Last month, Marysabel Cardozo, Medical Teams International’s Digital Asset Management Specialist, traveled to our field offices in Ethiopia to capture the important health care work being done by the dedicated staff and volunteers in sites across the country. While documenting and observing the vibrant community that has formed in the refugee camps, she consistently noticed one thing – the women and girls served as the heartbeat, the epicenter, of life in the community.

From female doctors and nurses responsible for delivering vital medical care, to community health workers training other volunteers, to young girls preparing a meal for the other children, it was clear that seemingly small daily acts had a profound impact on the fabric of life in the camps.  

As we prepare to celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, we spoke with Marysabel about some of the ways in which the women in these communities demonstrated the strength, solidarity, and advocacy that are the hallmarks of the holiday. Her observations were certainly not what you might expect when you imagine women’s advocacy; rather, Marysabel describes quiet moments, simple gestures, almost tableaus that demonstrate the vital role that women and girls have in these communities to uplift and support one another and establish the collective values that the communities live by.  Here are a few of her reflections on her time in our Ethiopia clinics, but first, a little background on the holiday that inspired our conversation.  

What is International Women’s Day? 

Celebrated annually on March 8, this day honors the achievements of women across all aspects of life – social, economic, cultural, and political – while also advocating for gender equality. International Women’s Day was first celebrated in 1911 (over a century ago!) and continues to serve as an important day of advocacy, celebration of women’s achievements, and fostering solidarity among people of all genders in support of women’s rights and gender equality worldwide. 

This year’s theme is “Accelerate Action”. According to data from the World Economic Forum, it will take until 2158 (roughly five generations from now) to reach full gender parity at the current rate of progress. Understandably, this is FAR too long for women to continue experiencing inequality in opportunities, access, and resources, so this theme aims to motivate women and men to take actionable steps to speed up the progress of gender equality and address the systemic barriers and biases that women face both personally and professionally. 

Women Leading Women as Activism 

Amanda: So, this year’s theme is “Accelerate Action”. Did you observe any instances in the refugee settlements where women were advocating for themselves or one another? 

Marysabel: Yes, women were definitely advocating for one another, but not in the obvious ways that you would expect. It was clear that the women in leadership roles like the doctors and the administrators in the office took their roles very seriously and wanted to create an environment where other women felt safe and cared for. The vibe among the women in leadership roles was very vibrant and collaborative, and I could really tell that they all supported one another and appreciated the role that they each played in making sure that care was delivered to the people we serve.  

Amanda: That’s so great. Anytime that support for one another is modeled among women in leadership, I’m sure it inspires the women who witness that to support one another as well. 

Marysabel: They are in the process of building a new health center in one of the camps we visited, and the lead engineer on that project is a woman too!  

Amanda: That’s awesome! She is literally helping to build the healthcare infrastructure that’s going to support future generations of women! 

Marysabel: Yes, and many of the community health workers were also female. We actually observed a training seminar where community health workers were learning how to determine the dosage for each community member to receive vaccines for river blindness and it was powerful to see women being trained and then going out into the community and helping mothers identify that their children might need medical attention. The trickle-down effect of women advocating for one another is definitely something that strengthens the community as a whole.  

There was also a beautiful example of generational leadership and support that we witnessed. While we were there, a young woman was laboring to give birth in the maternity ward, and a large group of women were gathered outside in support of the young mother and her mother, who was coming in and out to provide updates to the waiting women.

The group contained women from a variety of generations who were there as a microcosm of the larger community in support of this young mother who was about to go through the transformational life experience of birth. The amount of wisdom represented on those benches outside the ward represented generational strength and transfer of health-related knowledge and experience to the newest generation. It was really wonderful to see.  

Amanda: That leads me to another question – one of the ways that International Women’s Day suggests that we can “Accelerate Action” is by supporting women to be able to make informed decisions about their health care. Did you see any of that happening while you were in Ethiopia?  

