniel and Laura. She spent 7 years in Barcelona enjoying the sunshine, the cultural differences and struggling to learn the language. Now back in Ireland, and getting used to carrying an umbrella again, she is a Plan Ireland voluteer and works part-time in the event/fundraising area.

Because I am a Girl I ask…a lot of those around me…yes I’m demanding but I’m worth it!
 
Because I am a Girl I believe…that women play a huge role in family life and whether you’re a mother, daughter, sister, grandmother, grandaughter, niece, sister-in-law or daughter-in-law it’s often the woman who is the negotiator cum peacemaker of the family.
 
Because I am a Girl I hope…that my daughter will grow up to be happy, kind and independent.
 
Because I am a Girl I wonder…why we have so much while so many have so little?
 
Because I am a Girl I dream…BIG dreams…a gal’s gotta have BIG dreams
 
Because I am a Girl I remember…growing up with one brother and two sisters – he got away with murder!
 
Because I am a Girl I like…lipstick, nailpolish and perfume…oh yeah and chocolate, flowers and champagne too!
 
Because I am a Girl I dislike…laziness, loutish behaviour, bad drivers and bad service.
 
Because I am a Girl I feel…lucky to have two beautiful children.
 
Because I am a Girl I celebrate…what a great life I have and wonder how we got to where we are.  I also celebrate ALL special occasions and did I mention that I like champagne?! 

Suzanne’s daughter, Laura James, is 10 years old and attends the Lycee Francais d’Irlande. She speaks French, Spanish, Catalan and English. She loves playing hockey, practising gymnastics and bouncing on the trampoline with her friends. Apart from her Mum, the other ‘girl’ she loves in her life is Rosie, the family dog, who gets just as many hugs and kisses if not more!

Because I am a Girl I ask…to be well treated.
 
Because I am a Girl I believe…all humans should be treated the same way .
 
Because I am a Girl I hope…I have a happy life.
 
Because I am a Girl I wonder…why I like football.
 
Because I am a Girl I dream…I could be  a pop star. 
 
Because I am a Girl I remember…the day I got my dog.
 
Because I am a Girl I like…hockey.
 
Because I am a Girl I dislike…rugby.
 
Because I am a Girl I feel…free.
 
Because I am a Girl I celebrate…my birthday.

Elsa Jones, Nutritional Therapist & Health Journalist

Elsa Jones is a Nutritional Therapist and Health Journalist. Elsa runs a private practice in Dublin where she offers one-to-one consultations to treat individual health concerns. 

Elsa has recently teamed up with Dubliner Cheese to launch their new-look Dubliner Cheese light. Elsa also works hard to bring health issues to Irish consciousness in her capacity as a print and broadcast journalist. Her Health Advice Column ‘Ask Elsa’ features every Monday in the Evening Herald as does her Q&A column in TV Now magazine. Elsa has a nutrition slot on Wednesday’s on Newstalk Radio with Tom Dunne. She chats about various nutrition topics and answers listener’s health related queries. Between 2010 and 2011, Elsa produced and presented the popular health series ‘How Healthy Are You?’ on TV3. 

Because I am a Girl I ask…Why are women so much more self-critical than men?

Because I am a Girl I believe…In the law of attraction – you get what you put your energy and focus on, whether wanted or unwanted.

Because I am a Girl I hope…the term ‘third world country’ gets put to bed.

Because I am a Girl I wonder…if it’d be easier to be a boy.

Because I am a Girl I dream…of virtual to-do lists, the hamster in my head never sleeps!

Because I am a Girl I remember…the insults but forget the compliments.

Because I am a Girl I like…hugs, flattery, roses, tearjerkers… 

Because I am a Girl I dislike…taking my makeup off before bed (but not enough to stop using it!)

Because I am a Girl I feel…lucky to have all my loved ones around me. 

Because I am a Girl I celebrate…the kind, loving, nurturing, beautiful, complicated creatures us girls truly are.

- Elsa Jones

Riona Judge McCormack, Communications Officer

Riona Judge McCormack is the Regional Communications Officer with an African NGO (www.repssi.org), a job which sees her living in Johannesburg and traveling all over Southern Africa. She loves design, writing and photography, and recently produced a series of short video documentaries based on filming she conducted with community members in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa.

She previously worked with the United Nations Human Rights Office in Cambodia, and holds an M.A. in International Relations from DCU. She sponsors a girl through Plan in Nepal, and occasionally misses Ireland.

Because I am a Girl I ask…why it is I have so much when others have so little, and how do I become part of changing that situation?

Because I am a Girl I believe…that looking back on my life, it is the things I didn’t do that I will regret most. I try to live with this perspective every day. I don’t always succeed.

