Life
While every day is a good day to celebrate women and girls, International Women's Day on Mar. 8 is an ideal time to show your support. If you're able, that means considering gifting donations to organizations that support migrant women and girls on International Women's Day 2019. The theme for this year's celebration is "Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change," according to UN Women. "The theme will focus on innovative ways in which we can advance gender equality and the empowerment of women, particularly in the areas of social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure," UN Women explained on its website.
If you want to help, supporting organizations working to provide these protections for migrant women is a step toward ensuring that all women are recognized, supported, and protected. "When we approach planning with an innovative, ‘think equal’ mindset that takes the needs of women and girls into account right from inception, it is remarkable how different those plans can look, whether it is urban planning that designs for commuter safety, rural daycare centers that offer workers positive solutions for childcare, or the use of biometrics as ID to replace formal registration documents that many women may not have or control,” UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said in a press release. Ready to get involved? Here are some places walking the walk that will make sure your donation does the most good.
1
She Matters
She Matters, based in The Netherlands, describes itself as a "Social enterprise recruitment agency with a mission to empower refugee and migrant women to build their social and economic capital, boost their self-confidence, and become leaders in their homes, businesses and communities."
2
Women's Refugee Commission
The Women's Refugee Commission is committed to improving the lives and protecting the rights of women, children, and youth displaced by conflict and crisis. "We research their needs, identify solutions and advocate for programs and policies to strengthen their resilience and drive change in humanitarian practice," they noted on their website.
3
Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights
Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights describes itself as: "A feminist fund that protects, strengthens, and sustains women and transgender human rights defenders at critical moments. We intervene quickly when activists are poised to make great gains or face serious threats to their lives and work." The organization awards Rapid Response Grants to help activists do the most good in Central Asia, the Middle East, Western and Eastern Europe, the South Caucuses, Russia, Turkey, the United States, and Canada. This includes offering assistance to migrant women.
4
International Organization for Migration
The International Organization for Migration is bringing attention to the importance of supporting migrant women and girls on International Women's Day 2019. "On this day, we honor the women who have worked tirelessly to make their voices heard and pave the way towards women’s rights and empowerment. Displaying great strength and resilience, these women have highlighted the injustice they and others have experienced simply because of their gender," IOM said on its website. The organization works every day to improve the lives of migrants around the world, half of which are women.
5
Justice for Migrant Women
If you're not able to donate monetarily, there are plenty of organizations that could use the gift of your time. Justice for Migrant Women is committed to advancing the human and civil rights for migrant women and their families. "Justice for Migrant Women aims to ensure that all migrant women, whether migrating across borders, around regions or within states, are guaranteed human and civil rights, including the freedom of mobility, the ability to live and work with dignity and to be free of threats of violence against them and their families, " the organization's mission statement explained. If you want to help, you can contact them about volunteering.
6
Migrants Organise
Featured on Chelsea Handler's Netflix series Chelsea, Migrants Organise is a UK-based platform that helps refugees and migrants organize for power, dignity, and justice, according its website. By connecting people with one another, speaking out about migrant and refugee rights, and providing a platform for migrants to develop new skills, confidence and connections, Migrants Organise is committed to mobilizing, mentoring, and celebrate migrants and their families.
7
Immigration Center for Women and Children
With thousands of migrants and their families being detained at the U.S./Mexico border, migrants are in desperate need of legal assistance. The Immigration Center for Women and Children describes itself as "A non-profit legal organization providing affordable immigration services to underrepresented immigrants in California. ICWC strives to provide security and stability for children who are abused, abandoned or neglected and for immigrants who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other violent crimes."
8
The ACLU
The American Civil Liberties Union works to defend and preserve individual rights for all people in the U.S., including immigrants, migrants, and their children. Its Immigrant Rights Project is committed to, "Expanding and enforcing the civil liberties and civil rights of immigrants and to combating public and private discrimination against them."
9
PEN America
PEN America is a literary organization dedicated to defending free speech. In addition to supporting literary and artistic freedoms, PEN works to provide legal support to imprisoned journalists and artists. This includes a number of female journalists who have been detained for reporting on topics such as women's rights and other humanitarian issues around the world in countries where media and artistic expression is censored.
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Find An Organization On Charity Navigator
If you're not sure where to donate, and you want to see how organizations are rated, head over to Charity Navigator. You can search by topic and check ratings to make sure you're giving to an organization you can trust so you can make sure your donation does the most good on International Women's Day 2019.
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