Zonta Club of Oakville CELEBRATES International Women’s Day
Zonta International envisions a world in which women’s rights are recognized as human rights and every woman can achieve her full potential.
We at the Zonta Club of Oakville recognize the importance of Women’s Health and Wellbeing. We are pleased to support our local Oakville Hospital as our 2019 recipient.
HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY – 1911
On March 8th, all around the world, International Women’s Day is celebrated. A celebration recognizing women’s achievements and the acknowledgements of the many challenges women continue to face in the quest for gender equality. A focal point in the movement for women’s rights! International Women’s Day officially started in 1911.
ALL AROUND THE WORLD – MARCH 8TH
The day is an official holiday in Afghanistan, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Zambia.
In some countries, such as Cameroon, Croatia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria and Chile, the day is not a public holiday, but is widely observed nonetheless. On this day it is customary for men to give women in their lives — friends, mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters, colleagues, etc — flowers and small gifts.
In some countries (such as Bulgaria and Romania) it is also observed as an equivalent of Mother’s Day, where children also give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers. In Russia, the day has lost all political context through the time, become simply a day to honor women and feminine beauty.
The United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day in the International Women’s Year, 1975. In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for women’s rights and world peace.
Zonta Club of Oakville — has been celebrating IWD since its inception in 1973 following in the footsteps of Zonta International. Over the years the Oakville club has hosted many different types of events to raise awareness of IWD and enhance the movement of women’s rights. Perhaps one of our most memorable events was the famous “Paint the Town Yellow” campaign that ran for years. It started in Oakville and caught on to other cities; such as, Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton and Toronto. The successful campaign spread its colors over the border to many cities and towns in Pennsylvania and New York state. The Zonta Club of Oakville has proudly hosted speaking events as well as co-hosted the Dinner Party from 2010 to 2018. Through the co-hosted dinner we have raised over $150,000 for local and international charities. For the Zonta Club of Oakville, IWD marks a moment of time to recognize and honor our local women and students making a difference in our community.
