By Amy Saad
“An empowered woman slowly shifts their world to be a better place for all.”
Annabelle Kingston is a remarkable young woman who has made an extremely valuable contribution to drought-stricken communities. Her firsthand experience of the impact of the drought has made her exceptionally passionate about providing families with essential items. All proceeds from her charity are used to buy gift cards for those affected in rural communities. I have interviewed Annabelle about her experiences, struggles and influences which led her to her amazing advocacy.
What does an empowered woman look like to you?
An empowered woman is an eyes up woman, she carries herself well despite times of trouble. She isn’t afraid to ask for help and utilises valuable resources around her. They know who they are and what they want and without noticing they slowly shift their world to be a better place for all.
What advice do you have for girls looking to make a similar impact or for those with passions in similar backgrounds to yours?
My advice is as simple as just put it out there and get it done. All too often ideas with such potential are thrown around and then thought of as too hard without realising the true impact it may have. No matter how scared you may be, honestly, the best thing to do is give it a crack otherwise you will never know what could have been.
What are the challenges you have faced or continue to face in your current field and how have you either overcome them or are working to overcome them?
The biggest challenge so far has been managing schoolwork as well as Fetch it for a Farmer as both are important to me, but both require significant amounts of time. To overcome this, I have had to manage my time better and just be really organised and on top of things. Another challenge has been COVID 19 as the focus of the drought shifted to obviously the pandemic overtaking the world and many people lost their job meaning a lot of people had less disposable income leading to fewer donations. There wasn’t much I could do to overcome this as it was most definitely out of my hands, but I was able to raise awareness whilst this was still occurring which is just as significant.
Who were some role models for you growing up that inspired you to do what you do?
My role models were definitely my parents. That may seem biased, but they are the most amazing people on this earth. They are hardworking and give 110% in everything they do. I think also growing up in a small town meant that everyone older than me was a role model, everyone chips in to help with everything going on in the town whether it be floods, fire or drought it felt like we always went through it together and I just wanted people on farms that maybe didn’t have that to feel that they had people thinking about them.