Maia Financial Supports International Women’s Day

Today is International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women across the world. Just as it is a day of celebration, it is also a call to accelerate gender equality.

Starting in the early 1900’s, International Women’s Day started as a day to fight for women’s rights amidst a highly developing industrial landscape and a soaring population. The first ever International Women’s Day was held in 19 March 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Over one million women and men attended rallies campaigning to end discrimination.

Fast forward to today where much has been done to increase gender equality, there are still many issues that still need to be addressed and countries where discrimination is still a very real, and often dangerous, problem. From access to education and health services and from wage gaps to increasing poverty, steps need to be taken to on a national and international level to make this a thing of the past.

That’s why Maia Financial are taking the time today to fundraise for The Smith Family’s program, Girls at the Centre based in Alice Springs. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls face a range of challenges that result in a negative impact on their school attendance, educational achievements, and as a result, their life ambitions. These include high levels of unemployment, poor housing, exposure to violence, racism and teenage pregnancy.

Girls at the Centre, is a school based program which provides 70 girls from years 7 to 9 support in order to stay at school. The program uses a range of resources to help young girls stay in school and encourage learning by providing activities and events, mentor programs, social and relationship coaching and assistance with school work. Students are also able to work with coaches to develop their own career and success plan for once they leave school.

At Maia Financial, we believe that education is vital for anyone, whether you’re male or female, to grow and succeed, and is a right that should be made available to everyone.

Let us know how you’re participating in International Women’s Day by commenting below.

Find out more about International Women’s Day and how you can get involved by heading over to their website or join the conversation on social media using #BeBoldForChange.

Details on how to donate to the The Smith Family’s Girls at the Centre program can be found online.