Women for the World is a local movement which aims to empower the world’s most marginalized women to combat injustice. Each September women and girls across the breadth of Australia gather to stand in solidarity with women fighting inequality around the world.

In today’s world, poverty and gender are inextricably linked. Women, especially in developing countries, face systematic discrimination in education, employment, healthcare, control of assets and economic participation.

According to the United Nations, one in three girls or women will experience physical or sexual violence during her lifetime and the risk multiplies during a conflict or disaster.

This September, Caritas Australia is encouraging women across Australia to combat this injustice by hosting their own Women for the World event in solidarity with women experiencing poverty globally.

Women for the World events can be held at home, at work, in schools or really anywhere and can take the form of a morning tea, movie night, luncheon or a dinner party.

Funds raised through the Women for the World events will go to programs supported by Caritas Australia, which is a part of the second largest international aid and development network in the world. Last year, thanks to the generosity of our supporters, Caritas Australia assisted two million people directly through our emergency and development programs.

Long-time Caritas Australia supporter and one of the driving forces behind Women for the World, Dr. Michelle Fernon believes that given the disproportionate impact that poverty has on women and girls it is vital that action is taken.

“Despite being the backbone of their families, workplaces, and communities, women have access to fewer resources and are denied opportunities to realise their full potential, “Dr. Fernon said.

“Yet we know that when we help a woman, her children thrive, societies thrive and the impact is felt for generations to come.”

Women for the World events, for Dr. Fernon, are about bringing together those who are passionate about justice and making a difference to those living in poverty.

“It is an exciting time for Australian women who are in a position to help others. By coming together, we can build on this national movement that leads to the defeat of poverty,” Dr. Fernon said.

“One of the most important things about hosting a ‘Women for the World’ event is to have fun. It might seem hard to invite your friends to a fundraiser, but in my experience, once they know where the money goes and who they are helping their generosity is overwhelming.”

What your donations can do

• $50 can build an energy-saving stove for a family in Malawi that uses less firewood conserving the natural environment.
• $100 can provide 15 female farmers with vegetable seeds in Nepal enabling them to sustainably grow food.
• $200 can provide healthy lunches for a week at a dialysis clinic providing health care for indigenous women in Australia
• $300 can provide 30 days of food for a woman staying in a domestic violence shelter in Timor-Leste.

Take action

For more information or to register to hold your own Women for the World event visit: womenfortheworld.org.au or call 1800 024 113. Following your registration, you will be sent a free host kit containing a series of tips on how to hold a successful event. Photos can be accessed by visiting: womenfortheworld.org.au                                             

Caritas media contact: Nicole Clements on 0408 869 833 OR caritasmedia@caritas.org.au

  Poverty and women – The facts

• Nearly two thirds of the world’s illiterate adults are women^[i]
• 15.6 million women and girls work in forced labour^[ii]
• 1 in 3 women and girls globally experience violence^[iii]