Mullingar woman backs International Women's Day

This International Women’s Day (Friday March 8), a Mullingar woman who works for Trócaire, has thanked Westmeath for supporting its work with women living in remote rural villages in India.

“This Friday is a celebration of the achievements of women in Ireland and overseas who are striving to be the best they can be,” said Trócaire worker, Hannah Evans.

“Yet some women in India and in other developing countries can face seemingly impossible challenges and obstacles in accessing their right to food, health and education.”

The 2013 Trócaire Lenten Campaign highlights how donations from Westmeath are supporting women living in the most isolated and forgotten rural communities in India, to improve their lives and their children’s futures.

The young girl on this year’s 40th anniversary Trócaire box is Ambika Paraja (9) from a village called Jhilligoan in eastern India.

“In India, Trócaire reaches out to vulnerable women in isolated communities to help them access the health, education and training they need to support their families,” said Hannah.

“I recently visited Jhilligoan village and saw the difference that donations from Westmeath are making to the lives and futures of women.

“With support from Westmeath, women are being empowered to work their way out of poverty, grow their confidence, raise their voices within their own communities and imagine a more secure future for their families.”

“Ambika Paraja, the little girl on this year’s Trócaire Box, is a wonderful example of how Westmeath people are inspiring a generation of women through Trócaire’s work. Through Westmeath’s donations, Ambika’s family now has a basic home, an income from farming and can send Ambika to a local school.”

“It is estimated that globally 70 per cent of people living in poverty are women and girls,” said Hannah.

“Yet women deliver enormous social and economic benefits for their families, communities, and nations. International Women’s Day is an opportunity to ensure that we strive to unlock the potential of women, eliminate the inequalities that make and keep them poor and empower them to improve their own lives.”

Trócaire’s Lenten campaign runs until Easter Sunday March 31. To order a Trócaire Box visit a your parish office or church, www.trócaire.org or call 1850 408 408.