International Women’s Day: How Our Little Roses Empowers Women
Throughout the world, International Women’s Day has been celebrated for over one hundred years. Although the way it is celebrated has changed over the years, the meaning behind this thoughtful day has not. Celebrating and encouraging the achievements of young women is what Our Little Roses thrives on. To us, every day is a day to celebrate the women of the world!
Gloria Steinem once said in an interview, “The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.”
At Our Little Roses, we take this to heart by dedicating our mission to transforming the lives of girls in Honduras. We embody the meaning of International Women’s Day and empower our girls with a loving atmosphere of unity, respect, and security as we help them develop into successful women who have moral and spiritual values.
What is International Women’s Day?
Every year on March 8th, the world pauses to remember the women of the world. The day was started in New York during the early 1900s as part of the women’s rights movement. That event was supported by over 1 million people. International Women’s Day is “a global day of celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.” The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality” – with women’s groups around the world taking part every year.
The United Nations began taking part in the celebration in 1975, although IWD remains a collective – it is not specific to any country, group or organization.The day has transitioned over the years from celebrating women’s voting rights to labor movements to something much larger.
Today the day is also used to recognize women for their achievements as well as ongoing gender equality issues. International Women’s Day is not only a day for women’s activism, but it’s also a day to celebrate the great contributions of women around the globe.
The global celebration of International Women’s Day is the perfect time to reflect on how far women have come. This day is a time to support advocacy for girls around the globe and remember the millions of young women still living in societies that make it difficult for them to get ahead. It is a day for everyone, man, woman and child, to stand in solidarity for gender equality.
In Honduras, young women are often exposed to extreme conditions such as sex trafficking. This threat is real to the girls of Our Little Roses. The country is riddled with poverty, which makes taking advantage of the girls and their families that much easier for the perpetrators. International Women’s Day is an important day to remember the girls and what they have to overcome on their journeys. We support our brave young women in every way possible through our mission and commitment to them.
How Our Little Roses Supports Young Women
Our vision at Our Little Roses has always been to prepare the girls of Honduras to become integral members of the Honduran society. By valuing the young women in our program, we work to teach them love, self-reliance, and respect. Each girl is provided the best education and guidance in building themselves into the young women they want to be.
We know that when a girl is given the opportunity to go to school, her chances of becoming a strong, independent member of society increase immensely. Since our founding in 1988, Our Little Roses has seen this dream become a reality over and over.
We have many stories of girls who came from lives of poverty and despair and have gone on to become teachers, psychologists, social workers, nurses, dentists, mothers, wives and so much more! Our hope is to continue to support the 65 girls in our care today so that they also have the tools and strength to lead tremendous lives in the world.
Honduras has over 8 million people with more than 60% living below the poverty line. In rural areas, this number rises even higher. Our Little Roses knows the statistics our girls are fighting against, and we believe that providing a safe place to live, health care, and education are the pillars these girls need to beat the odds.
The three pillars of our care include:
The Girls Home – Our full-time residential home for abused, abandoned and neglected girls. This home is dedicated to helping these girls live a productive, joyful and wonderful life despite their pasts. Due to the support from our donors, these girls can live their lives joyfully, as God intended.
Healthcare – Our off-site health clinic provides much-needed quality care for our girls as well as the community. Medical and dental care is available at the clinic for our girls and for the impoverished community in San Pedro Sula (and the surrounding area).
Education – The Holy Family Bilingual School was started by our founder to maximize not only our girl’s education but also the children of the local community. The co-ed, bilingual school actively engages the community and is committed to providing each child the educational opportunities they need to grow. Education is the key to allowing girls to defy social limits and is an essential part of helping the young women of Honduras break the chains of generational poverty.
How Your Support Matters to the Young Women of Our Little Roses!
Supporting the girls of Our Little Roses can be done year-round by participating in our sponsorship program. As a sponsor, you are part of our family and part of the change that will give these girls a better chance at life.
We encourage sponsors to participate in the growth of our girls by coming for a visit or writing letters of support. The girls value having a connection with their sponsors as it shows them that there are people around the world that care for them. It doesn’t matter if it is International Women’s Day or any other day of the year; our girls always appreciate the support given to them.
You do not need to commit to ongoing sponsorship to make a difference. This International Women’s Day you can help for as little as $10 and show the girls that their future is important to you! Giving is such a personal thing, and if you are hoping to have your donation set aside for something specific, we offer choices for this as well.
No donation is too small. Our Little Roses would love to talk to you about any donation and what you would like to have it used for.
Contact us today and we can answer any questions you have about supporting the girls!