Esra’a does not show her face on line -it would put and her and her family at risk if she was recognizable. C She is a Bahraini civil rights activist and founder and executive director of Majal (Mideast Youth) and its related projects including* Crowd Voice.* She founded* Mideast Tunes* which is currently the largest platform for underground musicians in the Middle East and North Africa - it penetrates isolated markets. Read about her many media awards (2008-2015) - paragraph 2. IShe was a keynote speaker at Wikimania 2017 and also appointed to the Wilkimedia Foundation Board of Trustee, In 2018 she was listed as one of BBC’s 100 Women. In January 2023 she was appointed to board of The Tor Project. We want our humanity and our futures in our hands and we use the internet and other forms of technology to fight for those rights Esra’a Her life is dedicated to bringing about change. Sources Wikipedia RISE by Maliha Abidi

Elif Shafak (nee Bigin), born in Strasbourg, France has published 19 works. They have been translated into 55 languages and been nominated for several literacy awards. (See list) She advocated for women’s rights, minority rights and freedom of speech. Her themes include women’s lives, immigration and culture. She believes storytelling has the power to change the world. She is a passionate supporter of minorities for women and the freedom of expression. Sources Wikipedia *RISE *by Maliha Abidi

Meera, better known as Mirabai and venerated as Sant Meerabai, was a 16th century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. Aged 3 she was given a little Mira, a doll of Sri Krishna, by a wandering religious man. She decided then to follow Sri Krishna for the rest of her life. She has been the subject of numerous folk tales and hagiographic l.egends. It is widely acknowledged that Mirabai dedicated her life to Krishna, composing song of devotion and was one of the most important poet-saint of the Bhakti movement period. Some Hindu temples are dedicated to her memory. Sources Wikipedia Herstory by Katherine Halligan

On 11th of October 1998 Pope John Paul II canonized Teresa Benedicta of the cross. She is canonized as both a martyr and saint of the Catholic church Edith Stein took this name when she became a novice nun in 1933/4 when she entered the Discalaced Carmel of Cologne. Edith was the youngest of 11 children .She was brought up in a Jewish family Her father died when she was only 2. She became an atheist ( other sources say agnostic) in her teenage years. In1915 she took lessons to become a nursing assistant. She completed her doctoral thesis at the University of Gottengen in 1916 and obtained an assistantship at the University of Freiburg. She was drawn in 1921 towards the Catholic faith after reading the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila. The next year, 1922, she was baptised a Catholic In 1938 Edith, and her sister Rosa, were sent to the Carmelite monastery in Echt, Netherlands, for their safety, from the Nazi invasion. On August 2nd 1942 the two sisters, along with many others, were arrested and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. On the 9th of August they died in the gas chamber. A woman of singular intelligence and learning she left behind a body of writing notable for its richness and profound spirituality. www.carmelitedcj.org I have included the letter she sent to Pope Pius XI. I have used information from wikipedia, carmelite and Historica’s Women

Hannah Szenes or Chanah Senesh was a Jew born in Budepest, Hungary. She joined the British Army in 1943 as part of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. She trained to be a Special Operation’s Executive - SOE . She was learning to be a spy. After training in Egypt she parachuted into Europe near the Hungarian border. Having spent 3 months helping people fight against the Nazis she tried to cross into Hungary. Everything went wrong. She was captured, arrested and tortured as a spy. For 3 months she was tortured but revealed no information about her mission. They even threatened to kill her mother. She was tried, found guilty executed by firing squad on 7 th November 1944, she was just 23 years of age Hannah is regarded as a national heroine in Israel. Her poetry is widely known . The Yad Hna kibbutz as well as several streets are named after her. She has been largely been forgotten in Hungary, her birth place. Sources used Wikipedia Herstory by Katherine Halligan

Joyful Clemantine Wamariya at the age of 6 , with her older sister Claire,was forced to leave her home in Rwanda following the Rwandan Genocide in April. 1994. They went first to their grandparents but they were also targeted. They sought refuge in 7 countries over 6 years until they were granted refugee asylum in the USA in 2000. She began formal schooling at the age of 13. In 2006 she submitted an essay for a national high school contest on Elie Wiesel’s Holocaust Memoir, Night. She won and was invited to go on the Oprah Winfrey show with her sister. To their wonderful surprise their parents, who they knew had survived the genocide,had been flown in from Rwanda. They had spoken on the 'phone but had not seen them for 12 years. After her appearance on the show event organizers, especially in the humanitarian aid sector, have invited her to speak. While at Yale she carried her storytelling across the USA for the United Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM). President Obama in recognition of her work appointer her to the Board. She has since appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show 3 times and her appearances have gained her international attention. She studied comparative literature at Yale University. After university she met Elizabeth Weil. What started as a feature- length article two years later in 2018 resulted in The Girl Who Smiles Beads: A story about War and What comes After. The book became a New York Times best seller Clemantine now works as a human rights advocate fighting for the unprivileged and championing justice.

