It’s International Women’s Day and many locally are set to mark the occasion.
Theme for this year is Choose to Challenge and typically events would be taking place at venues across Carlow and Kilkenny, however with Covid-19 restrictions the focus this year is online.
Girl Guides and many others across the globe will share posts on social media saying what injustice they are choosing to tackle. These include gender inequality, gender-based violence, climate change, plastic pollution, period poverty, malnutrition and other areas where they see injustice.
Amber Women’s Refuge
The team at Amber Women’s Refuge is sharing a Story of Hope from one of their women who went on a journey from trauma to recovery/
To donate to the refuge for Kilkenny and Carlow click here
Network Ireland Kilkenny
Network Ireland Kilkenny has a midday start in collaboration with the AIB – register for that here
Members will also take part in their national event from 7pm – more on that here
Carlow Colleges
Local activist Stephaine McDermott says it’s an important date, telling KCLR News “It is a day put aside to reflect on the contributions of women and what we can all do to work towards gender equality”.
Also a local lecturer, Ms McDermott says “Carlow College St Patrick’s have put together a video which acknowledges and highlights the work of ordinary women in these extraordinary times; the homeschoolers, the caregivers and all the women who are in fact keeping everything afloat since the onset of Covid19 and of course some are at breaking point at this stage”
And she adds “It is a day when we salute all women; local, national and international”.
Carlow College is also teaming with IT Carlow to celebrate International Women’s Day for ‘IAMINTHIS’, a trans-global art project connecting female artists across restricted borders.
For details of that click here
Zumba
Rebecca O’Brien is holding her usual Monday virtual zumba class from 7pm, this week with a twist. For further information and to book click here
Women Together
Kilkenny’s Niamh Moroney and Sandrine Dunlop will host Women Together from 8pm – more on that here
Women In Leadership
Kilkenny’s Sr Stan will feature in another online talk with former President Mary McAleese and RTÉ’s Miriam O’Callaghan. (Register for that here).
Sr Stan says “I would also highlight on this day that the number of women homeless in Ireland has doubled in the last six years. The total has shot up from 1017 women homeless in Jan 2015 to 2037 in Jan this year. That is an increase of 1020 over this time. In light of the rising number of women who are homeless we need government policy to have a greater knowledge of the often specific pressures that effect women and can cause them to become homeless. This would help to reduce the number of women becoming homeless and when it does occur to ensure it’s for as short a time as possible.”
This special talk was arranged by the Focus Ireland Women’s Philanthropy Circle which is a network of some of Ireland’s leading women in business, from CEOs to Senior Executives, Directors of HR and Finance to outstanding entrepreneurs. This giving circle raises vital funds to end youth homelessness in Ireland and women can find out how to join here
