Sterling Global

Category: Digital

  • SISTER SLEDGE JOIN HANDS WITH ANNIE LENNOX TO LEAD CARE INTERNATIONAL’S ‘WALK IN HER SHOES’ MARCH

    SISTER SLEDGE JOIN HANDS WITH ANNIE LENNOX TO LEAD CARE INTERNATIONAL’S ‘WALK IN HER SHOES’ MARCH

    In the spirit of celebrating women empowerment and spotlighting the inequalities and injustice that millions of women face around the world, Sister Sledge, the iconic music group famed for their award-winning, worldwide hits such as We are Family, Lost in Music and World, Rise and Shine, lent their voices and support in solidarity for International Women’s Day and a range of initiatives, to globally recognise the achievements of women as well as highlighting the issues faced by them in society.

    The group brought forth a strong message of love, family and female empowerment by participating in various events and panel discussions, convening citizens, public figures, renowned personalities and business leaders.

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    Kick-starting the group’s activities this week was the Care International’s ‘Walk In Her Shoes’ march in London, which took place on Sunday 6th March 2016. Sister Sledge joined influential female figures such as Annie Lennox, Bianca Jagger and Helen Pankhurst, the great-granddaughter of the Suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst, who led the march ahead of International Women’s Day. The event comprised of music, keynote speeches by Helen Pankhurst and Bianca Jagger, who outlined the proceedings and importance of the event along with The Rt. Hon. Justine Greening, UK Secretary of State for International Development. A Q&A panel with guests was hosted by The Daily Telegraph’s Women’s Editor Emma Barnett, featuring eminent speakers such as Annie Lennox, Leyla Hussein (an award-winning campaigner on FGM and gender right) and Natasha Walter, author, founder Women for Refugee Women, followed by a Comedy performance from Bridget Christie.

    Everyone then assembled for the walk over Millennium Bridge and reconvened at The Scoop for Sister Sledge’s finale performance of their greatest hits. To get everyone in the disposition for women empowerment, Kim Sledge also recited powerful words by Sojourner Truth, an African American Abolitionist born into slavery, who escaped with her infant daughter and in 1862 became one of the first pioneers for women’s rights, adding a truly global dimension to the female change-makers in the world.

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    On International Women’s Day itself, Sister Sledge participated in a panel discussion with BBC Radio 1 DJ and broadcaster, Gemma Cairney as part of the South Bank Centre’s  WOW Festival. Cairney discussed the music industry with Sister Sledge, while laying emphasis on the inequality in representation of women in the industry and the difficulties faced by them trying to break into the industry.

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    Sister Sledge raised awareness of the struggles that women face in daily life – and on issues of growing inequality in society, which has become a serious matter and is something that must be addressed. The group spoke about their experience in the music industry and their own personal struggle of entering the industry in an age and time when it was a male dominated business. Debbie Sledge spoke about her faith in family values while expressing her love for her sisters worldwide.

    On Saturday 12th March, Kim Sledge will be participating in the panel discussion, ‘Redressing the Balance: Women, Power and the Arts’, focused on pressing issues of inequality in the arts industry by raising questions which challenge the current convention on these issues, whilst emphasising how to address the imbalance and celebrate the creative power of women. The panel will comprise of industry experts including Barbara Hulanicki, Fashion Designer and Founder of Biba, Sandeep Virdee, Artistic Director of Darbar Festival and choreographer and dancer Jasmin Vardimon.
    Sister Sledge will also headline the WOW Festival’s flagship variety show, Mirth Control on Sunday 13th March, which will bring together comedy and music in one exhilarating night hosted by Sandi Toksvig. Other guests include Sharon D. Clarke, Bonnie Langford, WOW Jazz Orchestra, Peggy Seeger, and the all-female amateur WOW Orchestra conducted by Sue Perkins and Sian Edwards.

    Sister Sledge will also unveil exclusively to the audience, a full play of their soon to be released track – Women Are the Music of the World (WAMOW) – released in April 2016.

