Today, on International Women’s Day, I reflect on a quiet truth about women everywhere: many women do not give in order to gain; they give simply because giving is part of who they are. They give their love, their time, their service, and most profoundly, themselves.
Across cultures and generations, women have lived lives marked by extraordinary selflessness and sacrifice. They carry responsibilities that often stretch far beyond what duty demands. A woman’s strength is not always loud or visible; often, it is found in the quiet, daily acts of endurance, compassion, and unwavering commitment to those she loves.
I recently watched a film about domestic violence that left a deep impression on me. In it, a woman endured physical abuse from her husband who had lost his job. Each day he took her money, drank heavily, and returned home to hurt her. Yet she still defended him, asking her children to understand the pain and trauma he carried from his unemployment. Her response was heartbreaking, but it also revealed something profound about the depth of a woman’s capacity to give — sometimes even beyond what seems humanly possible.
Women often go to extraordinary lengths to protect their families. Many would sell their last possession, spend their life savings, or sacrifice their own comfort and dignity just to ensure that their children are fed, educated, and shielded from shame or hardship. They carry burdens quietly so that others may stand tall.
That is the spirit of a woman.
Her strength lies not only in resilience but in her remarkable ability to nurture, uplift, and build others — often without expectation of recognition or reward. Day after day, she rises with hope. She prays, she plans, she perseveres. She makes promises and commitments, even when she is unsure how she will fulfil them, simply because the well-being of those she loves depends on her courage to keep going.
On this International Women’s Day, we celebrate that strength. But we must also recognise that women deserve not only to give — they deserve support, dignity, protection, and the freedom to thrive.
Today, we honour women not just for their sacrifices, but for their resilience, their leadership, their compassion, and the immeasurable ways they shape our families, our communities,
When you honour a woman, you honour the quiet courage that sustains families, strengthens communities, and holds the very fabric of our world together.
We celebrate the strength of women — not just in what they endure, but in the worlds they build, the lives they uplift, and the futures they shape every single day.
The truth is, the world stands today because women have carried it. And the future will rise even stronger when women are not only celebrated for their sacrifice, but empowered to fully thrive.
If the strength of a woman can carry families, communities, and nations through their darkest days, imagine the power of a world where every woman is truly seen, valued, and supported.
And indeed, behind every thriving family, community, and nation is the enduring strength of a woman.
Nkechi Ali-Balogun, Ph.D., fnipr
CHAIRMAN/CEO, PRCAN
IWD, 2026
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