Celebrate Women!
Today is International Women’s Day, a day set aside to celebrate women’s achievements throughout history and across nations.
The World Economic Forum’s 2017 Global Gender Gap Report tells us that gender equity is still more than 200 years away. Wow, that definitely motivates me to #PressforProgress. Although 2017 brought much global activism for women’s equality, fuelled by movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp, we are still a long way away.
So on a day like today, I want to celebrate not only the women in history that have made great achievements but those with boots on the ground making a difference in the lives of women daily! To that end, I want to tell you about an organization I work closely with in Guatemala called Starfish. They are doing life-changing work towards women’s equity within indigenous communities throughout Guatemala.
Did you know that only 14% of rural indigenous girls in Guatemala complete 6thgrade and only 3 out of every 5 indigenous women in Guatemala are literate? Sadly, Mayan girls are at the very bottom of every measurement of human development. Starfish has aimed to change that and in turn, improve the lives of the entire Guatemalan population.
Starfish’s mission is to unlock and maximize the potential of young women to lead transformational change. They believe in empowerment, equality, and opportunity for all.
Starfish contributes to the global movement for gender equity by providing high-quality education to these young indigenous women who would otherwise not have access to it. Starfish also provides intensive, ongoing support from peers and mentors in the area where these young women live and go to school. They offer financial assistance for higher education as well as leadership and entrepreneurship opportunities. The diverse knowledge that these girls receive helps them realize their full potential so they can create systemic change in their communities and the world.
The success rate of the Starfish program has been astounding. If you would like to know more about the work they do, their goals and achievements, you can read about that here.
I have been honored to support the work of the folks at Starfish for several years now. And I am proud to say that many of my clients have also become involved in the work that Starfish does. We know that gender equity won’t happen overnight, but across the world, women are making positive gains every day. There is a very strong and growing global movement of advocacy, activism, and support. Let’s keep it going!
The hashtag for the International Women’s Day movement is #PressforProgress. Now is our time to accelerate change and press for progress. Together we can make a difference!
If you would like to be part of the amazing work towards women’s equity in Guatemala, you can donate to Starfish here!
Celebrate the women in your lives today! Let’s be catalysts for change in 2018! #PressforProgress
When you are ready to explore the world with your family, please schedule a 30-minute Discovery Session with me at www.calendly.com/bambi. I’d LOVE to help!
Bambi Wineland is the mother of two internationally adopted children, a traveler, a Certified Professional Coach, and the Founder and CEO of Motherland Travel. Motherland Travel began by designing Heritage Journeys for families with internationally adopted children. The emphasis of those Heritage Journeys has always been on deepening family connections, building self-esteem and cultivating pride in a family’s multi-cultural heritage. Motherland Travel also uses the philosophies of transformative Travel for designing family trips with purpose – building rich connections, with each other and the world! Read more about her here >> http://motherlandtravel.com/