    Speaking about their participation in the International Women’s Day events Joni, Debbie and Kim Sledge: said: “This International Women’s Day was very special to us. Being a part of an array of incredible events that celebrate women empowerment is something we Sisters have always been committed to.

    Music can truly unite people across the globe and these projects are fantastic ways to help encourage, empower and inspire other young girls and women to break glass ceilings.

    We have also been excited to share a tiny glimpse of our forthcoming track Women Are The Music of the World (WAMOW) at events such as Walk in Her Shoes and also the forthcoming WOW Festival.

    We have truly met so many WAMOW’s this week, women that are strong, confident and beautiful and that’s what, through our music, we aim to celebrate.”

    The WOW – Women Of The World events (11th, 12th and 13th March) are free and open to ALL – The lively programmes will include female drummers, spoken word artists and entertainers, and live music from Sister Sledge, making this a family-friendly occasion for all. Be a part of this special event with legendary musicians and WOW veterans who are dedicated to changing the world and inspiring others to do the same. For further details please visit careinternational.org

  • WORLDS FIRST FREE MONEY TRANSFER COMPANY XENDPAY GROWS TENFOLD IN TEN MONTHS

    WORLDS FIRST FREE MONEY TRANSFER COMPANY XENDPAY GROWS TENFOLD IN TEN MONTHS

    The world’s first free money transfer company Xendpay has today announced that, following the introduction of its unique “Pay What You Want” service, its transactions volume has increased by ten-fold in just 10 months.

    Transferring more money in August than in the entire previous period, Xendpay has also reported that it now transfers $1m (£650,000) every day, marking a landmark milestone for the company. As a result, Xendpay estimates that to date, it has saved customers over $2.7m (£1.75m)that would otherwise have been lost in bank fees, hidden costs and unnecessary charges.

    According to the World Bank, the global average cost of sending money internationally is approximately 9% of the total transfer value, a figure often much higher if money is being transferred to less developed countries. However, through the use of transparent foreign exchange rates and a “pay what you want” fee model, the average cost of sending money via Xendpay is just 0.4%, the cheapest rate in the UK’s money transfer market.

    The costs for Xendpay to deliver the service are met by voluntary “tips” by users as a sign of appreciation for the savings made. Xendpay has found that 86% of users choose to pay for the service, with 72% of users paying the suggested fee or more. Due to the success of its Pay What You Want model, Xendpay is predicting that by 2020, it can save customers £60 million in costs over the course of the next five years.

    Delighted with Xendpay’s growing prominence in the market, CEO and Founder Rajesh Agrawal said: “As Xendpay has shown, money transfers fuelled by voluntary contributions are no longer a pipe dream. Because of our success, traditional money transfer outlets can no longer justify their high hidden costs or unnecessary charges, and must recognise the need for a more egalitarian industry. By using and sharing the Xendpay experience, customers join in taking real a_ction for a better global economy; ensuring more money reaches its intended destination”

    Word of mouth marketing is often viewed as the most credible form of advertising – largely because it is customer led and cannot be bought. Recognising this, Xendpay has benefited from their development of a marketing strategy which understands the power of word of mouth and channels it to maximise its exposure. The acquisition numbers are supported by the service’s Net Promoter Score which stands at over 75 and its immensely successful referral scheme, both proving that Xendpay is a trusted and reliable platform.

    “Xendpay’s growth demonstrates a rare brand success story, mostly relying on a ‘word of mouth’ marketing strategy. Steering Xendpay clear of gimmicky stunts, we have always wanted our service and its mission to speak for itself, reflecting our honest ethos whilst empowering our users to spread the word to their family and friends. No matter how big a marketing budget may be, it cannot match the power of recommendations”, Mr Agrawal added.

    Committed to reducing the cost of money transfers globally, Xendpay has been recognised in the financial services sector as a social cause, and was recently accepted as a Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitment to a_ction. Xendpay, now available in 180 countries and 48 currencies, is part of the Rational Group of Companies, which has made transfers worth over $5billion (£3.25billion), since its inception in 2005.

