International Women’s Day 2013

International Women’s Day, marked on March 8th each year, is a global day to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women worldwide. Though great improvements have been made, many women still suffer from reduced access to healthcare and education, are exposed to violence, and have limited economic opportunities.

Global Communities is working to support women around the world. By working with women and men to raise awareness of and reduce gender-based violence, providing women entrepreneurs with business skills and education, supporting livelihoods and improved food security and promoting empowerment and understanding of their human and civil rights.

Helping Women Understand their Rights in South Sudan
The Eastern Equatorial State residents have been urged to work together for the elimination of gender-based violence and promote girl-child education as most women in the new nation do not understand their rights. Ms. Valerie Masumbuko, an activist at CHF International campaigning against gender-based violence, noted that women do not know their rights and they are prone to violence at homes and at workplaces.
Read the full story here.

Kabeh Sumbo, 10,000 Women Graduate, Participates at Clinton Global Initiative
“My mother used to have me hold out my open palm to try to catch the breeze. It never worked. Of course there will be nothing there, because you have nothing if you keep your hand open all the time. You have to use your hands to work, to make yourself better. 10,000 Women has helped me put my hands to work and formulate my mission, vision, objective and goals for myself.” – Kabeh Sumbo
Read Kabeh’s full story here.

Supporting Female-headed Households through Food Security Interventions in Gaza
Being a farmer in Gaza is a tough job. Limited agricultural land and the resulting intensive use of pesticides to increase crop yield coupled with the shortage of water are major challenges faced by farmers, a largely male dominated profession in Gaza. But due to the stagnant Gazan economy, farming is undertaken excessively. The resulting fruits and vegetables are not enough to feed the population and are tainted with chemicals making them unsafe for consumption.
Read the full story here.

Women Victims of Violence Achieving Full Property Rights in Colombia
When Bertha lost her husband in 1991, she also lost her economic stability. Displaced her village in Ovejas, in 2001 she found the opportunity to work with nine other head-of-household women, who were also victims of violence. After five years, this group of women received from the Colombian Institute for Rural Development-INCODER a common property called Tolima.
Read the full story here.