On International Women’s Day (IWD) today, we recognize the incredible strides women have made towards equal rights, including access to healthcare, while remembering that much work remains before women are fully empowered, safe, and healthy globally. To commemorate IWD, nearly 30 AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) country teams will hold events to empower women to take charge of their health and overcome barriers to help them thrive.

“Without healthy women, we cannot have a healthy world – making International Women’s Day the perfect commemoration to raise awareness of the many issues, including harmful inequities, stigma, and discrimination, women of all ages globally face that keep them from succeeding in their lives,” said AHF Deputy Chief of Global Advocacy & Policy Loretta Wong. “In addition to education on vital healthcare issues – including sexual and reproductive health, menstrual health management, and many others – our empowering IWD events urge governments at all levels to prioritize and protect women’s rights and implement policies and programs that uplift women in their communities. This International Women’s Day, let’s ensure women worldwide feel and receive the support they need to be healthy, safe, and successful.”

AHF’s IWD events will help ensure access to HIV prevention, care, and treatment, comprehensive sexual education, and menstrual health management. An estimated 4,000 young women and girls acquired HIV every week in 2022, while 120 million were out of school – which is why, on IWD, the world must remember that we cannot move forward in global public health without also moving women’s rights forward.

International Women’s Day was founded in 1911 and is observed annually on March 8. The day recognizes the political, cultural, and economic achievements of women to accelerate their rights. AHF created its Girls Act program, which works across nearly 40 AHF country teams, to help young women and girls stay HIV free (or on treatment if HIV positive), keep them in school, and avoid unplanned pregnancies. Learn more at GirlsAct.org.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.9 million clients in 46 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare.

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