Celebrating International Women’s Day

“Although this is my day, I drew a heart with my children inside it. Even on my day I am thinking of them!” said Mona, a mother of five who participated with us on International Women’s Day (IWD) in Assiut. 

Mona, along with two hundred girls and women, enjoyed various activities organised by Save the Children (SCI) in celebration of IWD. International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women on the 8th of March of each year. Many organizations declare an annual IWD theme that supports their specific agenda or cause. This year, our theme was ending child marriage. 

The event was attended by SCI beneficiaries, community leaders and community workers. There was a special focus on increasing awareness of the negative effects of child marriage and domestic violence through interactive theatre, with many girls and women in the audience participating in the performance. 

In another activity, participants were divided into groups where each drew her dream home, later sharing these dreams with their respective groups and facilitators. All women expressed dreams around their families and hopes for success and a prosperous future for their children. These dreams are a powerful demonstration that the wellbeing of women and girls has a direct impact on families. 

To encourage girls and women to exercise and break the social norms around women practicing sports, we also included a Zumba session in the program. Several participants said that it was their first time to participate in physical exercise in a safe environment, and that they will definitely try to pursue more opportunities to pursue physical activities. 

Save the Children has a vision for a world where every child attains their equal right to survival, education and protection. International Women’s Day was a chance to spread messages of empowerment among girls and boys and women and men through the arts, group activities and having fun.