MARCH 2025 | CELEBRATING WOMEN: DOING THE RIGHT THING

Proverbs 31:10: “A Wife of Noble Character Who Can Find? She Is Worth Far More Than Rubies. Her Husband Has Full Confidence in Her and Lacks Nothing in Value.”

Many (not all) men are gathering and sitting around tables to do just one thing: celebrate women and pray for them to flourish in life. I am talking about that man who knows the value and worth of a woman.

We look forward to March 8, 2025 when we shall be celebrating International Women’s Day.

To give it some context, we might have to date back to March 8 1917 when thousands of women in Russia heralded the start of the Russian revolution by going on strike to demand bread and in protest at the toll of Russian lives in the First World War. Within days, the Tsar had abdicated and women were given the vote. International Women’s Day has been celebrated ever since.

Some other sources indicate that the United Nations began celebrating March 8 as International Women’s Day in 1975 which was the International Women’s Year. The day is focal in the women’s rights movement and gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive health rights and addressing violence and abuse against women.

Considering this year's theme, "Accelerate Action," everyone all over the world is called upon to acknowledge strategies, resources and activities that positively impact women's advancement, and to support and elevate their implementation.

Each of us is born of a woman. She is​ the number one human rights defender.

While in the labor room and in labor, my assumption which could be right is that this woman must be having only one thing upon her mind: "I have to protect my child's right to life." That's the only business she has at that time. Period.

When the child is safely born, the mother's business shifts to making sure that that this child has all it needs to grow, starting with breast milk, to clothes, to helping the child to be as comfortable as it can be all day, all night. The cycle goes on, life has begun. In the picture could be the father of the child or any other development partner that this mother is working with.

At a very personal and passionate note, I cannot compare a mother's love and care to any other. As far back as my memory may serve, there is no single day that I saw my mother distance herself from me. To this day, where and when I think that I have grown into an independent man, I very much feel the closeness, compassion and divine connection that mummy has towards me.

I have already referred to a woman as the number one human rights defender. Allow me say this for emphasis. Women Human Rights Defenders are defined as people, whether women, men, girls or boys who wake up each day to strive for the promotion, protection and realization of the rights and fundamental freedoms of women.

Human rights are those natural entitlements that belong to everyone by reason of being human and these include rights to life, equality before the law, personal liberty, freedom from torture, among others.

My absolute thought or thinking is that everyone in life deserves better and as per Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and in rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. The words "all human beings" means women too, are considered.

Do you have a woman in your house or community? Is there a girl child that you see transforming into a woman? Please support them to be the best that they can be; to exploit and maximize their potential for a better, brighter and sustainable future. This is the right thing to do at all material times.

Let's continue to hold responsible and call to account, anyone who despises, disrespects and minimizes women simply because they are women. The narrative must change and indeed has changed where we see more women taking up bigger mantles in leadership and development of their families, communities and society. Instead of discouraging them, let's identify areas of their strength and support them to enhance the same.

I pity men and boys who look down on women; who think that they are superior and therefore limit women from doing what they wish to. I have also seen and dealt with some cases of women whose husbands don’t want them to go for further studies or get employed! That’s tragic, that wrong. I believe that where the intention is right, let that lady, let that woman advance in her career, profession and life. It is for the good of the spouse, family and universe.

In the ultimate, respecting women and girl children is the right thing to do. Encouraging the boy child and men to value the girl child and women is the right thing to do. When women are at peace, it is always likely that families will be at peace, the country will be at peace and the world will be at peace. 

I consider anyone who despises women in general and mothers in particular as one who despises the Creator and creation in its entirety. 

The real champion in life is that woman who once they realized they were pregnant, accepted to bear the pregnancy for the nine months or so till they delivered that child, that other life. That’s how we have the life we have today. Every woman you see is the real channel of/to life.

Mugisa Abwooli Reflection #4 of 2025