March 8th marks International Women's Day, a day that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women. The theme this year is Women in the Changing World of Work.
The theme is particularly significant because it helps to accelerate the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), building momentum for the effective implementation of the following two goals:
(1) Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; and
(2) Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.
Championing Women at Work, Every Day
This year’s theme resonates strongly with us at Lucky Iron Fish. We know that progress still needs to be made to create greater gender parity in many work places across the world. At Lucky Iron Fish, we champion gender parity not only on International Women's Day, but each and every day.
Women comprise over 50 percent of our team, at all levels of our organization – from Guelph to Phnom Penh. For us, the objective of “50-50 by 2030” is a reality today.
Gender parity extends to our partnerships: we have a longstanding partnership with the Watthan Artisans Cambodia, a worker-run cooperative of predominantly women artisans with disabilities. They manufacture the palm leaf boxes that Lucky Iron Fish uses for our Buy-One-Give-One Program throughout Cambodia and Southeast Asia.
Improving Women’s Lives by Alleviating Iron Deficiency
Women and children are among the most vulnerable populations for iron deficiency anemia, as it primarily affects women of reproductive age and children under the age of five.
Whenever we can, we reach out and engage with women in the communities who use and benefit from Lucky Iron Fish, all around the world. On a recent trip, we visited villages in Cambodia where families have been actively using the Lucky Iron Fish.
One woman welcomed our team into her home, and through our translator she communicated how thankful she was that she didn't suffer from headaches or dizziness anymore after regularly using Lucky Iron Fish. She also conveyed that she had noticed that her children had much more energy. In addition to cooking with it, she was using the Lucky Iron Fish to make drinking water every day.
We were heartened to hear that the Lucky Iron Fish she owned was given pride of place in her home close to her cooking pots, and was in absolutely pristine condition due to the care she’d taken of it, despite putting it to extensive use. Good health at home made it easier for her to care and provide for her family.
On International Women’s Day, Lucky Iron Fish is proud to play our part in advancing two important UN SDGs by supporting the health and inclusivity of women all around the world.
Finding Partners that Empower
We are committed to partnering with other like-minded social enterprises that are empowering women and making a positive impact in this world. That’s why we are excited to give you a preview of an exciting new partnership we have initiated with an impact-oriented, female-centred organization. Tonlé is an incredible company that operates a zero-waste clothing apparel store in Cambodia. The company believes in encouraging the unique from the maker to the wearer. Tonlé’s CEO, Rachel Faller, will be giving a Lucky Iron Fish to all her female employees.
Through our strong partnerships with registered non-profits and health clinics we are reaching women and their families around the world who have limited access to iron in their diets.
Did you know?
Iron deficiency anemia primarily affects women of reproductive age and children under the age of five. In developing countries every second pregnant woman and about 40% of preschool children are estimated to be anaemic.The major health consequences include poor pregnancy outcome, impaired physical and cognitive development, increased risk of morbidity in children and reduced work productivity in adults. Anaemia contributes to 20% of all maternal deaths. (Source: World Health Organization)