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  • END7’S HOW TO SHOCK A CELEBRITY VIDEO RECEIVES OVER 7 MILLION VIEWS!

    END7’S HOW TO SHOCK A CELEBRITY VIDEO RECEIVES OVER 7 MILLION VIEWS!

    In a hard-hitting video, celebrities from around the world call for support in the global effort to control and eliminate seven diseases that plague more than 1 billion people around the world, including 500 million children. In the video, international actors and musicians witness the devastation neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) cause and encourage their fans to be part of the solution.  The video is part of theEND7 campaign, a public awareness initiative dedicated to controlling and eliminating the seven most prevalent NTDs by 2020.

    Emily Blunt (“Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,” “Devil Wears Prada”); Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”, “Les Miserables”, “My Week with Marilyn”); Tom Felton (“Harry Potter” series); Yvonne Chaka Chaka (South African pop star); Tom Hollander (“Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Pride and Prejudice”); and Priyanka Chopra (leading Bollywood actress and international recording artist) are featured in the video. These celebrities join a growing cast of supporters including Katy Perry, Ewan McGregor, Alyssa Milano, Norah Jones, Rosanna Cash, Paula Abdul and Stella McCartney to help raise public awareness about NTDs.

    “NTDs are tied to nearly every major development issue today, including childhood nutrition, maternal/child health and water and sanitation” said actor Eddie Redmayne. “For example,  washing with contaminated water can lead to blinding diseases such as Trachoma, which is particularly infectious amongst young children. 50 pence/cents is all it takes to treat and protect one child a year from having to live with this painful disease. Be a part of something big: Together we can see the end of seven NTDs in just seven years.”

    END7 is the first global public awareness campaign dedicated to NTD control and elimination and relies heavily on individuals spreading the word and getting involved through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. It aims to raise the public awareness and funding required to cover the cost of distributing medicine and setting up treatment programs for NTDs. END7 is encouraging supporters to sign a pledge to inspire global policy leaders and philanthropists to take action and help end these diseases by 2020.

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    It costs approximately 50 cents/pence to treat one person against the seven most common NTDs for an entire year. Pharmaceutical companies have donated billions of pills to treat these diseases and many programs use existing infrastructure, such as schools and community centers, as distribution points, making NTD treatment one of most cost-effective public health initiatives available today.

    “In India alone, nearly 700 million people are at risk for elephantiasis and more than 200 million children are at risk for worm infections,” said Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra. “Through the END7 campaign, we can offer a solution that will change the lives of millions of people living in poverty in Asia and around the world. I am proud to be a part of the global effort to end these diseases.”

    The seven most common NTDs—hookworm, ascariasis (roundworm), trichuriasis (whipworm), schistosomiasis (snail fever), lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), onchocerciasis (river blindness) and trachoma—infect more than one in six people worldwide, including more than 500 million children. They cause blindness, massive swelling in appendages and limbs, severe malnutrition and anaemia.  NTDs prevent children from growing and learning. They reduce adults’ economic productivity and ability to care for their families, keeping communities trapped in a cycle of poverty and disease.

    “We are building a movement that allows nearly everyone to play a part in making these diseases history,” said Dr. Neeraj Mistry, managing director of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases. “Since last January’s London Declaration we have seen a significant increase in support for NTD control and elimination among global leaders. What we need now is for the general public to get involved in our cause.”

    The END7 campaign was launched in 2012 by the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, an initiative of the Sabin Vaccine Institute. Wunderman UK leads the creative direction for the campaign, which includes this latest video along with the campaign’s website, Facebook hub and previously released “Mission in a Minute” video.

    To watch the video, entitled END7: How to Shock a Celebrity, and learn more about the END7 campaign, visit www.end7.org.

