CARE Celebrates International Women's Day 2012

Highlights Include a New Report Championing the Measurement of Women's Empowerment, Citizens Storming the Hill for Change, and a Special Screening of "Pray The Devil Back to Hell"

ATLANTA, March 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On International Women's Day, the global poverty-fighting organization CARE is highlighting the accomplishments of women around the globe while advocating for policies and practices that help girls and women overcome the obstacles they continue to face.

The festivities begin at 7:30 p.m. on March 7 at CARE's national conference in Washington, D.C., with a special interactive screening of "Pray the Devil Back to Hell." Presented in partnership with ITVS and the Women and Girls Lead campaign, the film tells the story of courageous Liberian women whose bravery and ingenuity helped end their country's brutal civil war. The screening will be simulcast online at www.care.org/IWD, after which in-person and online viewers can join a panel discussion featuring Abigail Disney, the film's producer, Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS, Dr. Helene D. Gayle, president and CEO of CARE and Donald Steinberg, deputy administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development  (USAID).  

"On International Women's Day, achievements like those in Liberia are cause for celebration," Dr. Gayle said. "But they also offer an opportunity to take a step back and discuss how we can repeat these kinds of hard-fought gains in other places. This is a time to measure our progress – and chart the way forward." 

In that vein, CARE will release a report titled "Reaching New Heights: The Case for Measuring Women's Empowerment" on International Women's Day (March 8). Available at www.care.org/IWD, the report illustrates the importance of gathering hard evidence in the movement to empower women and girls worldwide. Exhibit A is new research showing that efforts to empower poor women in Bangladesh resulted in unusually large reductions in "stunting," a measure of the shortfall in a child's growth due to malnutrition. Researchers found that children grew healthier as their mothers were able to move more freely about their communities, gain greater say in household decisions and participate more actively in schools and village courts. And how did they know this? The children were taller. This was women's empowerment you could measure with a yard stick.

Implemented by CARE and funded by USAID, the successful program in Bangladesh will be one of many examples cited by advocates who move from CARE's conference to the halls of Congress on International Women's Day. They'll be a voice for girls and women around the world. Their message: strengthen and refine the U.S. commitment to foreign aid, with an emphasis on humanitarian assistance, peace-building, poverty reduction, social justice, and gender equity.

CARE will also celebrate International Women's Day in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In Nepal, more than 300 CARE supporters, including celebrities, will enjoy a women's scooter rally followed by a concert from an all-female band. In Zimbabwe, CARE will distribute a short video of a local drama called "Mudiwa," which addresses topics such as gender-based violence and patriarchal culture. And in Egypt, musicians, artists and athletes will join nearly 1,000 advocates at the Cairo Opera House in appreciation of Egyptian women's contributions to the country. The event is titled Laha, which means "For Her," and is organized by CARE and UN Women.

CARE's U.S. events will take place at its conference headquarters, the Renaissance Hotel in Washington D.C.

For more: To watch the film online, join the panel discussion or download the report, go to www.care.org/IWD. To see a video of the successful nutrition program in Bangladesh click here.

Media Contacts: For more information or to arrange interviews with CARE's experts, contact: Nicole Harris, [email protected], 404-979-9503 or Brian Feagans, [email protected], 404-979-9453

About CARE:

Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE has more than six decades of experience delivering emergency aid during times of crisis. Our emergency responses focus on the needs of the most vulnerable populations, particularly girls and women. Last year CARE worked in 84 countries and reached 122 million people around the world. To learn more, visit www.care.org. 

SOURCE CARE