100th Anniversary of International Women's Day

And how will you be celebrating the day?

Queen Noor of Jordan: "Today, women raising their voices in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Bahrain and Yemen are not all mothers, but they are also daughters, wives, sisters. They are fighting for their families, but they are also fighting for themselves; and in Palestine, the women of the occupied territories are fighting for the freedom to be included in the greater Palestinian struggle."  Full article The Arab Woman You Don't See

Annie Lennox: "From Milwaukee to Malawi, women are being short-changed on life chances. From India to Illinois, women face violence just for being female. Of the 1.3 billion people living in extreme poverty worldwide, the vast majority are female. For many, just getting an education is a real struggle, major decisions such as who to marry and when to have children are made for them by others, and without economic independence or a say in their own future, the chances of women escaping the poverty trap are virtually nonexistent." Full article Reclaiming Feminism

Sarah Brown: "We are still faced, after a century of International Women's Days, with the challenge of achieving equality, opportunity and fairness for girls and women. We need this the most in the poorest parts of the world."  Full article Meeting the Need for Health Workers 

 

Cat Cora: "Following the devastating India Ocean tsunami of 2004, I founded Chefs for Humanity, modeled after Doctors Without Borders, but comprised of chefs. There wasn't anything out there like it, and there was a definite need for chefs to be able to offer assistance and aid to those suffering from hunger and/or malnutrition worldwide. CFH is an alliance of culinary professionals and educators working in partnership with U.S. and global organizations, providing nutrition education, hunger relief, and emergency and humanitarian aid to reduce hunger across the world. Our Chefs Council and Chefs Corps volunteer their time, expertise, culinary and nutritional knowledge work to support national and worldwide relief programs working to reduce hunger."  Full article Climbing a Mountain for Hunger 

"Hillary Clinton:  "March 8th is the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. And, as many of you know, this anniversary is important to me. At the 1995 Beijing conference, I was so humbled by the positive response to my message that human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights. But 16 years later, women still bear the brunt of poverty, war, disease, and famine. And when it comes to the boardroom meetings, government sessions, peace negotiations, and other assemblies where crucial decisions are made in the world, women are too often absent.

It is clear that more work needs to be done -- to consolidate our gains and to keep momentum moving forward.

The United States continues to make women a cornerstone of our foreign policy. It's not just the right thing to do. It's the smart thing. Women and girls drive our economies. They build peace and prosperity. Investing in them means investing in global economic progress, political stability, and greater prosperity for everyone -- the world over.

So let us mark this day by finding ways to ensure women and girls' access to education, health care, jobs, and credit, and to protect their right to live free from violence."