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International Women’s Day: stories from inspiring women around the world

By Sarah Oughton
March 8, 2011 at 10:04 am

On International Women’s Day I want to introduce you to some women around the world who have some amazing and inspiring stories to tell.

On the first IWD day 100 years ago, more than one million women and men attended rallies campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination.

Although much progress has been made since then, women in all countries and all walks of life continue to negotiate and struggle for equality in their social and economic status. But today is a chance to celebrate the way women are changing and shaping their lives and working towards a better future for themselves and their daughters.

Two weeks ago I was in Kyrgyzstan, where I met Nazira. As a young woman Nazira was kidnapped and forced to marry a man she didn’t know. Although ‘bride kidnapping’ is not a widespread practice in Kyrgyzstan, it is a tradition that still goes on in some rural areas in the south of the country.

Before I started working for the Red Cross, I had no idea about the sort of challenges women in Kyrgyzstan face.

Meeting Nazira and hearing her story really brought it home to me how vital it is to support programmes such as the Kyrgyzstan Red Crescent’s project which is helping women learn about their rights and pave the way for a more equal future for Kyrgyz women.

Nazira said: “My life has been hard but I am a survivor. Things are changing but Kyrgyz people have this tradition – if you are kidnapped you stay with your husband. So I stayed and I had five children. My husband drank a lot of alcohol and was violent towards me. It was difficult to leave as I didn’t know how I’d support myself and my children but eventually I managed to leave. When I came to the Red Crescent I was lonely but the trainers gave me a lot of support and the programme opened my eyes to many things. Now I am a Red Crescent volunteer. There are a lot of women like me and so I tell everyone – my neighbours, relatives and friends – about their rights.”

On the map below you can find other inspiring stories from women who are making a massive contribution to their societies in some of the most challenging situations you can imagine.

In Bangladesh, one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, women are among the most vulnerable when disasters, such as cyclones, strike.

Encouraging women to prepare and respond is crucial, as in the past they have tended to remain at home during cyclones because they are afraid of losing their possessions and livelihoods if they go to cyclone shelters.

It is also their responsibility to look after the elderly and children, making them less mobile than men. A male-dominated society can also mean women are marginalised when it comes to receiving cyclone warning information.

But women like Noorjahan are sharing information with others in their community and having a big impact on reducing women’s vulnerability to cyclones.

Kadie is another inspiring  woman, who I met when I visited Sierra Leone. She lives in a remote village in the jungle and has a big smile and infectious laugh.

Kadie is a member of her community’s committee for building peace, which the Red Cross helped set up in the aftermath of a decade-long civil war. Traditionally only male elders would hold such positions, but Red Cross workers encourage communities to also elect women and youth who they consider to be wise and good at resolving problems. The alienation and lack of participation of male youth and women in general caused some of the problems that led to the war. Now these groups are represented and participate in community decision-making.

So if you feel like being inspired today, please check out our map of stories. (Clicking on this link or on the picture below takes you to Google maps, where you can open the stories)

Photo © Mark Pengelly/BRC

Map © Google/Tele Atlas

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Tags: Bangladesh, International Women's Day, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, video, women

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