Women and the Sustainable Development Goals: Inspirations, Achievements and Challenges! 

On Thursday 3rd March 2016, Progressio Empower hosted a panel event and photo exhibition in London to celebrate inspirational women and Progressio's work in combatting gender inequality in the run up to International Women's Day. 

The evening started with the #Inspiredbyher exhibition where supporters of Progressio submitted photos and a brief description of women who inspired them. The exhibition displayed a great range of inspiration, from women in the communities where volunteers had been working to sisters being the first to graduate in their family.

The panelists covered a number of topics within Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls), highlighting their experiences in the area, why they were passionate about it and what inspired them. Panelist Louis Jenkins, a Women and Girls Rights Independent Consultant, shared her thoughts about the event in a blog post:

"The event really captured what International Women’s Day means to me, a moment to celebrate women who have and continue to inspire us as well as raise the challenges women and girls continue to face globally. However, I also believe it’s important to remember this doesn’t stop here, we have 364 other days to keep rising and ensuring all women and girls voices and experiences are not only heard but actively engaged with and included in decision making processes especially those which affect them."