International Women’s Day: How Are YOU Making Noise?

I was the little girl with a lemonade stand summer after summer. The experience taught me some of my first lessons in business like how to interact with customers, market a product, and develop a basic balance sheet. It took several years for me to realize the full impact of the lemonade stand on my life as an enterprising woman.

The experience kindled my entrepreneurial spirit, planted the idea that I would be an entrepreneur, and made me feel that the world was full of possibilities. Why am I telling you this? Because today, for the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, I am full of gratitude for the opportunities I’ve had that women over the past century fought for me to have.

But millions of girls and women in developing countries still don’t have an opportunity to reach their potential. It is essential that we support and make noise for these girls and women just like brave women over the past century made noise for us to have the opportunities we have today.

She’s the First is an organization bringing a fresh voice to the issue of girl’s education worldwide, giving girls the opportunity to go to school and become the first in their families to graduate. To inspire these girls to break barriers and realize their dreams, She’s the First encourages young people to unlock the power of their social networks and creatively fundraise for sponsorships.

Kiva is a great organization for those who want to support entrepreneurial women in the developing world. Kiva is an online platform that allows you to lend as little as $25 to an entrepreneur to give them the opportunity to start a business and lift their families from poverty.

As Christine Karumba of Women for Women International said, “One woman can change anything. Many women can change everything.” Let’s keep that in mind for the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day and become noisemakers for a world in which every woman has an opportunity to shine.

Join women empowering women by visiting the Noisemakers Campaign.

Post by Natalie MacNeil, Founder of She Takes on the World and fearless noisemaker for girls and women worldwide.