Aisholpan Nurguiv aged 13,became the first female eagle hunter to compete in the eagle festival at Ulgii, Mongolia. A documentary about Aisholpan was shortlisted, but ultimately not nominated, for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. In 2013 she competed at the e day event at the Sonar festival held near Nura. There were 40 competitors this involved shirga (lures) and live prey… She was awarded a prize by virtue of being the only female competitor. Aged 15, in 2015 , she went on her first hunt with her own eagle. Her desire is to become a doctor. The film makers established a fund to help pay for her higher education. Her family became ’ profit participants’ in the documentary. They also donated the 3, 000 euros for winning best Documentary at the Hamptons International Film Festival. Sources Wikipedia Rise by Maliha Abidi

Deepika is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Hindu films. Her father Prakash was a professional badminton player and she played at international herself. She was’ discovered’ and became a model and then a very a successful actress. One morning in 2014 she woke up with depression (her world was a few shades darker’. She researched and found there was very little information available about mental health. In 2015 she set up a foundation called Live Love Laugh through which she set up various resources.She wanted more attention paid to mental illness and its effects - and less to shame associated with it. Today she is a brighter star of Bollywood than ever before and continues to advocate for better mental health support. Sources Wikipedia *RISE * by Maliha Abidi

Harvest Festival is celebrated all over the world. The very first sheet can used to introduce a lesson on Harvest Festival, or even part of an assembly. The next sheet, a ‘comic’ clip, will work well with younger children. There is a diary and poetry aid with a ‘blank sheet’ for best copy. There is a simple word search with two anagram sheets. There is a also a sheet looking at the word’ harvest’ three different ways and an answer sheet. Children are often asked to see how many words they can find in a word. This I have done separately for both Harvest and Festival - there are so many words! Children can either look for the words and create their own crossword (many answers included) or instead, using the word list answer the crossword sheets.

Theresa is the paramount chief , or Inkosi, of the Dedza District in the central region of Malawi. She was the youngest of 12 siblings.She married and had children- all boys. Theresa for 27 years worked as a secretary for the College of Zambia District in southern Malawi. In 2003 the chiefs of the district chose her to be the next senior chief of the district, a district of 900, 000 people… She found that there were high rates of child marriage in her district- children aged 7 and upwards. She could not persuade parents to change their views but was able to convince community leaders to change the civil code to ban early marriages. 50 sub-chiefs agreed to abolish early marriage and annul existing unions. In 2015 a law was passed which prevented marriage before 18. But the constitution and customary law administered by traditional authorities still said children could still marry if the parents agreed. By 2019 she had managed to have over 3,500 early marriages annulled. She is now working to raise the legal age in Mallawi to 21. Her actions have brought her international recognition. UN Women and UNICEF plan to work with traditional leaders elsewhere to replicate the best practices of Theresa. Educate a girl and you educate the whole area- You educate the world Theresa Kachindamoto Sources used Wikipedia Herstory by Katherine Hallidan

Eight Poetry Aids have been put together - bottom of my garden, birds, farming, in the wood, trees and wild animals of the U.K. and the world. The excellent clip art pictures are by David Woodroffe, an established illustrator.

I have created two sheets which children may like to use during their summer holiday. The first sheet is a Diary idea with lots of Vocabulary and useful phrases. The second sheet is a Poetry Aid which the children may like to use to try and describe the holiday in poetic form. They will also be useful at the beginning of the summer term.

Martin Luther on 31st October, 1517 - 500 years ago - posted his 95 Thesis - the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Just some notes I found on Google. For the full explanation of the 95 Theses you need to go to the web site mentioned on the last sheet. On Easter Eve, 4th April 1523, aided by Leonhard Koppe, he helped his future wife Katherine von Bora, a nun, escape from a convent where she and other nuns were dissatisfied. They married about 2 years later. They had 6 children and raised 4 orphans including Katharina’s nephew, Fabian. Katherina managed the monastery and operated the hospital on site. Luther called her 'boss of Zulsdorf. ‘morning star’ for getting up at 4 am,and ‘My Lord Katie’. She respected him as a higher vessel and formally called him ‘Sir Doctor’ throughout her life The marriage was extremely important to the development of the Protestant Church specifically in regards to its stance on marriage and the role of each spouse.

C. S. Lewis, Clive Staple Lewis, Jack to his friends wrote more than 30 books. He is most famous for his The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven books written for children. The children visit the magical land of Narnia where Aslan, the Lion reigns. He takes the Pevensie children on a series of adventures where good eventually always over comes evil. To go with the series I have created seven sets of crosswords and word searches, answers included. HarperCollinspublishers have produced an excellent pop-up book to go with the series of seven books - Narnia Chronology -from the Archives of the Last King. ISBN 9780061240058 Wlkiepedia has a great deal of information about C.S. Lewis - biography notes and detailed book summaries (2 levels) about each of the books.

