International Women's Day 2023

How will you “Embrace Equity” this International Women’s Day? This day is marked to recognize and celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about discrimination, and take action to drive gender parity. We're proud to focus our work toward equity through the empowerment of women and children through health, education, and advocacy.

Throughout the 4 countries where we serve, our community health workers are finding new ways to empower themselves. With the community health worker leadership development award, women can apply to learn new skills that may not have been accessible to them before due to status or fees. Some choose income-generating opportunities, such as learning to tailor, cater, or bake. Others pursue personal goals, like learning English or finishing high school (many of our health worker colleagues were not afforded the opportunity of secondary education). Some use the award to improve their abilities to serve their community, by learning to give immunizations or becoming traditional birth attendants. Whatever their goals, our colleagues utilize the award to improve conditions for themselves, their families, and their communities! We are grateful that this program is fulfilling its purpose in supporting opportunities for women to develop their skills as health workers, entrepreneurs, and community leaders. 

In Zambia, our Girls Achievement Program (GAP) scholarship for grades 8-12 addresses education bias while offering academic and social-emotional support. It’s still common for girls to have less chance of being supported through high school as compared to their male peers. To lessen this gap, we award five scholarships to girls for every one scholarship to a boy. We know it’s not equal - but it’s equitable - recognizing that girls don't all start with the same privileges, and adjustments are required to level the playing field. The longer a girl stays in school, the better her odds of economic stability, decision-making autonomy, and confidence to enact change. 

We are grateful for the efforts of all who make HealthEd Connect an organization that actively works to “Embrace Equity” and empower women! For more resources on International Women’s Day, click here.