Achieving our well-being targets with gender equality
In 1911, the first International Women’s Day was marked in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland with more than one million women and men rallying in the streets to demand the right to vote and hold public office as well as an end to discrimination on the job and in education.
In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly invited countries to designate the 8th of March as United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace. Since then, March 8th gives the international community an opportunity to celebrate progress made, reflect on challenges and call for action.
Click here to see what girls in India are doing to fight discrimination.
On this International Women’s Day 2014, World Vision has many reasons to celebrate progress in gender mainstreaming within our organization and programmes. The WVI Board approved the new Gender Equality Policy, which emphasizes the significant contribution of gender equality programming to the achievement of Child Well-Being Outcomes (CWBO) and Targets. It also highlights strengthening programs to address social norms that are often drivers of gender inequality as well as the root causes of Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Women's hard work paying off
As I visit communities in different countries I am so encouraged by the hard work and the commitment of the women in these communities, who strive to ensure their children live a decent life and reach their potential. Saira Bano is one of these women; I met her during one of my visits to South Delhi ADP in India.
At a very young age she became a mother to six children and by the time she had her last child, her husband deserted her and the children because of the impact of alcohol addiction and domestic violence. Even though she has never worked outside her home, she was courageous enough to go out and look for a job and ended up joining World Vision's Savings Groups for women and attending gender empowerment training.
Saira overcame her struggles, started her own business, and is sending her children to school again.
She then had the opportunity, with World Vision's support, to start her own business. Her hard work allowed her children to return to school, thus ensuring their chance at a better future. One of her daughters became the leader of one of the adolescent girls' Savings Groups and a role model to other girls in the community.
Additional milestones to celebrate on this International Women's Day include the launching of the Gender Framework for Action and the Community Change Project Model, the scaling up of Channels of Hope (CoH) for Gender, and strengthening the initiative to engage men and boys.
As we move forward, our hope for the next few years is to see an increased commitment of community members to create a safe environment for their children. With them, we envision a future where there is no more fear of GBV, domestic violence and harmful traditional practices.
May World Vision’s work contribute to communities in which girls and boys, men and women enjoy equal opportunity for education and access to health services and economic development.