Cover Picture: Marion Muhindo, Kasese, Uganda. Credit: Vastenactie.
Stories of hope and resistance from the CIDSE network
Each year, International Women’s Rights Day (IWD) is a moment to give extra visibility and support to the daily struggles of women to fight for their rights, to call for bold action to address gender injustices worldwide, to spotlight the work of women, women’s rights movements and gender justice organisations that inspire us, and to reflect on the sacrifices and achievements made by women all around the world.
In this blog, we spotlight some of the many stories of hope and resistance that our members and their partners shared on IWD 2025, whose theme this year was ‘Accelerate Action’.
CAFOD, England and Wales
CAFOD believes a better world is possible – a world where women’s contributions are valued, where women live free from fear of violence, and where women experience equal opportunities to participate, lead and flourish. It runs projects around the world to empower women economically and to support women to ensure they are heard and can access leadership roles. For example, by supporting women’s leadership in the Church in East and West Africa or in Latin America; by working with women’s organisations and women’s rights organisations, as in South Sudan; by responding to the needs and security of women and girls, as in Brazil; or by supporting women’s rights and caring for Our Common Home, as in Bangladesh.
Empowering women and girls around the world.
Eva Colque, Director of CAFOD partner Fundacion Nuna, showing seeds produced by indigenous women in Bolivia. © CAFOD
CCFD-Terre Solidaire, France
Climate justice, agroecology, freedom of information, human rights… When it comes to fighting back, women are often on the front line. To mark International Women’s Rights Day, CCFD-Terre Solidaire invited us to meet 5 engaged women who, each in their own way, are fighting for greater solidarity and a fairer world. Read the stories of Abigail (South Africa), Cristiane (Brazil), Wafa (Palestine), Laura (France) and Ana (Honduras).
Illustration: ©Yasmine Gateau
Cordaid, the Netherlands
For International Women’s Rights Day, journalist Frank van Lierde conversed with Anne Kwakkenbos, Cordaid’s Gender Expert, who reflected on the impact of rising conservatism and budget cuts on the global gender equality movement. ‘Over the past century, we’ve made tremendous progress. Now, we’re moving backward.’ Read the article. Listen to the podcast on Spotify.
Development and Peace, Canada
This year, Development and Peace celebrated the resilience of the incredible women at the Arab Women’s Union in Jerusalem. Founded in 1947 in Bethlehem, the Union has long been a pillar of support for vulnerable women and children, helping them build livelihoods while preserving Palestinian heritage. Through its handicraft and embroidery center, women create stunning pieces inspired by traditional Palestinian dress, blending history with modern design. Its catering business keeps culinary traditions alive, while its daycare and workshops provide care and employment for children and youth with intellectual disabilities. Empowering Women, Preserving Traditions.
© Development and Peace
Entraide et Fraternité, Belgium
‘What makes me proud? The women I work with’, said Marcia Pashco who works for the Citizen’s Movement for Climate Change (MOCICC), Entraide et Fraternité’s partner organisation in Peru. MOCICC is working to support the development of urban agriculture in the Peruvian capital, particularly in outlying districts, and to promote the development of the agro-ecological movement in Lima. On International Women’s Rights Day, Entraide et Fraternité invited us to listen to the women who fight every day for social and climate justice. Marcia shares her proudest moment.
Fastenaktion, Switzerland
The empowerment of women is at the heart of Fastenaktion’s engagement in the Global South, particularly in Guatemala. On the occasion of International Women’s Rights Day, Fastenaktion told the story of María Josefa Yac Siquiná, an indigenous woman who overcame exclusion and violence to become her own chief and help others to realise their dreams. Marijóse Yac has found her own path (DE – FR – IT).
© Fastenaktion
FOCSIV, Italy
“A thousand faces, a thousand stories. Our women: fighters, revolutionaries, progressive and courageous. Women who fight every day for equal rights, for a present and a dignified future for all. On 8 March, as every day, FOCSIV paid tribute to them. Focsiv – Mille volti Mille storie Le nostre donne.
© Focsiv
KOO/DKA Austria
A tireless commitment to justice characterises the life of Sister Mary Killeen and her fellow Sisters of Mercy. In the largest slums of Nairobi in Kenya, the Irish nuns stand with the poorest of the poor, helping many to a better life. On International Women’s Rights Day, DKA told the story of an encounter with these three women of power with an unshakeable faith and a never-ending mission. For several decades, the trio has been fighting corruption and mismanagement in the Kenyan capital with seemingly endless energy. The Sisters of Mercy have built schools and training centres in the middle of the slums, saving tens of thousands of young people from crime, violence and hunger. Die Heiligen Drei Königinnen von Nairobi.
© DKA Austria
Manos Unidas, Spain
Manos Unidas, together with its local partner in El Salvador, the Salvadoran Women’s Movement (MSM), highlights the work being done under Nayib Bukele’s government to guarantee women’s rights and promote gender equality in a context of great social and political challenges. One of the most significant initiatives of this joint effort is Radio Izcanal, a community radio station located in the town of Nueva Granada. Since its founding in 1993, Radio Izcanal has been a fundamental space for women in the region, allowing them to ‘break the fear’ and raise their voices. With more than 500,000 listeners and 84,000 followers on social media, the station has become a crucial communication platform to make visible the struggles and advances of women on their path to equality. Salvadoras y Salvadas: the radio to break the fear.
Misereor, Germany
Misereor is involved in many projects around the world that empower girls and women, who continue to be exposed to violence and discrimination worldwide – from domestic and sexualised violence to human trafficking and sexualised war violence. Especially in conflict areas such as Sudan, Congo, Syria or Ukraine, girls and women bear the brunt of the burden. Entire societies are permanently wounded and progress in development is at risk of being lost. On the occasion of IWD, Misereor and the Katholischer Deutscher Frauenbund (KDFB) will organise a webinar on 13 March to discuss where this global attack on women’s rights, which were thought to be safe, comes from and what we can learn from contexts in which women are under even greater pressure than in Europe. Gewalt gegen Frauen nimmt weltweit zu.
© Misereor
SCIAF, Scotland
This International Women’s rights Day, SCIAF highlighted the work and ideas of Lucy, an indigenous leader in Chocó, Colombia. The indigenous people of Colombia are being exploited. Now, many people live in a constant state of fear. Their human rights have been violated, their land has been stolen, and they don’t have enough to eat because they cannot access their crops. And it’s the women who are suffering the most. Indigenous communities find power in ancestral knowledge.
© James Cave, SCIAF
Trócaire, Ireland
Climate change affects us all, but it doesn’t affect us all equally. Around the world, women and girls are disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis. But it is also women who are spearheading positive solutions to climate breakdown. This International Women’s Rights Day, Trócaire celebrated 3 women that have inspired the world to take a stand the natural world: Ineza Umuhoza Grace, an activist and founder of the Green Protector in Rwanda; Mary Robinson, a champion of women’s rights and other progressive causes throughout the 1970s and 80s before being elected as Ireland’s first female President in 1990, also a co-founder of Project Dandelion, a women-led movement for climate justice, and Berta Caceres, an indigenous environmental activist, co-founder of the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) who was murdered in 2016. 3 eco-feminist warriors you need to know about this International Women’s Day.
Vastenactie, The Netherlands
In Kasese, Uganda, a group of women developed a clever way to make briquettes from GFT waste. It saves them a lot of money, saves the jungle and burns much cleaner than charcoal. Meet these power women! Powerwomen in Uganda.
Marion Muhindo, one of more than 200 women who have joined the briquette production project in Kasese (Uganda). © Vastenactie.