Rachael and Sarah

Rachael Fraser has always had a sense of the deep-rooted and unequal power relations within society, but a university lecture on feminist International Relations completely changed her worldview - and her career track.

Rachael started sharing stories on social media, educating both herself and others about gender justice. As a result of her online presence, she attended the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York in 2016 and 2017 representing the Scottish Episcopal Church.

Inspired by the stories of people working for gender justice around the world, Rachael addressed the General Synod on why and how the church must engage with these issues. She has now embarked on a Masters Degree in ‘Gender and Development’ at the London School of Economics.

Sarah de Roure works for Christian Aid in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

As a student, Sarah was passionate about tackling the challenges women faced when accessing education: the fear of violence, unemployment, sexual harassment. Soon, she realised that these inequalities weren’t unique to her university or to education. In 2004, she started a nationwide campaign against sexual violence.

On International Women’s Day, 2005, Sarah joined a mass demonstration of students campaigning for gender equality in education. That demonstration has become a national annual event. Looking back, she recognises that her student activism inspired a generation of young women to challenge the pervasive gender inequality in Brazil.

Now, through her work with Christian Aid, Sarah is discovering that the promise of her faith of abundant life for all can look different for men and women.