A Month of Conversations & Celebrations about Women

As March is Women’s History Month and as International Women’s Day is March 8, it’s a busy and exciting time for organizations and individuals who work year-round for gender equality.

And as the themes for the two observations this year – “Women’s Education–Women’s Empowerment” and “Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures”, respectively – align so closely with IREX’s gender programming, we’re thrilled to be in the thick of the events and celebrations this month.

For example, IREX staff will be tweeting live from the 2012 International Women of Courage Awards, hosted by Secretary Clinton with First Lady Michelle Obama as the special guest. We’ll also be attending the Women's Foreign Policy Group luncheon, where UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova and UN Women Assistant Secretary-General Lakshmi Puri will be speaking, just to name a few events.

In addition, IREX will be contributing to the conversation around the themes this year through:

• A short video featuring young women who successfully advocated for their right to stay in school after participating in IREX’s Youth Theater for Peace program;
• An interview with three young women leaders from Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, and Pakistan, who have been inspired by their opportunities to connect with peers in their communities and around the world;
• A slideshow celebrating the women of IREX including staff and program participants;
• A feature story each week about a woman leader speaking to the significance of women’s education and empowerment, including an American teacher globalizing her classroom, a Liberian village Peace Committee member, and an international student studying in the United States,

We hope you’ll stay connected with IREX and join in the conversations and celebrations.