Because I am a Girl I hope…that I will have the strength to stand up for what I know to be right. I know women who took part in the Black Sash during apartheid, standing in lonely isolation on street corners, against the beliefs of their families and friends. It seems like a small act, but it took daily courage. I would hope that, in the same situation, I would have the necessary courage.

Because I am a Girl I wonder…how to make sure I don’t unintentionally add to another’s burden. You never know what small act could transform someone’s day into something beautiful, or bring someone deeply down. I know myself what a difference a smile or a kind word can make, even from a stranger.

Because I am a Girl I dream…and then do what I can to realise them, even if it is daunting, or nerve-wracking to take the first steps in their direction. I take inspiration from the words of Mandela:.. “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

Because I am a Girl I remember…that I owe so much of who I am to my terrific mother. She taught me to be open to the little wonders in the world, to find expression in small kindnesses, to never doubt my own abilities. Some day I hope to be half the person she is.

Because I am a Girl I like…large quantities of chocolate. Preferably in the company of a good female friend. I’m not sure why this is a girl thing, but experience has taught me that men, however well-intentioned, just don’t quite get the whole chocolate thing.

Because I am a Girl I dislike…that just because women in Ireland enjoy (mostly) equal opportunities, we are ashamed to advocate for women’s rights. I think of all the places in the world a little girl could be born into, and all the barriers that can close around her. Until every girl in this world has an equal chance to lead her own life, we should all (men and women) be vocal feminists. 

Because I am a Girl I feel…able to discard my sense of pride when it’s getting in the way. Being able to make fun of yourself is a great way to break the ice in unfamiliar situations, or where you don’t speak the language. 

Because I am a Girl I celebrate…the relationships and connections in my life, because these are what makes life joyous

- Riona Judge McCormack

Mary Carroll, Trainer

Mary Carroll is a freelance trainer and Director of ‘The Succession Conversation’ which is aimed at assisting people in planning succession for their family businesses, with special focus on farming families.  She also works part time in the Tralee International Resource Centre helping to promote integration in the community. 

As a farmer’s daughter (only girl) growing up on a farm in Co Laois, Mary has seen first hand how women in agriculture can often be invisible.  She worked for 4 years as a countryside management advisor in the Department of Agriculture inNorthern Ireland.  As a professional in the agriculture industry, she had a unique perspective of how women in agriculture were viewed by Government.  In her role as IFA Equality Officer, she worked with many women in agriculture from all overIreland.  Mary wrote a book of her experiences, called ‘Women Drive Tractors Too’, which captures the lives of 18 women in agriculture from all overIreland. Mary also worked as an equality officer with Concern which showed her the importance of working with and for women in development aid. 

Because I am a Girl I ask…why do we still have so much gender inequality – why is it still so important that land is kept in the family name thereby favouring male inheritance and why can’t we not see the importance genuinely of having mixed gender representation at decision making levels.

Because I am a Girl I believe…that all people have potential and that life is about fulfilling that in whatever way we can – irrespective of gender.

Because I am a Girl I hope…that somehow I could change things a little to improve the situation or help to empower some women to live their best life.

Because I am a Girl I wonder…why more people don’t discuss or object to the fact that men are expected to keep their name on marriage and women should change theirs, and why do children only take their father’s name in majority of cases. Who set up that system I wonder?!

Because I am a Girl I dream…of a world where self esteem is taught in equal measure to academic topics.  I dream that every child would have their potential developed and they would find their way in life.

Because I am a Girl I remember…that I felt slightly excluded growing up in farming world and that affected me, as I saw it as unfair even at a young age.

Because I am a Girl I like…being able to find a niche where I can support other women.  I have worked with women in personal development workshops and I am amazed at how many women can have such low confidence, especially after staying at home for a period of time.

Because I am a Girl I dislike…terms like ‘farmers wife’ and ‘housewife’ and so on…the stereotyping is amazing.

Because I am a Girl I feel…very strongly about how land is still passed down through the male line – this is blatant discrimination that goes unchallenged as a ‘norm’.

Because I am a Girl I celebrate…seeing my daughter develop and hope I can instil a ‘can do’ attitude in her.  I also celebrate the depth of thoughts of people and the connections that I have made and the wide network of my female support structure.

- Mary Carroll

Claire Finnan, Huggy Bloom Enterprises

Claire Finnan is Managing Director of Huggy Bloom Enterprises Ltd, an event and exhibition Management Company. Together with her business partner Jennifer Shaw, the girls are the brains behind the hugely successful Pregnancy & Baby Fair.

