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Waris Dirie; Ada Lovelace Day

Supermodel and campaigner Waris Dirie, practical ways to recover well from illness, a celebration of Ada Lovelace Day, and the latest report on conditions in Holloway Prison.

This year the Women of the Year Campaigning Award goes to campaigner and former supermodel, Waris Dirie. She talks to Anita Anand about her own experiences and the Desert Flower Foundation she started nearly eleven years ago to fight against the female genital mutilation and provide support for women and girls subjected to the practice.

With convalescent homes a thing of the past and people being discharged from hospital faster than ever before how are people supposed to get better after an illness or injury? Why have we decided that the best thing to do, after a health crisis, is 'bounce back' and 'get well soon'?

The Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick talks about the improvements at Holloway women's prison in London, and what more needs to be done to help meet the needs of the very vulnerable women held there.

And we celebrate Ada Lovelace Day which was set up to honour the work of the Victorian mathematician whose work was crucial to the invention of the modern computer and to encourage and celebrate women in science, technology, engineering and maths. Who are the women in STEM now and from history who we should know more about? What are the new initiatives to make information about women in STEM more available?

Available now

45 minutes

Chapters

  • How is Holloway Prison Improving?

    With Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick

    Duration: 06:38

  • Ada Lovelace Day

    We celebrate Ada Lovelace and today's women in STEM

    Duration: 15:41

  • Waris Dirie

    Anita talks to the winner of this year's Women of the Year Campaigning Award

    Duration: 11:26

  • Convalescence

    Dr Frances Goodhart and Dr Carole Reeves on why convalescence is a thing of the past

    Duration: 07:54

How is Holloway Prison Improving?

A report out today into conditions atÌýHolloway women’s prison in LondonÌýby Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons shows that things are improving but there isÌýstill work to do. It’s theÌýlargest women’s prison in Europe, and previousÌýinspections have been very critical of the treatment and conditions of the women held there. The Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick joins Anita Anand to discuss what’s behind the improvement and what more needs to be done to help meet the needs of the very vulnerable women held there.

Ìý

Access all here

Ada Lovelace Day

was set up to honour the work of the Victorian mathematician whose work was crucial to the invention of the modern computer and to encourage and celebrate women in science, technology, engineering and maths.Ìý Who are the women in STEM now and from history who we should know more about? What are the new initiatives to make information about women in STEM more available? Anita Anand is joined by the Founder of Ada Lovelace Day, Sue Charman-Anderson, who champions women in tech; Sue Nelson who has written about pioneering astronomer Willamina Flemming in a new book ‘A Passion for Science’; Daria Cybulska of Wikimedia and neuropsychologist Emma Claire Palmer.

Ìý

More info on the Royal Society Women in Science Event October 2013

Women in Science Wikipedia 2013

on how women can contribute to Wikipedia

Wikipedia editing

Some of what to edit

about Scottish Women of Science

to more from Radio 4 on Ada Lovelace

Waris Dirie

This year the Campaigning Award goes to campaigner and former supermodel, Waris Dirie.Ìý Waris founded the in 2002 to fight against the worldwide practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) and provide support for women and girls subjected to the practice. Waris herself the victim of genital mutilation was born into a nomad family living in the Somali desert. At the age of 13, she fled from a forced marriage to London, where she was discovered working in a burger bar by a modelling agency scout.Ìý She went on to have a hugely successful modelling career but at the height of her career in 1997 she chose to speak for the first time about her experience of FGM and since then she has campaigned tirelessly to put an end to FGM.Ìý Anita Anand caught up with Waris just before she received her award.

Convalescence

There used to be a whole phase between illness and recovery, called convalescence, where patients could take time to recover in a convalescent home by the sea before they returned to everyday life. Today we are discharged from hospital faster than ever before and we are encouraged to ‘get well soon’ and ‘bounce back’. Dr Frances Goodhart, a Consultant Clinical Health Psychologist is the co-author of a new book, How to Feel Better: Practical ways to recover well from illness and injury, which offers advice on how to recover and regain physical and mental strength. Anita Anand is joined by Dr Frances Goodhart and Dr Carole Reeves, a medical historian at University College London, to discuss why convalescent homes are a thing of the past and why we must acknowledge that real recovery takes time and develop a 'modern art of convalescence'.

Ìý

How to Feel Better: Practical ways to recover well from illness and injury is out now and published by Piatkus.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Anita Anand
Interviewed Guest Nick Hardwick
Interviewed Guest Sue Nelson
Interviewed Guest Sue Sharman-Anderson
Interviewed Guest Daria Cyvulska
Interviewed Guest Emma Palmer
Interviewed Guest Waris Dirie
Interviewed Guest Frances Goodheart
Interviewed Guest Carole Reeves
Producer Lucinda Montefiore

Broadcast

  • Tue 15 Oct 2013 10:00

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