International Women’s Day is a day to celebrate the social, political, economic, and cultural accomplishments made by women all over the world thus far – but it is also a time to recognize progress yet to be made.
The #MessageToMySister campaign connects women around the world with notes of solidarity, friendship, and encouragement. In preparation for Women’s History Month next month, and for International Women’s Day on March 8th, we want to share a little more about why sending them is so critical to our sisters.
Why women in conflict?
Everywhere in the world, women face social, cultural, and economic barriers to equality. Alone, those barriers can feel impossible to overcome.
Poverty and conflict make those barriers higher for women. Women we serve reside in conflict-torn countries and live on less than $1.25 per day, making it extremely difficult to fulfill basic needs. For many, their status as a widow or single head of the household creates additional barriers to caring for their families. They are frequently survivors of sexual or gender-based violence, which may even occur in their own homes; women in the countries we operate in experience high rates of intimate partner violence, and are also vulnerable to abuse from their fathers or other family members.
On this International Women’s Day, use your voice to unite with and advocate for the most marginalized women by showing them they are not alone.
When you send a #MessageToMySister, you let a woman know that she has someone around the world cheering her on. You encourage her and help her realize she has the power to persevere and a better future for herself, her family, and for women around her.
How to Get Involved this Year
Are you inspired and ready to write your own #MessageToMySister? Download our toolkit to learn more about the foundations of the project, access our notecard template, and get started.
Prefer to take things digital? You can also record a selfie video of your #MessageToMySister and upload it to social media with #MessageToMySister #IWD2020. Tag us at @womenforwomen on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and encourage your friends to share their own messages!
We can’t wait to see your messages, and our sisters can’t wait for your support!
