You're Invited!

With International Women's Day just a month away, we're beginning to build awareness around this day of celebration for the economic, political, and social gains being made by truly amazing women all over the world. But, it may have some people wondering...well, why such a large focus on women? Now, as in the past, there are wide gender inequities all over the globe that ultimately leave women (and children) without the ability to realize their full human potential. Here are a few facts taken from Oxfam America's website that detail some of the inequities:

• Sixty-six percent of the world’s work falls on women’s shoulders, yet they earn only 10 percent of the world’s income.
• In the majority of countries, women’s wages are 10 to 30 percent lower than men’s.
• Worldwide in 2008, nearly 800 million people over the age of 15 could neither read nor write—and two-thirds of them were women.
• In war and conflict, women typically experience the worst atrocities, including rape, forced prostitution, and mutilation.  
• Gender-based violence kills one in three women across the world and is the biggest cause of injury and death to women worldwide, causing more deaths and disability among women than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents, and war.
• Health crises, like the HIV/AIDS outbreaks in southern Africa, can also have a disproportionate impact on women because of harmful cultural practices and unequal laws and government policies.

For those above statistics (and the many others that are not listed here), it's not a stretch of the imagination to learn that women represent 60% of the world's impoverished. Organizations like Oxfam work to empower women - providing education, resources, food, and security so that women can lift themselves (and their families and communities) out of poverty and build a better future for the coming generations.

Join us in Des Moines for our 2013 International Women's Day event being held at the Hall of Laureates on Thursday, March 7th starting at 6:30p. Speakers from Women, Food, and Agriculture Network (WFAN) and Oxfam America will present a panel discussion called "Women and a Well-Fed World: Facing the Challenge - Gaining Ground" which highlights the remarkable achievements women have made in feeding the world.

RSVP today and share the Facebook invite with your friends!