Celebrating 100 years of International Women’s Day

8 March is International Women’s Day, a reminder to all of us, each year, of the critical role that girls and women play in our societies, and of the challenges they face.

This year – the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day – the theme is “equal access to education, training and science and technology: pathway to decent work for women.”

We know that an educated girl will make considered choices about her relationships, health, work, family and community. Without education, girls are more likely to be married at a young age, have more children from a young age and be relegated to informal or insecure forms of work.

We also know that as women progress, children progress. At ChildFund, we work to ensure that women are afforded the same opportunities as men through initiatives such as micro-finance programs, livelihoods training and healthcare training. We have seen first-hand the impact of educating and empowering women, for them and their children.

• Mother of three Basanti (pictured) has turned her family’s fortunes around by using a micro-loan to runs a successful business selling bangles in her rural village in India.
• Grandmother Benta from Kenya increased her income through a livelihoods program and is now able to feed, clothe and educate the 19 children in her care.
• Community health volunteer Joana is helping to improve the health of children in Timor-Leste by educating families and linking them with healthcare services.

Meet more inspiring women ChildFund works with by viewing this slideshow.