Last week we had two very successful events in Ajassor and Bendeghe to celebrate international women's day. The days were an excellent opportunity to promote participation of women in community development as well as issues related to gender equality - promoting education for girls and livelihood opportunities for women to name but a few.
WOMEN OF SUBSTANCE by Iona Hannagan Lewis
Despite the event’s prevalence all over the world, the community of Bendeghe had never heard of International 
Women’s Day. So when the team met the Women’s Organisation in early February, one of the things we suggested was that the day should be celebrated in the town. The women were enthralled, immediately planned fundraising and catering. And though we met the women regularly to brainstorm together on the day’s events, it was clear from the beginning that March the 8th would be a day organised by and for Bendeghe women. They didn’t need our help.
So when we turned up early on the morning of the 8th, it was not without a little trepidation. We had had a bit of input on the day’s events (“Can we have some speeches on women’s rights? What about a talk on financial independence from the bank?”), but we still had little idea what to expect. The rumour that a monkey was going to give a show didn’t help our unease. But within a few hours of our arrival canopies were set up, the DJ we’d hired had begun his set in the window of the Viewing Centre. We went for lunch at midday only to get a call at half twelve - “Come back, you really need to.” In the short time we’d been away, the streets had lined with over 200 women from the three communities of Bendeghe. They were sitting under the shade of the canopies, dressed in the vibrant traditional colours and waiting to begin. The open air venue welcomed intrigued men and children watching from the sidelines, making the audience total at least 300.
“You dey part of the community, you dey part of Nigeria,You dey part of the World!”(“You are a part of this community, you are a part of Nigeria, and you are a part of the World!”)
It started with speeches, speeches from the leader of the Women’s Organisation, from Eleng of CBS Microfinance bank, from Sophie and Iona from Global Xchange. The talks were mainly in Egebham (the local Etung language) and Pidgin English - the UK volunteers couldn’t really understand, but it didn’t matter.
Women danced, covered in white paint and bead belts. They sang in Egebham and praised the Lord, and we all danced and danced till finally we were served plantain stew topped with cow hide and sat down to sip minerals in the sun. The atmosphere was jubilant, the women’s passion for gender equality electric. We didn’t need to understand the language to sense that.
