A Grateful Celebration of International Women’s Day in Afghanistan

International Women’s Day (IWD) is one of the celebrations in Afghanistan that isn’t religious. This may be surprising given that the country continues to be one of the most difficult places in the world to be a woman.

Over half the population lives below the poverty line and this hits women the hardest. Women and girls still face major barriers to education, employment, and participation in decision-making processes in their own homes and communities.

In honor of IWD on Sunday, March 8, Afghanaid, a humanitarian and development organization, is hosting an event in one of the most remote communities in Afghanistan to celebrate the wonderful women they’re working with in a large-scale project funded by United Kingdom (UK) Aid Direct and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. This event will be held in a local mosque and will give these women a platform to talk about their experiences.

Surveys reveal that 87% of Afghan women are illiterate and close to 90% of Afghan women and girls suffer from at least one form of abuse, including physical or psychological violence, and 70-80% face forced marriage – many before the age of 16.

By providing vulnerable women with the knowledge, resources, and agency they need to have greater influence in the household and community decisions that affect their lives and their family, local Afghan communities can drive both poverty reduction and gender equality.

Rahima Jaan and her family. Photo courtesy of Afghanaid.

“Before I was worried and did not know how to make things better,” recalls Rahima (pictured), who is taking part in one of Afghanaid’s training courses. “Now I feel very happy,” she smiles, “With Afghanaid’s help, we women are learning new skills so that we can work and earn an income, and support our families. We are all so grateful for this help, because it means we can help provide our families with their daily needs, and ensure our children get an education. Now we will be much more equal with our husbands – we will work together with them, rather than relying on them.”

Despite the many challenges they face, Afghan women hold the potential and determination to drive change. Afghanaid is helping to ensure they can achieve that potential.

Sharing the celebration internationally

To make this a truly international celebration of women, Afghanaid will be highlighting their event in a blog post for the startup, Gratitude Circle, which is based outside Washington D.C., as well as to a similar event hosted by Bristol Women’s Voice, a charity in the UK.

Afghanaid will be connecting women across the globe and bringing them closer together by giving them the opportunity to send messages to one another. By bridging the gap between them, they’ll join together to celebrate each other’s achievements, raise awareness against discrimination and bias, share their gratitude for the progress they’re making, and take action for gender equality for each and every woman, everywhere.

#EachForEqual and #IWD2020 hashtags for IWD 2020 worldwide

The IWD 2020 campaign this year has chosen the theme of ‘collective individualism’ represented by the hashtags #EachForEqual and #IWD2020 on social media and on the Internet.

The theme illustrates how each of us are part of the whole of our society. Together, individual actions, conversations, behaviors and mindsets are able to influence the whole of society.

Together, or collectively, each of us can help to create a gender equal world.

By using the hashtags, we can each show our support for women in Afghanistan and worldwide.

Get involved this IWD and join our mission for gender equality in Afghanistan. Strike the #EachForEqual pose, spread the word about gender equality and support women in Afghanistan.