International Ethiopian Women’s Organization 1st Year Anniversary
Happy New Year Friends,
IEWO wishes that this New Year would bring you and your family great blessing of peace, health and prosperity
with much love.
The month of September, in addition to being the month that begins the New
Year but it is also the month that the International Ethiopian women's' Organization (IEWO), after years of preparation, officially
was founded and launched. On September 29, 2007, IEWO will be celebrating its first anniversary by sharing our past experience
and our vision and plan of action for the coming year and renewing our commitment to help bring peace and wellness for all
women in general and to advocate for Ethiopian women who are in dire situation in Ethiopia and the Diaspora in particular.
In this celebration there will be an open discussion forum, which addresses the current issues and situations that are affecting
our country and women and children in particular directly and indirectly. During our celebration we will address human rights
issues, justice and peace, economic development and empowerment of women and other social issues from women's perspective.
We will end the day's celebration of IEWO's first anniversary, as it is the culture in Ethiopian with food, music and with
the spirit of empowering genuine friendship.
For you are considered to be such a respected and highly valued friend
of IEWO, you are respectfully invited to join us in our first anniversary celebration and share our vision for the coming
year for Ethiopia and Ethiopian women.
With respect and love,
IEWO
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To all Ethiopians and friends
of IEWO:
International Ethiopian Women's
Organization (IEWO) is launching its first founding congress by commemorating and celebrating women of Ethiopia, and their
heroic deeds, from Tayitu to the present and beyond. On the opening day of the congress, March 3, 2007, we will be celebrating
the contribution of Ethiopian women through out history, highlighting Empress Taiytu’s role during the Battle of Adwa
and its significance to women of the world today. In this occasion, we will also pay tribute to all women who stood for peace
and justice and empower themselves and others all over the world, in doing so we observe and honor women’s history month
and International Women’s Day.
As the host of this historic event, the DC area Chapter of IEWO respectfully invites you to join us in the celebration
and show your solidarity with the women of the world in general and with Ethiopian women in particular.
The event will be held at 1610 Columbia Rd. NW Washington DC, from 1pm to 6pm.
LET US CELEBRATE MARCH 8
In
many countries the tradition of celebrating March 8 by expressing solidarity and raising current and pertinent demands of
women, has been going on ever since women first came out to defend their rights. Our organization the International Ethiopian
Women’s Organization, the IEWO, calls on Ethiopian women the world over to target
March 8, 2007 as a day of mobilization and express their solidarity with women in which ever way they consider to be convenient
for them. Papers could be prepared on different aspects of women’s condition in Ethiopia. In our country there is
a lot to be done concerning the rights of the girl child, doing away with harmful traditions like abduction, rape, sexual
mutilations etc. Discussions could also be initiated and carried on questions like the need of a women’s organization,
a better tomorrow for our children etc.
The History of March 8: International
Women’s Day
The
celebration of March 8 as the international women’s day is dedicated to the struggle of American women who raised their
banners in 1857 in the USA. Women workers in textile industries organized the first demonstration for equal pay and the demonstration
was put down harshly. March 1908 the suffragettes
started their long struggle for the right to vote in Great Britain. March 8 1910 European women organized themselves and met in Holland to create the first ever international organization
of women. March 1911 saw the demonstration of 1 million women in Europe.
The
struggle continued to obtain the right to vote and on March 8 1914 women in Germany came out to defend their rights to vote,
and Russian women created clandestine organizations of women. March 1915 women in Oslo came out to demonstrate against the war.
In
some countries like in France women obtained the right to vote only in 1944, when the struggles for decolonization bare its
fruits in some of its colonies. 100 000 French women marched out on March 8 1948. Throughout the 60’s women’s struggle raged both in Europe and the USA. In Switzerland women obtained the right to vote only in 1971, unbelievably
late for the European context.
This
is how women made their history by demanding their rights, fighting for equal pay for equal work with men, and for the right
to vote. Until the 70’s women’s eligibility was only theoretical or symbolical even in the most developed countries.
Finally
the UN sponsored meetings on March in 1975 and officially celebrated International Women’s day in 1977. The 1st
World conference on women was organized in 1975 in Mexico, the 2nd in Copenhagen, the 3rd in Nairobi, the 4th
in Beijing in 1995 and the 5th in New York.
In
2005 a World wide march was organized in many countries culminating at the conference in New York.
Today, women are active within the World Social Forum which has branches
in all continents and called international meetings in Porto Allegre, Brazil, in Mumbai, India and the last to date in Bamako,
Mali in 2006.
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