New Zealand opera singer Imogen Thirlwall, currently working in Germany, has written and illustrated a children's ebook now available on Amazon Kindle. Revenue from ebook sales will be donated to Shakti Community Council Incorporated, a non-profit organisation dedicated to ending discrimination and violence against women of colour. To encourage donations to Shakti beyond ebook proceeds, a free bonus audio / video version, behind the scenes content, and artistic and operatic donation gifts are available through a Gofundraise campaign.

Butterfly & Snail Chase The Sun is a story about two friends on an adventure to find their way home. Encountering curious obstacles, they discover lessons of compromise, moral support and kindness, and learn that there is no set path to navigate life's twists and turns.

Warmly and inclusively written in rhyme, this bedtime story is without gender binary or reference to fixed family structures. Abstractly illustrated in bold and vibrant colours to inspire the imagination, Butterfly & Snail Chase The Sun through the forest to find their way home.

But home isn't always a safe place to be.

Experts describe that when societies are under stress, rates of domestic and sexual violence rise. Factors such as unemployment, financial stress, anxiety and social isolation in homes increases the risks associated with interpersonal violence. Every organisation supporting survivors of domestic violence is providing an essential service. The purpose of this fundraiser is to encourage visibility of organisations providing culturally sensitive, barrier free services to marginalised communities, and to support efforts dedicated to ending violence against women.

Shakti Community Council Incorporated is a non-profit organisation working primarily within New Zealand and Australia. In their own words, Shakti is led by ethnic people, for ethnic people, and is dedicated to ending discrimination and violence against women of colour.

Shakti promotes and protects the human rights of women and children, serving migrants and refugees of Asian, African and Middle Eastern origin. Shakti works alongside thousands of families in New Zealand, from several ethnic groups including Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Malay, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Burmese, Korean, Indian, Fiji Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Iranian, Iraqi and African. Services provided within New Zealand include: a 24-hour crisis call center and domestic violence intervention service, culturally appropriate refuges, legal advocacy, integration services for immigrant families, and education programmes.

Further details regarding the e-book and fundraising campaign can be found here: https://www.imogenthirlwall.com/author

Butterfly & Snail Chase The Sun, written and illustrated by Imogen Thirlwall and typeset by Sian Huygens, is now available on Amazon Kindle.

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