March is Women's History Month. This month we celebrate women's achievements and reflect on the ongoing challenges we face in achieving gender equity. As the first female president in 117 years of Rotary International, a service organization with 1.4 million members worldwide, I am proud to highlight Rotary's dedication to championing and unleashing the potential of women through education, health services and economic opportunities.
Women have played a crucial role in the global effort to eradicate polio, which Rotary has focused on for more than 30 years. In Pakistan, one of the two remaining polio-endemic countries, two-thirds of the polio workforce are women. Female vaccinators ― who help build trust with mothers and families ― have been and continue to be critical to our success in this effort. Employing women is one key strategy of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. That's not only to deliver vaccines at the front line but also to hire women as supervisors, doctors and decision-makers.
In Nigeria, a vast majority of the polio community workers are women, and they played a critical role in the country being certified wild polio-free. These women continue to work tirelessly in reaching out to mothers and caregivers in areas where social norms prevented male polio team members from interacting with women in the community. Working with the polio program often opens other opportunities for women to enter the workforce and utilize their skills to contribute to their communities, leading to positive investments beyond polio eradication.
In addition, many of Rotary's female members are doing amazing things through their service. Taiwan's Chin Mei Lu led a project in Nepal and India to help girls who were at risk of engaging in sex work or child labor attend school. Martha Lungu, who lost her son to malaria, overcame the personal tragedy and now works to reduce the burden of malaria in Zambia. In South Korea, we have Ju Eun-seok, a North Korean defector who founded a Rotary Club to help other North Korean defectors resettle in the Ulsan area.
To raise such inspiring women, we must remember that girls are an essential part of the women's empowerment equation. Recently, during my visit to the Nakivale settlement in Uganda, one of the biggest refugee settlements in the world, a teacher shared with me the staggering statistics on girls' education. Many are unable to finish grade school, and some are forced into child marriages to feed their families. Witnessing these young girls' struggles was heart-wrenching. Our efforts to unleash the potential of girls and women should go beyond mere equity; they need to encompass critical areas such as health, education and safety, all of which are fundamental human rights.
Rotary's work continues with thousands of projects, ranging from supplying menstrual hygiene products for girls in Kenya to providing language education and professional job training for marriage migrant women in South Korea. As we celebrate Women's History Month, let us recognize the power and potential of women and continue to work towards a more equitable and inclusive world. Rotary is proud to champion women around the world and will continue to do so in the years to come.
Jennifer Jones is the founder and president of Media Street Productions, an award-winning 27-year-old media company in Windsor, Ontario. She is president of Rotary International.
QOSHE - Women's History Month - Help women reach their full potential - Thoughts Of The Timesaccount_circleinfobrightness_mediumcancel
March is Women's History Month. This month we celebrate women's achievements and reflect on the ongoing challenges we face in achieving gender equity. As the first female president in 117 years of Rotary International, a service organization with 1.4 million members worldwide, I am proud to highlight Rotary's dedication to championing and unleashing the potential of women through education, health services and economic opportunities.
Women have played a crucial role in the global effort to eradicate polio, which Rotary has focused on for more than 30 years. In Pakistan, one of the two remaining polio-endemic countries, two-thirds of the polio workforce are women. Female vaccinators ― who help build trust with mothers and families ― have been and continue to be critical to our success in this effort. Employing women is one key........
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