March 10, 2026, 12:46 p.m.
(PHOTO: Intent/Natalia Dovbysh)
An open event dedicated to women's rights, current challenges for them, financial independence and support was held in Odesa on March 6 at the Community House. The event was organized by VONA Hub and the Tenth of April NGO.
The participants of the meeting talked about the true story of March 8.
The program included:
The event was created for women seeking development, support and new opportunities. Olga, a representative of Intent's advertising department, also took part in the discussion.
"I didn't expect much from the meeting - the phrase "panel discussion" has always scared me because it usually means something meaningless. However, this time it was very interesting. Very different women gathered, both in terms of age and status. There were displaced women, some working, some not working - everyone had their own story. The discussion turned out to be very lively," Natalia, a participant of the event, told Intent.
On March 8, the world celebrates International Women's Day. The tradition was started in America after women's rallies became more frequent as they fought for a number of rights, such as equal pay and better working conditions, and the right to vote. For the first time, American textile workers demonstrated in New York on March 8, 1857. The strike did not yield any results, and the peaceful rally was dispersed by the police. Later, however, such rallies became annual events, and the number of participants increased significantly. Many people, however, associate this holiday with communists because one of the active supporters of the recognition of this date as International Women's Day was the communist Klara Tsetkin.
Outside of Eastern Europe, only about ten countries recognize this day as an official holiday: Algeria, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Italy, Israel, Laos, Mongolia, Vietnam, and Zambia. The International Women's Solidarity Day is celebrated on March 8 in Greece, but it is mostly celebrated by communists. In Spain, it is a day of women's protest, a day when feminist activists publicly express their discontent. In China, March 8 is a day off, but only for women - Chinese women get together and walk in the park. In Italy, March 8 is not officially a day off; women celebrate without men.
The VONA Career and Business Hub project in Odesa is implemented by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine, with financial support provided by the Danish government and the King Salman Center for Rescue and Humanitarian Aid (KSrelief) in cooperation with the Odesa City Council and the NGO Culture of Democracy.
Кирило Бойко