Today is International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament (IWDPD). May 24th as IWDPD began in Europe in the early 1980s, when hundreds of thousands of women organised against nuclear weapons and the arms race. The day was created by women, for women.
Over the years activities have taken place all over the world. Global activities this year range from workshops in Bangladesh to film screenings in Democratic Republic of Congo. That’s just the ones we know about, there is so much more that is unsung being done by women in the pursuit of peace.
A day like this is significant for many of reasons. It exists to pay tribute to the important work of women peace activists. Women who work in difficult environments as agents of change for peace in their communities. Millions more than we realise, many don’t even know the scale of their own contribution to change in their communities.
Across both the developed and developing world it is women that build and rebuild communities. It is mums, sisters, grandmothers and aunts that bring recovery and change to communities.
We knew this at TCF when we set up almost twenty years ago. For us, women are at the heart of driving change in our communities. Change through education. Our all-female, (thousands strong) teaching staff and our female students (50% of our student body) are delivering stronger, safer and healthier communities for our future.
Don’t let this important day pass without note and support for the many women globally who strive for peace and development. One in ten out of school children in the world are in Pakistan, two thirds of them girls, we will continue for fight for peace and change with the pen as our sword.
