Today is one of my favorite days of the year. It is International Women’s Day, a day around the world to celebrate women and girls and to look at the progress that has been made and the work that remains to be done. For those who have followed my blog for a while, you know that the rights of women and girls lie near and dear to my heart. I’ve witnessed the inequities and injustice firsthand throughout my travels around the world.
This year’s theme is Equal for Each, meaning an equal world is an enabled world. Per the World Bank, “not a single country has achieved economic equality between women and men. As of 2019, women only had equal rights in six countries.” Global Citizen states that we will never end extreme poverty without tackling gender inequality.
Women and girls are more likely to be poor, unable to go to school, be married young and not have the same opportunities as boys and men. Women still die during childbirth at alarming rates and are being victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and human trafficking even here in the United States. The list of tragedies goes on and on.
However, the exciting news is this reality is rapidly changing. More women and girls are being empowered with education, training, and access to healthcare, mobile money, micro-financing, and technology. The future is looking much brighter for women and girls than it did just a decade ago. So instead of dwelling on the bad things, I want to honor the good things that are happening by highlighting a few of my favorite women and girls I’ve met along the way.
Bolivia
Ethiopia
Children in Mosebo Village 42 k away from Bahir Dar in Ethiopia.
Weaver at work.
Kenya
Tanzania
Haiti
Cuba
Lovely smiling sisters.
Guatemala
Maria. Guatemala.
Costa Rica
Xiña leads the way with her walking stick ready.
Honduras
The girls in Honduras where I volunteered.
India
I will forever be grateful for the amazing women and girls I’ve met along the way that have inspired me to do more and fight for them.
Want to learn more about International Women’s Day and what is happening? Follow the hashtag #EqualForEach or #IWD2020 online.
those old people so sweet
They are lovely women!
Beautiful post on a beautiful day!
Thank you!
Here’s what’s happening in Mexico today: https://casita-colibri.blog/2020/03/08/a-day-without-women/
Lovely thanks so much for sharing! It was the first year that I felt IWD was really mainstream. There were tons of events in my community and even the radio featured all female singers. Really cool.