In many of our lives women play significant roles, from being mothers, daughters, sisters, grannies, aunts and cousins, but also as role models, providers, leaders, workers, carers, inventors, the list is endless.
Every year on the 8th March, the world celebrates International Women’s Day, a dedicated day about supporting the roles and acknowledging the achievements of women. We also honour women on this day because it remains the sad fact that women across the world continue to experience challenges and inequalities simply because they are women. So we further take the opportunity to raise awareness and show support for women’s rights and equality.
This year NCCWN-Donegal Women’s Network in partnership with Change Makers Donegal honoured women by holding a series of workshops with women from across Donegal and discussed with them how women are making a difference locally and globally, while also looking at the issues effecting women.
After discussing these issues groups created a series of collages around themes of equality, the influence media has on youth women’s lives, body image, pressure of the media, women’s health, women in politics and equal pay. Groups later shared their collages with other women at our International Women’s Day Event on 4th March, where the women took the time to reflect on their work and the work of others while also honouring the women in their own lives.
Groups who participated included;
• Raphoe Women’s Group
• Time Out for You (Women with Disabilities)
• Planet Youth Young Women’s Group
• Ernedale Heights Women’s Group
• Pettigo & Tullyhommon Women’s Group
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To gain a global perspective we also collected a number of personal tributes from people around the world, with contributions from Indonesia, Libya, Nepal, Afghanistan and Belgium.
We asked people to pay tribute and show their support for the equality of all women by sending us their responses to the following questions;
- Why women are important to you?
- What are the roles women in your life play?
- What are your aspirations for women locally or globally?
People provided thoughtful and touching responses which were then used to create individual posters as shown below;
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The aim of this outreach was to build a global community of support for women while also inspiring women to realise and embrace the important role they play in the world and the influence they have in communities. And while 8th March is only one day in a year that we openly celebrate women, we hope that this work will be an inspiring change for International Women’s Day and beyond.
Happy International Women’s Day 🙂
The booklet was compiled by the Human Trafficking Working Group, an interagency partnership with members representing organisations such as the HSE, An Garda Siochána, Letterkenny Women’s Centre, Donegal Domestic Violence Service, Donegal Sexual Abuse & Rape Crisis Centre, Nexus and National Collective of community-based Women’s Network-Donegal Women’s Network. To read more about the launch of this booklet please visit the HSE website.
Women's Collective Donegal 