William Tyndale is often forgotten about unfortunately. It was William who was responsible for the translation of the Bible into every day English. He used Greek to translate the New Testament; he used Hebrew to translate the Old Testament. He lived at the time of the Reformation. The Roman Catholic Church did not want their Latin version of the Bible translated into English. He wanted everyone to be able to read it vernacular English. He died at the stake accused of being a heretic. A few years later his translations formed the basis for our present Bible. John Wycliffe translated the Bible into English from Latin

Mary, the mother of Jesus, has been venerated since early Christianity. According to Christian theology, Mary conceived Jesus through the Holy Spirit whilst still a virgin. Both the gospels of Matthew and Luke in the New Testament, and the Quran, describe Mary as a virgin, and as being betrothed to Joseph. Over the centuries she is said to have appeared to many believers. 6 Fascinating facts found in ‘Beliefnet’ Her life was foreshadowed in the Old Testament Virgin Mother of Emmanuel Isaiah ch14 v7 2.She was a woman of great Courage and Character When the angel Gabriel came and told she was to be the mother of God’s son she showed great courage and character Luke ch 1 v38 3.Believed by many to be the greatest of all saints She was chosen and prepared by God to be the mother of his son. 4.She was Instrumental in Jesus’ Life She was there throughout his lifetime -birth to Ascension 5.The true meaning of the Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception deals with the conception of Mary herself, not that of her son. A Life of Witness Her life was to witness to the glory of her Son and we can’t help but admire her for that. I have included Bible references, 2 copies of the Magnificat - traditional and modern, information about Jewish betrothal and marriage plus Catholic Mariology I hope these sheets prove useful. Note Mary is mentioned by name on more occasions in the Quran than in the Bible.

Saint Nicodemus is mentioned 3 times in St. John’s Gospel. He is not mentioned in the synoptic gospels of Matthew. Mark or Luke. He visits Jesus one night to discuss Jesus’ teaching. Here he is referred to as being a prominent leader among the Jews John ch 3 v 1. He is mentioned when Jesus faced the Sanhedrin. Here he is referred to as being a ruler and Pharisee. John ch 7 After Jesus’ crucifixion he provided the customary spices for anointing the dead when he assists Joseph of Arimathea in preparing the body of Jesus for burial - John ch.19. H e was a Pharisee , a ruler and a member of the Sanhedrin. Although there is no explicit mention of him as a follower or disciple of Jesus in the New Testament he is considered to be a secret disciple of Jesus by both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches based on the narrative of John ch 19.

The Lionesses start the World Cup in Brisbane, Australia, against Haiti. on Saturday,July 22nd. I have put together 2 pieces of information - the Lionesses and the FIFA World Cup for Women. There is a brief history and information about the nickname. A full list of the women’s national football team. 4 profiles - Sarina Wiegman and England team, Keira Walsh, Lucy Bronze, Mary Earps and Ellen White - record goal scorer (retired) A Lioness word search (answers provided) Information about the FIFA world cup The 8 groups - England are in Group D with Denmark, China and Haiti The 10 stadiums Big match dates Dates for England’s group games List of early matches There are several differentiated vocabulary and phrase sheets A blank comic strip A poetry aid Pictures of the flags of the 32 competing teams, a list of the teams and a word search (answers provided) Stadium word search (answers provided) 4 clipboard pictures I hope this information proves useful.

Thomas was born at Ballylin, near Limerick, Ireland in 1730. Aged 19 he heard the true Gospel preached for the first time from a travelling Methodist preacher on the streets of Limerick on St Patrick’s day. After a period of terrible internal wrestling he experienced a mighty conversion. He soon joined the Methodists, He began to preach when he was only 20. He died at the young age of 28. In those 8 years he contributed greatly to the spread of Methodism in Ireland. The peasants flocked to hear their own but touching language. He went like a flame of fire preaching twice or thrice a day, usually in the open air. He became famous throughout the country. John Wesley in 1753 called him to London. He said I do not remember ever to have known such a preacher who in so few years as he remained on earth, was the instrument of converting so many people. He was a biblical linguist -especially in Hebrew and Greek Such a master of Biblical Knowledge never saw before and never expect to see again. John Wesley He burned the candle at both ends -through his preaching, intense study, habitual absorption and excessive labour that fatigue broke him down. He died with words of rapture on his lips - April 8th 1759 Sources Wikipedia iLimerick City Church

St David is the patron saint of Wales. I have included a page from Wikipedia. There is an information sheet about St. David followed by two large font sheets containing basic information .There are two pieces of gap work (differentiated), a crossword which needs a picture answer, a word search, information about the Welsh flag and the Union Jack, plus diary ideas with a blank for their diary. These sheets should keep the children interested on St. David’s day - a mixture of different things to do. The extra two pages are the b/w front and back cover for the whole series Four Wise Men. for them to colour.