WOMEN IN ACTION

International Women’s Day has been observed since in the early

1911 Following the decision agreed at Copenhagen in 1911, International Women’s Day (IWD) was honoured the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March. More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination. However less than a week later on 25 March, the tragic ‘Triangle Fire’ in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working women, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This disastrous event drew significant attention to working conditions and labour legislation in the United States that became a focus of subsequent International Women’s Day events. 1911 also saw women’s ‘Bread and Roses‘ campaign.

1913-1914 On the eve of World War I campaigning for peace, Russian women observed their first International Women’s Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. In 1913 following discussions, International Women’s Day was transferred to 8 March and this day has remained the global date for International Wommen’s Day ever since. In 1914 further women across Europe held rallies to campaign against the war and to express women’s solidarity. Read the rest of this entry »

Members of WiA from Cape Town have joined the cause and attended to the preparation course to act as Cancer Supporters. They had 04 days of workshops at the offices of CANSA WP and 01 afternoon specifically on Breast Cancer. They completed their race and are now ready to add on emotionally and spiritually to those who are in treatment.

Our members will be volunteering at Tigervalley Hospital shortly. We  take the opportunity to thank Mrs. Dorothy Du Plooy and her teamwork who have welcomed our members and invested time in preparing them for the task. We also thank  Ms Luisa Turner for dedicating her narrow time in the Cape by sharing an afternoon with us.

To our WiA – a round of applauses. Well done!