• Create laws and enforce existing laws that protect women from discrimination and violence, including rape, beatings, verbal abuse, mutilation, torture, “honor” killings and trafficking.
• Educate community members on their responsibilities under international and national human rights laws.
• Promote the peaceful resolution of disputes by including the perspectives of women and girls.
• Strengthen women’s ability to earn money and support their households by providing skills training for women.
• Sensitize the public to the disadvantages of early and forced child marriages.
• Highlight the value of girls’ education and of women’s participation in economic development.
• Encourage women to participate in the political process and educate the public about the value of women’s votes.
• Raise public awareness of the poor conditions some women face, particularly in rural areas.   Source
  Young African Leaders Initiative

“Discrimination is a violation of human rights and must not go unchallenged,”

“Everyone has the right to live with respect and dignity.”

This year’s theme Open Up, Reach Out encourages all members of the international community to unite under the banner of diversity and celebrate each other’s difference in an authoritative rejection of discrimination in all its forms.

At the same time, Zero Discrimination Day, observed annually on 1 March, draws attention to the millions who still suffer from social and economic exclusion due to prejudice and intolerance. Millions of women and girls in every region of the world, for instance, experience violence and abuse on a daily basis and struggle to access adequate health care and education.

Meanwhile, globally, there are almost 80 countries that still have laws criminalizing same-sex sexual relations while some 38 countries, territories and areas impose some form of restriction on the entry, stay and residence of people living with HIV. Furthermore, legal and social environments are still failing to address stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV and those most vulnerable to HIV infection.

Source United Nation

• Set goals. When you set a goal, you make a decision to act in a way that will help you achieve what you want. Goals give you a direction to focus on – one that’s measurable and has an endpoint. This can help you to stay motivated.
• Choose goals that interest you. You’re much more likely to stay motivated if you’re working towards something that you genuinely want to do or achieve, rather than what other people want for you.
• Find things that interest you within goals that don’t. Sometimes other people set goals or tasks for us that we don’t find interesting or want to do. So, try and find something within that task that does motivate you. For example: ‘I find maths challenging, but it’s going to help me become a builder, which I want more than anything.’
• Make your goal public. If you tell someone – or write down – your goal, you’ve essentially made a promise to keep your word.
• Plot your progress. When you’re working towards something, it can be really motivating if you can see evidence that you’re making progress. Draw or create a visual representation of how you’re coming closer to achieving the goal you’ve set yourself.
• Break up your goal. Start with easier tasks and work your way up to bigger challenges. Breaking up a task in your mind into achievable chunks helps build confidence.
• Use rewards. Promise yourself some sort of reward each time you complete a step/task.
• Don’t do it alone. Join a group, or find a partner or someone you can share the experience with. Other people’s encouragement to keep going can be a big boost to your motivation, particularly when you’re doing it tough.   source REACH OUT.com

   1. A strong woman knows who she is.

• She considers who she is and what she wants for herself.
• She follows her heart.
• She shows her authentic self and honors her instincts.
• She is self-aware and continually growing into her true self.
• She cultivates her own interests.
• She can understand and appreciate her own strengths, then use those strengths to achieve her own success.

2. A strong woman stands up for herself.

• She is not afraid to share her ideas and thoughts, regardless of what others think.
• She speaks her heart and her mind.
• She respects herself enough to stand up for herself, the causes she believes in, and the welfare of others.

3. A strong woman is happy! Happiness will help you become the best version of yourself.

• She brings fun into her life and whatever she does.
• She tries to develop a sense of balance.
• She counts her blessings.
• She strives to create a positive environment for herself and her family.
• She lives fully, loves hard, has fun, and has a sense of humor.

4. A strong woman challenges herself.  Even a woman who is capable, confident, and secure in her strengths must challenge herself to continue growing and pushing unfamiliar boundaries.

• Even if life is not easy, she makes a point to find the good and make things better.
• She meets a challenge head-on.
• She puts one foot in front of the other every day.

5. she admits she doesn’t have all the answers. She is willing to be flexible and seek more information in order to better her life and sharpen her mind.

• She asks questions.
• She has a willingness to learn but can be the teacher when needed.
• She is confident in her abilities, but willing to learn more.

Source Strong women strong girls

Managing Your Finances

• Foster financial independence, to the extent that is possible in your circumstances. The independence that comes with your ability to earn your own income, start your own bank account, and buy your own property is something women have been (and still are, in some parts of the world) deprived of

• Don’t be afraid to ask for a raise. Women are less likely than men to ask for a raise. When they do ask for a raise, they ask for less money than a man typically would. Fall back on your assertiveness training and don’t be afraid to ask for the raise that you deserve.