8th March is International Women’s Day – a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The theme for 2021 is #ChooseToChallenge, encouraging us all to choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality, helping to create an inclusive world. This theme highlights that we all have the power to challenge, and from challenge comes change, which is something we live and breathe here at CI Projects.
Every challenge we face is an opportunity. When we are challenged, we are forced to think, adapt and innovate which then leads to us doing things even better.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, we wanted to look back at some examples of amazing women who have used their voice and ability to challenge as a catalyst for action and change.
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale has been named “The Most Inspirational Nurse of All Time” due to the strong impact she made on the field of nursing and healthcare as we know it today. Florence Nightingale dedicated her life to the treatment of the sick and frail, she changed the design of hospitals, developed the field of preventive medicine and enforced workplace safety to stop contamination and the spread of infections and diseases. Her dedication and passion led to a complete overhaul of the horrendous health-care conditions in England and a step towards modern nursing as we know it today.
Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai defied the Taliban in Pakistan and demanded that girls be allowed to receive an education. In 2012, Malala was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman but survived and went on to become the youngest person to receive a Nobel Peace Prize and has become a voice for education and equality for all around the world. Thanks to Malala, children in Pakistan have the right to access free education and young people have the voice among world education leaders.
Sally Ride
In 1983, Sally Rode became the first American woman in space and the youngest American in space. Sally was a national hero and powerful role model having inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars and also fought tirelessly to help them get there by advocating for a greater focus on Science and Maths in schools. Sally changed the face of America’s space program and showed us there are no limits to what we can achieve.
All of these women dedicated their lives to challenging the world as they knew it and created change that would continue for centuries to come. Their bravery, passion and determination to never give up is inspiring for us all and shows us that we all have the power to challenge and drive change for the better.
We hope this blog post has left you feeling inspired and confident to choose to challenge to help create an inclusive world.
For more information visit: International Women’s Day 2021