Women are special. They nurture humanity, care and support the family unit and make the world a better place for all. The struggle for women’s equality started over a century ago. The first International Women’s Day was celebrated in March 1911. A world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist, Gloria Steinem says “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.”
The International Women’s Day 2024 theme is “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress” which under pins the need to inspire Inclusion. This theme invokes the critical need for upholding and valuing women’s inclusion which ultimately leads to creation of a better world. It is time for women to begin feeling inspired and included while fostering a sense of belonging, relevance and empowerment.
Civic Forum on Housing and Habitat Zambia joins the rest of world in celebrating the 2024 International Women’s Day, it remembers all the women in Zambia that have contributed to the development of mother Zambia. CFHHZ calls upon society to change the narrative and support formation of systems including governance structures that will eliminate discrimination, stereotypes and bias decision-making processes that exclude women. CFHHZ looks forward to a Zambia that will deliberately forge women’s economic empowerment. The Constituency Development Fund and those administering it should support women economic groups to access funds for their small and medium enterprises. Our academic institutions should support development of diverse talents for women and girls. As the country builds its infrastructure both in the urban and rural setup, the infrastructure should be able to meet the needs of women and girls. This includes access to good sanitation and clean and safe drinking water. In the awake of climate change and threatened food security, women and girls should be supported with access to agriculture land and knowledge in sustained agriculture. Above all, women should be supported in decision making processes.
CFHHZ takes this opportunity to thank all its members and partners who have championed women and girls’ rights to land, adequate housing, economic empowerment and financial inclusion.
Together we make a better world for women and forge equality towards access to land, housing economic empowerment and digital inclusion.