Claire and Jennifer first came to national attention on Dragons Den, where they went down in history as the first ever candidates to secure backing from all five Dragons for their exciting exhibition idea, The Pregnancy & Baby Fair – a one stop shop for all pregnancy and baby needs. After the phenomenal success of the first Pregnancy & Baby Fair in 2010, Huggy Bloom Enterprises Ltd. bought out all five Dragons.

Since then, the fair has gone from strength to strength and 2012 is set to be bigger and better than ever with the introduction of an additional location in Cork.

The SMA Know How Pregnancy & Baby Fair is taking place in Dublin’s RDS this April 14^th and 15^th and in Cork’s City Hall this April 21^st and 22^nd.

Because I am a Girl I ask… for the fairytale…………………. Cinderella was my favourite story as a child. At the moment, most days I resemble Cinderella in the rags but I’m praying Prince Charming will ride up on that white horse some day soon

Because I am a Girl I believe… no dream is too big. I think life is for living and you should chase your dreams! My fabulous mother always instilled in us growing up that if you can dream it you can achieve it. She gave us the gift of self-belief and confidence that helped me to get where I am today

Because I am a Girl I hope… to always be grateful for the little things in life. It’s amazing how small gestures can make such a big impact on your life.

Because I am a Girl I wonder… what men think! I’m embarrassed to say I’m the owner of many  “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” books. No matter how much they say they are straight forward, men are still a mystery to me!

Because I am a Girl I dream… of the happy ever after.  A long life full of love, happiness and adventures

Because I am a Girl I remember… the good times and try to forget the bad!

Because I am a Girl I like… makeup. No matter how bad you are looking first thing in the morning, there is nothing like a bit of blusher and mascara to transform you from Pat Butcher to Miranda Kerr!

Because I am a Girl I dislike… people who can’t make a decision! As an MD of two busy businesses, Huggy Bloom and The Pregnancy & Baby Fair, and also holding down a full time job, I get so frustrated with people who can’t make a decision. I think it’s the most irritating characteristic to me!

Because I am a Girl I feel… Blessed. I know how incredibly lucky I am to have such lovely family and friends and my health. I might not have everything yet (still waiting for prince charming) but I am happy with everything I have.

Because I am a Girl I celebrate… copper face jacks, false eye lashes, fake tan and high heels!

- Claire Finnan

Jennifer Shaw, Huggy Bloom Enterprises

Jennifer Shaw is Managing Director of Huggy Bloom Enterprises Ltd, an event and exhibition Management Company. Together with her business partner Claire Finnan, the girls are the brains behind the hugely successful Pregnancy & Baby Fair.

Jennifer and Claire first came to national attention on Dragons Den, where they went down in history as the first ever candidates to secure backing from all five Dragons for their exciting exhibition idea, The Pregnancy & Baby Fair – a one stop shop for all pregnancy and baby needs. After the phenomenal success of the first Pregnancy & Baby Fair in 2010, Huggy Bloom Enterprises Ltd. bought out all five Dragons.

Since then, the fair has gone from strength to strength and 2012 is set to be bigger and better than ever with the introduction of an additional location in Cork. The SMA Know How Pregnancy & Baby Fair is taking place in Dublin’s RDS this April 14^th and 15^th and in Cork’s City Hall this April 21^st and 22^nd.

Because I am a Girl I believe… everybody deserves happiness.  That everybody should have somebody to love them, that everybody should have friends to make them happy and pick them up.

Because I am a Girl I hope… that I get no more stretch marks, cellulite or sagging skin areas.

Because I am a Girl I wonder… how other mammies look so good?  How are they perfectly groomed with perfect hair and make up!  I have yet to find the secret to feeding a baby, changing a nappy and applying make up at the same time.

Because I am a Girl I dream… that I will always be happy with my husband and when we are 70 we will still enjoy dates to the cinema and romantic holidays.

Because I am a Girl I remember… every embarrassing moment of my adolescence like first crush, first fight with my best friend and my first bad hair cut.  I also remember all the happy memories in my childhood like days out at the zoo and phoenix park.

Because I am a Girl I like… chick flicks, pink, diamonds, more diamonds and even bigger diamonds.

Because I am a Girl I dislike… bullying.  I don’t accept bullying in the workplace or socially.  I think sometimes people bully, isolate others or intimate them because they feel threatened by their skills or looks.

Because I am a Girl I feel… motivated and positive.  I always feel excited about what’s around the corner and what the next week can bring.  I like starting new chapters and a change is as good as a rest.

Because I am a Girl I celebrate… at every opportunity. My best friend’s successes, life changing moments and my family milestones.

- Jennifer Shaw