Convoy of Hope’s women’s empowerment program, Convoy: Women, recently invited women from all corners of the world to celebrate International Women’s Day and unite to make a difference. This year, the U.S. event took place at Convoy’s Global Headquarters in Springfield, Missouri. In addition to offering a chance to network and learn about Convoy’s many programs, the event provided attendees with the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and offer hands-on help, resulting in a record-breaking 10,000 hygiene kits that will be distributed to women and girls around the world.
Speakers included philanthropist, entrepreneur, and former model Kathy Ireland and Grammy-winning artist Hillary Scott, the lead singer of Lady A and co-founder of The LadyAid Fund. This component fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee is a charitable initiative established by Lady A members to raise awareness and generate support for children locally, nationally, and globally who cannot help themselves, as well as for social justice initiatives across the country.
Kathy Ireland shared the story of her first job delivering newspapers. Her father urged her to apply, even though she lacked one requirement listed for the job – she was not a boy. She also followed other advice from her father, such as giving 110% and exceeding customer expectations. Although this guidance was not particularly helpful in her modeling career, where the job description was to “shut up and pose,” Ireland advised, “Don’t let anyone quiet you.”
“Modeling was only supposed to be a way to pay for college,” she explained. During that time, Ireland was also trying to start several businesses, failing over and over. Still, she learned many lessons, including how to accept criticism as a gift and use it to improve her business. Today, as a successful entrepreneur and businesswoman, she praised the Convoy: Women program, which combines philanthropic efforts with sound business practices. “You give women dignity. You show that you believe in them, that they can do it. You equip them and you empower them to change the trajectory of their lives and the lives of their children, their families, their communities,” she said.
Convoy teams around the world also celebrated International Women’s Day. In Australia, events were held in Katherine and Darwin, Northern Territory, and staff hosted a clothing drive in Queensland to help support women who have experienced domestic abuse. In Slovakia, hundreds of women gathered to enjoy time in community, learning how Convoy is empowering women in Europe.
To date, Convoy: Women has trained and educated over 148,000 women and girls in 25 countries, and they are just getting started. Like all Convoy programs, Convoy: Women delivers hope through kindness, delivering the dignity every person deserves. Programs focus on working “alongside communities” and with other agencies and governments to provide job training and economic empowerment, supply access to health services, and support women in leadership roles.
“When you empower one woman, she empowers everyone around her,” said Doree Donaldson, Director of Convoy: Women, during the U.S. event. While celebrating the program’s success, Doree emphasized that many women are in need, stating, “it’s not time to rest on our laurels.” Instead, she asserted, it’s time “to roll up our sleeves and go to work.” To learn more about how you can join Convoy: Women and how little it takes to change the future for people around the world, check out their website. While there, explore the amazing stories of lives transformed by determined women who once lived in hopeless poverty with the help of Convoy: Women.