Michelle Bachelet writes back!

Dear Sisters,

Your bold voices have been heard! As you know, last month Jensine Larsen, World Pulse founder, hand delivered your letters from the UN Women campaign - directly to Michelle Bachelet. And she accepted them eagerly and proudly.

Today, we received a letter back from Ms. Bachelet herself with this message to you all:

\"Thank you for sending the inspiring and thought-provoking letters from women around the world that World Pulse collected on the occasion of the creation of UN Women. It is indeed encouraing to see how invested women on all continents are in the new global champion for women and girls which I am privileged to lead as its first Executive Director.

I am also encouraged by the interest, expressed in the letters, to be actively engaged in the issues which will shape our agenda, making their voices heard internationally. Thank you for offering your support in this regard.\"

We are excited to move forward, in partnership with the GEAR Campaign, and UN Women, to develop mechanisms for your voices to be included further in re-shaping a world where women are the forefront!

In the meantime, I encourage you all to join us in a new campaign on the issue of Universal Internet Access and Digital Freedom. As we witness on PulseWire every day, the Web has opened a new frontier for the free exchange of ideas, exposure to new markets, and global forums for building movements. Today, freedom of expression and equal access to knowledge and ideas has become synonymous with access to the Internet. Yet hundreds of thousands of people are excluded from participating—due to cost and infrastructure, threats to safety, government censorship, etc.

World Pulse invites women worldwide to share their personal testimonies on obstacles faced and risks taken in accessing the Internet to seek information, speak freely, and connect globally.

Share your personal testimony on the everyday obstacles you face and risks you take in accessing the Internet. Does expressing yourself freely put you at great risk for your personal safety? What's it like battling constant power outages or a slow connection speed? Do you pay exorbitant prices and endure harassment at local Internet cafes? Or does your country filter and block access to important information?

We also want to hear about innovative ways you're utilizing the Internet to accelerate change in your life, your community, or globally. How has the Internet made a difference in your life? What will it take to improve access in your community, and what does Universal Internet Access and Digital Freedom mean to you?

Raise your voice and speak your truth to bring awareness to this rising, global human rights issue. Together, let's lead the conversation and ensure a gender lens on global advocacy efforts to bridge the digital divide and demand our right to access!

Your testimonies will be leveraged to advocate for Universal Internet Access and Digital Freedom at the highest levels of policy-makers and International Human Rights bodies.

Learn more: http://www.worldpulse.com/pulsewire/programs/action-blogging-campaign-un...

In love and solidarity,
Jade