There are all sorts of special international days: World Braille Day, International Mother Language Day, and the International Day of Forests for example.
International days such as these, of which there are over 200, are designated by the United Nations. They are designed to educate us, raise awareness of an issue, and by highlighting it, push for change, action, and increased resources. They are also intended to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity.
International Women’s Day
Each year since 1911, March 8th has been International Women’s Day. So, the day has been around for 115 years! As have the issues for which it was founded in the quest for equal civil rights.
This year, for International Women’s Day 2026, the UN has set the theme, “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.” The theme calls for action to dismantle all barriers to equal justice. That is, discriminatory laws, weak legal protections, and harmful practices and social norms that erode the rights of women and girls.
Unfortunately it is the case that women have only 64% of the legal rights that men hold worldwide. Although there has been some progress, if it continues at its current pace, it will take 286 years to close gender-based gaps in legal protection. In many countries, for example, the law allows for early and child marriage, and this erodes the full potential of about 12 million girls annually.
Soroptimist International
But if you care about women and girls, what can you do, even in this time of uncertainty? Collaboration is key. You can get together with others to learn, to act, and to celebrate! You could choose to support a local women’s centre, volunteer at a women’s refuge, or join the Fawcett Society — a UK feminist charity championing gender equality. Or you could join a local branch of Soroptimist International or participate in its public activities.
Soroptimist International (SI) is a global volunteer women’s organisation working together to transform the lives of women and girls. It has nearly 66,000 Members in 113 countries. Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland has over 5,000 Members in over 250 Clubs in 20 countries including Great Britain, Ireland, and countries in Asia, Caribbean and Malta, who all work at a local, national, and international level to educate, empower and enable opportunities for women and girls. There are some 20 branches of the organisation in the Southeast of England. One of them is based in Canterbury.
Canterbury Soroptimists
Our club started in 1961. Our first president, Ellinor Hinks, has her own Wikipedia page. Over the years, the club has worked on scores of local, regional, and international projects. Some examples of the organisations that we are working with or supporting right now include:
- Canterbury Food Bank
- The Community Hub
- Rising Sun Domestic Violence Unit
- Canterbury District Biodiversity Network
- Climate Change Action Partnership
- Friends of the Canterbury Cemetery
- Amnesty International
We recently organised regular ‘Walk and Chat’ meetings with migrant women in Canterbury, working with Mason’s Mile and Kent Refugee Action Network. We organise a ‘Silent March’ through the streets of Canterbury each November to raise awareness of domestic violence, nationally and internationally.
The Silent March
SI Canterbury organised our fifth Silent March through the streets of Canterbury on Saturday 29th November 2025. The march included local women’s organisations, staff and volunteers from local domestic violence survivor and counselling services, Soroptimists from across the Southeast, friends, relatives, and members of the public.
Many of the silent marchers wore orange and held orange placards, the colour of the UN 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign worldwide for a future free of violence against women and girls. This colour, and the impact of almost one hundred people moving silently through the busy city streets, sparked local attention and discussion.
There were also inspiring speeches from four guests. One, a survivor of domestic violence, shared her story of how and why she became an unwitting victim.
Canterbury’s Lord Mayor, Keji Moses, a member and Past president of SI Canterbury, highlighted the frequency of domestic violence within our communities, especially as experienced by children.
Bishop Rose, the Bishop of Dover, spoke of the importance of a collective responsibility not only for victims but also the fostering and identification of perpetrators.
Roxanne St Claire, our Regional President, closed the speeches by noting the importance of public events, like the Silent March, for raising public awareness of this critical social issue.
This is one way in which we worked to educate, raise awareness of an issue, and by highlighting it, push for change, action, and increased resources.
Arts Evening Fundraiser
Canterbury Soroptimists also know how to enjoy themselves. We recently held an evening of music, storytelling, poetry, and art to raise funds for two of our chosen charities — Rising Sun, a longstanding feminist-led charity supporting survivors of domestic abuse in Kent, and East Kent Mind who support all those affected by mental illness.
There were four sets on the bill. Dominic Abrams played acoustic folk music with a blues/jazz flavour. Canterbury Soroptimist, Tessa Woodward, told humorous stories of life in the countryside. David Lilford gave a talk about contemporary artists and finally Victoria Field and Eduard Heyning performed Step by Step, Grain by Grain – A Walk Across Chalk and Flint celebrating the pilgrim paths of Kent and the iconic geology, flora and fauna that link the North Downs, the Weald, and the coast.
This is how we celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity.
