Next Monday, March 8, will mark International Women’s Day. It’s a global day during which women and men around the world join together to highlight the accomplishments of women, as well as call for their political, economic, and social empowerment.
Here at the Enough Project, we believe that the key to a peaceful and prosperous future in Congo is the protection and empowerment of its women. That’s why we launched the RAISE Hope for Congo campaign a year and a half ago – to make this goal a reality.
But we think that a day is just not enough to celebrate the accomplishments of women in Congo and around the world, as well as advocate for their empowerment. So we’ve decided to celebrate International Women’s Day all month long.
We’re kicking off our celebration with a march and rally on the Arlington Memorial Bridge here in Washington, D.C. on March 8 as part of Women for Women International’s "Join Me on the Bridge" campaign, which strives to unite societies and people in peace across the world.
We will march in solidarity with women from around the world, and in particular, with women from Rwanda and Congo, who will also join together in peace on a bridge between their countries to demand an end to war and to demonstrate that women can build the bridges to peace and development.
After the march, we’ll listen to inspiring remarks from Congolese and women’s empowerment advocates. Sign up to attend here.
If you’re not in the D.C. area but want to attend a rally, check out Women for Women’s website for rallies in your neighborhood, or download a toolkit to learn how you can host your own rally.
Then the following week, on March 17, tune in for a special episode of NBC’s hit show, Law & Order SVU, which will highlight the issues of violence against women and conflict minerals in Congo.
I hope you’ll join us this month in celebrating and empowering women in Congo and around the world. This truly is the most pressing cause of our time, and we owe it to our sisters, nieces, daughters, and granddaughters to stand up now and act.
Candice Knezevic is the campaign manager for RAISE Hope for Congo.