Marysabel: Yes, definitely. Whether by a doctor, nurse, or community health worker, many women were being educated about either current illness they were dealing with or about preventing possible illnesses so that they could make the best health care decisions for themselves and their families. I’m sure that that feels empowering in an otherwise very vulnerable situation as people are fleeing their homes and dealing with the effects of being displaced.  

Amanda: It gives women a little bit of the agency back that’s been taken by a difficult situation, right?  

Marysabel: Exactly. While we were there, we became very well acquainted with a woman called Kinana who was a mother of 6 when she fled Sudan. She gave birth to her seventh child shortly after arriving in the camp, and she developed a close relationship with her midwife. She seemed comfortable asking him questions and seeking advice so that she could feel confident as a postpartum mother. It was clear that the environment was fostering confidence in women to make educated choices about their and their families’ health.  

Equal Access to Care 

Amanda: The goal of International Women’s Day is to move the needle toward completely equitable access to things like healthcare for all women. Did you feel that women having access to the care we provided was a priority in Ethiopia? 

Marysabel: Oh absolutely. I think that goes back to Medical Teams firmly believing in equal access to care for all as an organizational value. We strive to provide care to whomever needs it regardless of race, gender, religious belief, etc. — if someone comes to one of our clinics in need, we care for them. I think having that kind of commitment as a humanitarian organization will inevitably help equalize access to medical care for women and girls in the areas where we work.  

An Open Invitation 

Amanda: You mention some small but powerful moment where you noticed women and girls serving as leaders among their refugee communities. Can you share some of those with us?  

Marysabel: Yes – one moment that really stood out to me was when I was photographing something in the camp, and I suddenly heard a voice clearly call “Come here!” I turned around, confused, and then saw a young girl waving me over into her tent. Unsure of what to expect, I followed her and found an amazing scene. She was preparing some food for a gaggle of younger children who were enthusiastically playing around her as she cooked. 

I was taken aback by how she seemed to be stepping into a maternal role at such a young age, and that she had invited me into the group of people she was planning to feed. Soon her mother returned and poked her head into the tent, smiled, and then stayed nearby watching her daughter approvingly.  

She was clearly proud of her daughter taking on the role of feeding others in the camp and modeling leadership and nurturing within their community.  

Another encounter that really demonstrated how women and girls drive the values of a community was when a little boy playfully took my water bottle. I was taking some photos and when I looked down, my bottle was no longer by my feet but being carried away by a smiling boy. A young girl saw this interaction (I don’t know what her relation was to the little boy) and immediately proceeded to snag it right back from him and walk it over to me. 

I said that he was welcome to have it, but she still put it right back by me where he had found it. We smiled at each other, and I placed a hand on my heart to thank her for the honorable gesture. The little boy ended up taking it once more, and I gave him a little nod that it was okay, but I was just so amazed at how she had enforced the value of not taking something that doesn’t belong to you, especially in the conditions of a refugee camp where people often have so little. Even in circumstances where it could be considered excusable, it seemed that this little girl was adamant about upholding a shared community value, and that just blew me away and touched me so much.  

Amanda: Well, thank you so much for sharing those reflections. Clearly there were plenty of reasons to celebrate International Women’s Day in our Ethiopia offices and clinics!  

Marysabel: Definitely. There were so many examples of strong, resilient women everywhere, whether it was in the country and regional offices to the camps and clinics. The whole experience was so impactful for me.  

How Can You #AccelerateAction?  

The International Women’s Day organization shares the following as some ways that both individuals and organizations can live out the calling to “Accelerate Action” on this day of celebration, and every day: 

• call out stereotypes, challenge discrimination, and question bias 
• forging women’s economic empowerment 
• recruiting, retaining and developing diverse talent 
• supporting women and girls into leadership, decision-making, business and STEM 
• designing and building infrastructure meeting the needs of women and girls 
• helping women and girls make informed decisions about their health 
• involving women and girls in sustainable agriculture and food security 
• providing women and girls with access to quality education and training 
• elevating women and girl’s participation and achievement in sport 
• promoting creative and artistic talent of women and girls 
• sharing our knowledge and encouragement with others 

 You can provide access to life-saving health care for women and girls in Ethiopia and around the world by making a gift today.