10 Ways to Celebrate International Women's Day

International Women's Day is this Saturday, March 8th! It's a perfect day to celebrate the fabulous women in our lives. Check out our top 10 commemorative activities!

1. Give flowers to women.  Give flowers to a woman who has made an impact in your life or to a young woman you'd like to encourage. We recommend fair trade flowers (duh!). 2. Donate to women’s causes. In the U.S., micro-lending non-profits such as Kiva are campaigning to remind women to help women around the world by investing in their futures. Kiva.org/women will connect you to women who need loans. You can support an Amani ya Juu program for as little as $10. Partner with a woman or girl on the road to empowerment by buying a sewing machine to give her work, a doll to keep her out of prostitution,  or a scholarship to put her in school. 3. Protest. International Women’s Day was born of activism — the holiday was founded in 1910, when a German woman named Clara Zetkin proposed that every country devote a day to the needs and political demands of women. While in many countries the holiday has taken on the sentimental status of days like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, women around the world use March 8 as an opportunity to fight for political freedom, equal pay and working rights, among other causes. 4. Shop at fair trade organizations who support women. There are many organizations and companies that focus on employing marginalized women. Check out our Top Ten List of Fair Trade Orgs blog post. Give a fair trade gift to your best girlfriend for her upcoming birthday, or give a gift to a young lady in your life who you want to encourage. We're biased, so here's a pic of one of our newest fair trade products, handmade at Amani Kenya. 5. Stand on a bridge. Last year’s second global Join me on the Bridge campaign marked the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day and thousands of women, men and children joined together on bridges across the world. There were 464 events in 70 different countries, which is a staggering show of strength and solidarity with our sisters in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other war-torn countries. This was a day to remember and thank you for making it such a memorable one. 6. See some art. If you're in DC, it might be a good day to check out the National Museum of Women in the Arts. In Florida? Check out the Florida Museum for Women Artists. Use google to find a museum near you. 7. Start a book by a female author. Better yet, a book by a female African author. Check out Amazon's list of African Women Writers or our blog post, Good Reads by African Authors. 8. Mentor a younger girl. Pour confidence into a young lady in your life. Have lunch with your younger cousin who is roughing it through middle school. Sign up for a mentoring program like Big Brothers Big Sisters. 9. Volunteer to host a sale. Connect women in the US to Amani sisters abroad by hosting a sale. It's a fun, free, easy way to support the ladies of Amani ya Juu. Other women's empowerment organizations, like Sseko and Raven + Lily, have opportunities for hosting a party or trunk sale with their products as well. 10. Be the confident, fabulous woman you are. And encourage others to do the same. Celebrate your femininity by boosting your self confidence. Check out this Women's Day article on 10 Quick Confidence Boosters. Be positive. Build other women up. Change the conversation about body image by banning "fat talk" from conversation amongst your female friends and family. Sources http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/international-womens-day-10-ways-to-celebrate/2012/03/08/gIQACZ16yR_blog.html http://www.womenforwomen.org/events-supporting-women/international-womens-day.php