As March is Women’s History Month [9]and as International Women’s Day [10]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 [11], 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 [12], hosted by Secretary Clinton with First Lady Michelle Obama as the special guest. We’ll also be attending the Women's Foreign Policy Group [13]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 [14] 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 [15]with IREX and join in the conversations and celebrations.