On March 8th, the world will observe International Women’s Day, a worldwide event that celebrates women’s achievements — from the political to the social — while calling for gender equality.

Despite important progress made over the last few decades, a gender gap persists in most aspects of our society.

Closing these gaps is in all of our collective interest! Research has shown that closing the gender gaps in various fields can yield benefits such as ensuring food security for the planet (land ownership), growing the economy (access to education), and achieving a more peaceful world (women in leadership positions).

This year, the theme for International Women’s Day is #BalanceForBetter, aimed at raising awareness of the importance and benefits of gender balance. Here are 3 ways you can show support this International Women’s Day!

#1 Strike the Pose and use the Hashtag

Help raise awareness by sharing a photo on social media using the #BalanceForBetter pose and #IWD2019 hashtags.

#2 Attend or Host an IWD Event

Each year, International Women’s Day events are held worldwide — global gatherings, conferences, awards, exhibitions, festivals, fun runs, corporate events, concert performances, speaking events, online digital gatherings and more. Events are held by women’s networks, corporations, charities, educational institutions, government bodies, political parties, the media, and further communities.

A handy place to look is to visit the official IWD website, for a rundown of IWD events taking place in your area:

You can even download the official IWD Event Pack to have all the resources you need to organize your own event!

#3 Donate to a Women’s Non-Profit

Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist once explained: “The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.”

Across the world, individuals and organizations large and small make it their focus to advance the cause of women’s education, empowerment, and gender equality.

As we shared in one of our recent blog posts, non-profit organizations have been one of the key drivers in closing gender gaps across the developing world in recent years.

One way to make an impact on #IWD2019 is to donate to such an institution. Why not consider making a gift to the Akilah Foundation?

The Akilah Foundation is a registered non-profit in the United States, and all funds raised go towards supporting the education of Africa’s female leaders at the Akilah Institute. The Foundation is Certified Transparent by Excellence in Giving.