A Message on International Women's Day, March 8, 2022

By Zsófia Sztranyiczki, IWC Executive Director

On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the power and potential of women and girls, recognizing their courage, resilience, and leadership. We take stock of progress toward gender equality and of the challenges that remain.

But progress is being undermined on many fronts. The global health crisis has deepened longstanding inequalities. While everyone is facing unprecedented challenges, women continue to bear the brunt of the pandemic impacts: losing jobs, being pushed into poverty, and facing increased violence and the burden of unpaid care.

And now, we are witnessing the worst European refugee crisis since the atrocities of World War II.  As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine intensifies, hundreds of thousands of women and children are fleeing the bloodshed, looking for a haven from the horrors of war. The women who stay behind are courageously fighting on the frontlines, protecting children in shelters, giving birth in metro stations, and providing essential healthcare services to the injured. Whether fleeing to neighboring countries or remaining in Ukraine, many are exposed to gender-based violence, exploitation, and trafficking.

In times of crisis, we come together in solidarity. The International Women’s Convocation has answered the appeal for humanitarian aid for refugees and the internally displaced issued by the Providence Charity Organization of the Hungarian Unitarian Church. Donations to our Faithify fundraising campaign will supply immediate assistance to families fleeing the war in Ukraine – transportation, emergency shelter, food, water, hygiene kits, infant supplies, clothing, pet care, and emotional support.

In honor of International Women’s Day, we ask you to join our call for action to help ensure that women and children fleeing war in Ukraine know they are not alone at the most perilous moment of their lives. Please donate to this vital appeal so that our on-the-ground partners can provide lifesaving support to the most vulnerable, caught up in the deadly conflict. 

Today, on International Women’s Day, we hold up the sacrifice, courage, perseverance, and resilience of the millions of women and girls in times of war and conflict, while reaffirming the critical need for women’s participation in conflict prevention and resolution as well as peace and security processes.

Thank you for standing with us in our continuing efforts to make gender equality a reality.