The IWD 2025 campaign theme is ‘Accelerate Action’ for gender equality. As we mark International Women’s Day, we honour women who are accelerating action by embodying compassion, resilience, and the pursuit of social justice and equity. #IWD2025 #AccelerateAction
Nancy, Zambia
Nancy is one such woman endowed with the gifts of courage, compassion, and dedication to serving others. Nancy’s faith as a Christian plays a major role in the work she undertakes, as Mwandi Mission Hospital’s focal person supporting survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Married with 4 children, as a wife and mother and a Clinical Nurse trained in GBV, Nancy shows great empathy and care for those who need her help. While she offers the usual services, such as counselling, educating both sides, documenting and communicating on her clients’ behalf to the Police and the other authorities involved, she finds herself often acting as a mother or sister to her clients. When I think of my own mother,” Nancy says. “By her service, sacrifice, faith, and unconditional love, my mother shaped who I am and who I aspire to become.”
Nancy’s influence and care is not confined to her job description but is found in the unseen everyday actions of a loving mother, accelerating action for gender equality.
Enala’s Story, Zambia
Enala is a woman of remarkable strength. At 39 years old, she has already faced more challenges than most. Orphaned at a young age, she was raised by her grandmother—a strong woman who taught her resilience, courage, and the importance of never giving up.
Now a mother of six, Enala carries forward that same strength. When the father of her children abandoned them after the birth of Margareth—unable to accept his daughter’s disability—she stood tall. Alone, with no external support, she became the sole provider for her family. Selling vegetables in front of her home has been her means of survival, but last year’s harsh rainy season made even that uncertain.
Despite the hardships, Enala never let go of one dream: education. She believes in its power and has made sure that every one of her children is enrolled in school. Since joining the PNA program in 2020, she has fought every day to give them a better future, proving that true strength lies not in what life gives us, but in how we rise to meet it.
This International Women’s Day, we celebrate Enala and all the strong women who, like her grandmother before her, refuse to be defeated. Their resilience is the foundation of a brighter tomorrow.
Esther, Kenya
“Hello. My name is Esther 25 years old, born and raised in the outskirts of Kianjai market, Meru Kenya. Am the second born in a family of 8, six siblings and two parents.
My childhood was a tough one having been born in a needy family. Was enrolled to a local primary school where I did my primary education and performed pretty well, managed 358/500 possible marks. These good results got me a scholarship with cooperative bank of Kenya for my secondary school education.
Having finished the O levels with a good grade, I was lucky enough to get a scholarship under the Hands Around the World, which sailed me though the university level up to completion in the year 2023 October. Where I pursued bachelor of science in Nursing.
Currently am a nursing officer intern at Embu Level Five hospital in Kenya, for a one year internship.
Being still young, am burdened by many overwhelming responsibilities of providing for my four younger siblings since my father who was the family bread winner suffered from spinal cord injury that left him totally crippled in November 2023.
This means I have to step up and juggle all the available opportunities to get an extra money. When am off duty at the hospital, I do locums at private clinic around Embu and later in the evening, I operate a small thrifted school bags business. These helps cater for my siblings school fees and upkeep. Soon my second last born brother will be completing his O levels, and I can’t wait to enrol in that masters class and bag that degree.
To conclude everything is possible if we remain focused. Power of a woman!!”
Afsana, India
Afsana comes from West Bengal, India, and attended the New Life Centre school. The school is one of HATW’s partner projects – it is dedicated to supporting the poorest children in this rural community. Afsana’s family were very supportive of her studies and she was the first girl in her family ever to complete school and go on to further study. Afsana is now a trained nurse – her story is testament to her hard work, her family’s support, the nurturing environment of the NLC and the generous giving of HATW donors.
Afsana is now working as a nurse in Star Super Speciality Hospital in Hyderabad.
Image: Afsana at her graduation.
