Happy International Women's Day

Women's Day is something I had to learn about in Armenia, because they actually celebrate it there! It is an international holiday yet here in America, it normally goes without recognition- though I have noticed for the last two years that the Google icon appreciates it! Women's day is not only celebrated in Armenia, however, it is cherished. The LDS church I attended there had a big luncheon for all the women, the men even came and told us how wonderful we are. Every man we passed on the street called out, "congratulations on your March 8th!" A lot of men even handed us small but well appreciated flowers. It was pretty great and a much needed relief from the more common disrespectful attitude. Nonetheless, a large impression was made on me that day and I have celebrated Women's Day ever since.
In honor of Women's Day, I wanted to post about a contemporary artist who is known as JR. He is a Parisian artist who started out as a graffiti artist in his teens but found a camera and decided to fuse the two. Not only his technique is interesting, but also his subject matter and purpose. His project "Women are heroes" is what I want to focus on for this special day. To complete this project, JR travelled to some of the most poverty stricken countries in the world, and spoke with women in the poorest villages. Then he spoke with the women about their lives, their struggles and their experiences. Next, he photographed them and plastered their blown up photographs on rooftops, trains, building sides...etc. "I was interested in women", JR states, "because I realized in the projects I had done before- most of the time in the kind if places I was going to- it was men on the street, but it's actually the women who are the ones holding the community together."
In 2008 JR travelled to Rio's oldest and most dangerous favela, Morro da Providencia. As JR photographed the women, he asked each woman to "give [him] something real". Instead of expected faces of despair, these women displayed "really strong eyes because they knew they would be facing the community", said JR.
In case you are concerned about this graffiti inspired art, don't be. JR's work is also socially and somewhat environmentally conscience. For example, in Kibera, he printed the rooftop photographs on vinyl so the homes they were displayed on would be waterproof- a luxury. Iron used in one project was afterwards distributed to the community participants.
To learn more about the project "Women are heroes" see this YouTube video.

In honor of Women's Day, here are some foundations I have found that are highly recommended ways of contributing to women's health and safety across the world. By going to www.globalgiving.org

Or
www.kiva.org
You can set up an account and be linked "people to people". You will be linked directly to a person overseas. You can browse through needs and and donate or lend to a cause or situation of your choice. Also, Women for Women International has really appealed to me. You sponsor a woman and can keep in contact with whoever you are sponsoring- I like that because I think you can get a better sense of what e situation is and where your money is going. It also helps you know your money isn't getting lost in a nonprofit office in NYC. If you decide you want to help someone, those are the options recommended by the book "Half the Sky" which I will discuss more in depth at a later time.

If, however, money is tight and you're not ready to get involved financially yet, just take a moment today to thank a woman for being the strong person she is! I'm personally grateful for the amazing examples of my mom and sisters in my life. They are strong, wonderful women that I look up to and learn from everyday. So, thanks Mom! For teaching me how to be strong!



For more information on the history of Women's Day see UN Women Watch