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  • UN GLOBAL GOALS REACH ALMOST 3 BILLION PEOPLE IN JUST 7 DAYS AFTER 193 WORLD LEADERS UNITE IN NYC

    UN GLOBAL GOALS REACH ALMOST 3 BILLION PEOPLE IN JUST 7 DAYS AFTER 193 WORLD LEADERS UNITE IN NYC

    With the historic signing of the goals taking place in New York on 25th September, many extraordinary achievements have been made so far to make the goals famous, highlights availablehere*, with an estimated 40% reach of the global population – an average of 417 million people per day.

    • 500 million children reached with the World’s Largest Lesson thanks to commitments from Ministries of Education in 103 countries
    • 136 flags raised from the North Pole to North Korea, Moscow’s Red Square to 10 Downing Street, Larke Pass in Nepal to the Himalayas in India
    • Mobile operators text almost one billion people about the goals and spread the word to 5.2 billion customers
    • 60,000 people attended the Global Citizen Festival including; First Lady Michelle Obama, Leonardo DiCaprio, Arjun Kapoor, Bono, Bill and Melinda Gates and Malala Yousafzai. The concert was headlined by Beyoncé and Coldplay and watched on TV in 26 countries
    • 1.3 million mentions on social media with #globalgoals trending across the world thanks to the support of 20 of the world’s top websites, Prime Minister David Cameron, Hillary Clinton, Jennifer Lopez, Ashton Kutcher, 1D, David, Bollywood stars Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar and Victoria Beckham and many more
    • Countless people joined a star studded line-up in the crowdsourced film ‘We The People’ contributed to by Stephen Hawking, Daniel Craig, Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Winslet, Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Colin Firth, Stevie Wonder, Akshay Kumar, Jacqueline Fernandez, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan and many more.
    • The World’s First Global Cinema Ad produced by Aardman and voiced by Liam Neeson and Michelle Rodriguez premiered in 34 cinemas globally
    • Over 250 million people engaged via Radio Everyone in 75 countries with 600 radio partners
    • Famous faces including; Naomi Campbell, Nicole Scherzinger, Lily Cole, Sadie Frost, Jodie Kidd, Laura Bailey, Alice Temperley and Alek Wek pledged their support for the goals they are most passionate about in a series of striking photographs
    • ‘Invisible man’ artist Liu Bolin created a new piece of artwork by camouflaging himself in front of 193 UN countries’ flags
    • Action/2015 report that over 200,000 people took action across more than 100 countries
    • Corporates such as Tata group, Standard Chartered, eBay India, Reliance Group, Aviva and many more, all helped promote the global goals

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    The aims of the Global Goals are to achieve three extraordinary things in the next 15 years; end poverty, fight inequality & injustice and tackle climate change – for everyone.

    193 world leaders have now adopted these aims and committed to addressing 17 Goals.

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    Project Everyone, founded by Richard Curtis, aims to both make the goals famous and to push for their full implementation. If the goals are famous- if people care about what has been promised by the politicians, it greatly increases their chance of being implemented.

    Richard Curtis said: “In just 7 days we’re halfway towards achieving the ambitious goal of telling everyone in the world about the UN Global Goals. Knowledge is power and country by country people are starting to find out about the plan their politicians have made.

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    We all need to know what our rights are in order to claim them. This simple idea of ‘telling everyone’ about the goals means that we can now begin to hold our politicians to account in addressing the 17 core issues brought to the world’s attention at the Sustainable Development Summit on 25th September. Their final aim will be to make us the first generation to end extreme poverty, the most determined generation to end inequality and injustice and the last generation to be threatened by climate change.

    I hope we can now continue to spread the message of the goals to everyone to help make them a reality by 2030. And work towards an annual day where everyone will be encouraged to focus on the Goals, the progress made so far and what needs to be addressed in the years and years ahead to achieve their final goal.”

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    Stephen Hawking said: “2015 is the year world leaders sign up to the Global Goals. They are an ambitious to do list to eradicate poverty, save the environment, and make the world a fairer place for everyone. To save the world we need everyone to tell everyone.”

    Find out more about the Global Goals: www.globalgoals.org