International Women’s Day 2017 – A History of Being Bold for Change

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) focuses on women in work. In 2016, World Leaders adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, which have at their core gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. The SDGs speak about bold goals like ending poverty, promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, achieving gender equality and unlocking the full potential of women in the world of work.

As a humanitarian, these goals resonate strongly with me. What lies at their essence is a determination to make the world a better place for everyone. I first made my commitment to this cause when I was 14 years old and I was exposed to poverty, injustice and inequality during a family trip through Bolivia. Since that trip, I have committed my life to making the world a better, more equal place. This is why working at Save the Children has always meant so much to me.

One of the questions posed around International Women’s Day this year is, ‘what if the world truly stepped up to take bold action?’ I love this question, because I think Save the Children has been displaying bold action for women and girls for the almost 100 years it has been in existence.

We were founded by a woman, Eglantyne Jebb, who was the embodiment of bold. Her ‘Save the Children Fund’ was based on an idea that was unpopular during her lifetime in the UK, and that was that all children made orphans and refugees by World War One deserved assistance, regardless of their nationality. She fought boldly against societal norms and pressure to focus on the rights that every child has to protection, development, participation and survival.

Today, I’m proud to state that Eglantyne’s beliefs are still the foundation upon which Save the Children builds all our programming. I’m pleased to see how far we have come and how we continue to be bold in our programming.

One of the worst crises in the world today for children and families is the ongoing conflict in Syria. Families are forced to flee their homes and, by the millions, are arriving in the countries surrounding Syria, such as Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan. While we of course work to support Syrian refugees every way we can, we also saw an area of need that wasn’t being as well addressed, those young people in Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan whose futures – economic and otherwise – are strained by the influx of people and the increased demand on the systems in place. So, we started a program in Jordan aimed at Jordanian young people. Called Tumohy, or My Ambition, it targets women in particular, and sets out to address barriers they face to employment and training. Tumohy recognizes that women are less able to take advantage of job opportunities outside of the house if there is nowhere safe for them to leave their children.  Through Tumohy Save the Children is establishing child care centres, and training staff – all female – to run and manage these centres. The result so far? The program has seen increased participation and input of women, and of the 69 women who graduated from the program in the first year, all have been directly linked to employers where they have secured employment contracts. We are seeing women gain confidence and as such, improve their futures and those of their households. I see this as a wonderful example of how Save the Children is and must continue to be bold to create positive change for all.

Another example of our innovative and bold programming happens in a very different context. Our Youth in Action program is designed to support rural and out-of-school young people in creating their own businesses in five African nations. Through Youth in Action we’ve met many young women who began as quiet and unsure of themselves, and are now successful business owners. They tell us of a complete change in how they feel about themselves, now that they are able to care for themselves and their children. Women like Grace, from Uganda, who today owns her own salon. Grace is 18, divorced, and has a daughter. Before her training with Youth in Action, her child was sick and Grace was unable to pay for her medicine. She also felt like a burden on her family. Now, Grace is an independent business owner. She has plans for her business future, savings in the bank, and a healthy daughter with regular access to medicine. Grace’s story is, to me, the result of bold change.

Save the Children runs many programs centred around supporting young people in the creation of sustainable businesses, and we work to ensure girls and young women have equal access to these opportunities. We’ve seen communities challenge themselves to be bold and try something new and we’ve witnessed a young woman’s successful business benefitting not just her and her family, but the community overall. We’ve supported many people as they decided to take risks and be bold, and we celebrated alongside them when they were rewarded with positive results.

I am grateful for the privilege of speaking with the children and young people in many countries who have such exciting and important ideas of how to make the world a more equal and more just place. When I hear them speak of their goals, their boldness and capacity for change always amazes me. I’m proud, on this International Women’s Day, to work for an organization who continues to embrace and embody bold change for the brighter future it will bring for us all.  I know Eglantyne would feel the same.