International Women’s Day Celebration-2024

Theme: “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress” #Inspire Inclusion
Venue: Savar YMCA Office Premises, St. Mother Teresa Road, Dewgaon, Savar, Dhaka / Date: 8th March 2024
Organized By: Savar Young Men’s Christian Association

International Women’s Day is a global celebration held yearly on March 8th to commemorate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. It is also a day to advocate for gender equality and women's rights worldwide.

Savar YMCA celebrated the International Women’s Day 2024, very significantly with the involvement of the local women’s leader in the area of Savar. The theme of the day was: “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress”. The Theme highlighted the transformative power of investing in women and underlines the importance of prioritizing gender equality as a catalyst for positive change and progress in society. It serves as a rallying cry for individuals, organizations, and governments to take action and commit to supporting women's empowerment and advancement.

Invest in Women: This involves allocating resources such as mentorship, training programs, and support networks to empower women and girls. Investment can take various methods, including educational investments in girls' schooling, and policy investments in women's health and rights. Savar Young Men’s Christian Association always tries to give space for the women, organizing activities which prioritize women, also giving opportunities to lead the Savar YMCA activities; not only that women are members of the Board of Savar YMCA. Investing in women is not just about improving outcomes for women themselves but also about advancing gender equality for all. It involves challenging categorizations, knocking barriers, and creating opportunities for women to flourish in all aspects of life. Gender equality benefits everyone and is essential for building an open-minded and more prosperous world.

Accelerating Progress: By investing in women, societies can accelerate progress towards gender equality and overall development. We can see in our society when women are empowered, they are able to contribute to economic growth, social stability, and improved outcomes in areas such as education, health and also political representation. Their participation leads to more diverse perspectives, innovative solutions, and inclusive decision-making processes.

This 8th March 2024, Savar YMCA celebrated the day with the women leaders, almost 130 women and 30 men were participants in this celebration at the premises of Savar YMCA office, St. Mother Teresa Road, Dewgaon, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh.  It started early in the morning at 8:00 a.m. with prayer service. There were sharings from two prominent women as the main speakers.  Women leaders from their respective organizations were provided opportunities to share. The session was about three and half hours and almost twenty different organizations shared their opinions and thoughts with the participants. The participants got new insights and learning experiences, vital for developing their understanding of gender equality and women's empowerment. Highlighting the importance of involving men and boys in the conversation about gender equality can lead to new understandings of unity and collaboration, co-responsibility, and the benefits of gender equality for all members of society, not just women. After the sharing, there was time for open discussion from different organizations.

After a short tea break, a cultural program was organized. The program included varieties of items highlighting the works of women, managing their family, working outside, and the challenges they face in day to day life. It also portrayed how women at present, manage their families, participate in different social activities and in leadership in community and at the national level. The performance of all the teams of the organization was excellent and entertaining at the same time very meaningful. The cultural program took about two hours. Four of the team performed short skits with beautiful messages and other teams performed either dance or songs. Our International Women’s Day program ended with a late lunch. All the participants enjoyed the lunch. After lunch our program  was formally concluded.

By Ronel Francis Costa, General Secretary, Savar Young Men's Christian Association