Silver Linings

Throughout my years at university, my degree has constantly reiterated that news is something that sells. You have to give the consumers what they want, and unfortunately for most journalists this means finding the most degrading, horrific or shocking stories to give to the public. What you see in the news is a constant cycle of reports which never really make you jump for joy and often highlight everything that is wrong with society. On reading Emily Coxhead’s newspaper, The Happy Newspaper, which at first I thought could be a tad cheesy, actually turned out to be something that thoroughly lifted my spirits during my time in lockdown. So, I have decided to share a few snippets of some heart-warming stories which I have come across. Although some of these derive from 2019, I thought they were too good not to include in this week’s silver linings. When researching for this blog post, it was actually the most positive thing I’d done in a while and made me realise that the human race can be capable of compassion.

1) Malawi’s female chief sends young girls back to school to be educated

Theresa Kachindamoto became chief of the Dedza District and gained the informal authority of over 90,000 inhabitants. During her time as chief she managed to get 50 other sub chiefs to abolish early child marriages, where she found that a disturbingly high proportion of them were in sexually abusive marriages. Kachindamoto managed to nullify over 1,500 marriages, sending those who had been married off before the age of 18 back to school. Throughout her time as chief she has advocated for equality between females and males, insisting that all sexes within Malawi should be allowed education. She has rightly gained worldwide recognition for her acts and for me represents a strong embodiment of female empowerment.

2) Sudan Criminalises genital mutilation

Sudan’s government have now outlawed the horrific practise of FGM (female genital mutilation) making it a momentous occasion for all females throughout the country. In an environment where this was normalised, this invasive practise is now illegal. A report from the UN stated that nearly 9 out of 10 Sudanese females aged between 14 – 49 had undergone some type of FGM in their lifetime. FGM is proven to have no health benefits and is usually done for social acceptance, a way of preserving the women’s virginity or to make the women more ‘marriageable’. The procedure regularly has painful results leading to urine tract infections, kidney infections, fertility issues and pain during sex. Now anyone who carries out this practice or is linked to FGM will be fined and face three years in prison.

3) Captain Tom’s fundraising for the NHS.

Although this has been recognised widely by the British public, Captain Tom is a personal hero of mine and is someone who deserves as much recognition as possible, hence me placing him in my silver linings. Maybe it’s because he reminds me of my late Nanny who worked as a Land Girl during the war and would do anything to help anyone in need, but I know for certain I am not the only person who considers him an absolute legend. Raising £33 million (!!!!!!!!!!) for the NHS goes to show us that literally anything is possible no matter how old you may be. Captain Tom has also announced he is to set up a loneliness foundation, to support those "who are feeling so very much on their own" during the Coronavirus pandemic. No matter what you say, this man is a national treasure.

4) A potential end to plastic water bottles?!

Dutch company called Avantium, are developing a 100% plant based water bottle which breaks down within a year. The cost of recycling is so high that many companies instead just make new bottles, hence an enormous build up of plastic waste with harrowing affects on the environment. This company brings a sustainable solution to plastic pollution and have been collaborating with companies such as Coca Cola and Carlsberg. They aim to release their plant based packaging in 2023!

5) Most endangered primate population triples

I can be a very emotional person, especially when it comes to animals. I sobbed at War Horse, was scarred for life after watching Watership Down, and last week I couldn’t even finish the film Dumbo. That is to say when it comes to animals I get quite protective (my little sister is even worse). So, when I came across this piece of news I felt elated. Thanks to decades of conservation commitment, the Hanian gibbon’s population has increased since 1970. During the 20th century the most critically engendered primate were incessantly hunted with their habitat being greatly destroyed. However, since then things have improved dramatically in the Chinese province, with local conservationists working together to ensure no more harm comes to these intelligent creatures by establishing the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park to further secure gibbon habitat.

Izzy xx

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Here are a few links to some of my fav places to get an extra dose of happiness.

- The Happy Broadcast website : https://www.thehappybroadcast.com/

- The Happy Newspaper : https://thehappynewspaper.com/

- The Happiness Project – a book by Gretchin Rubin

- Good Life Project Podcast : https://www.goodlifeproject.com/podcast/