International Women’s Day isn’t, it seems, observed quite as uniformly around the world as some might think. In many countries it’s a massive event; in others, primarily in the West, many simply haven’t heard of it, whilst those who do can often respond with some incredulity. But for this part of the world, the 8th of March, ‘Vasmoye Marta’, is, well, very important.
And so it was that here at Salem Social Village, the day (a public holiday, of course) was fully marked – flowers for the ladies, a special lunch for all our female staff (planned and prepared by the men, of course), and enough kind wishes and sentiment to suffice for the average Westerner for at least a year.
This was the scene after our staff lunch – happy people all round
But our focus here being what it is, we take every opportunity to also include the marginalised and make these things into something more. And so, following our own great traditions, we also marked, celebrated, delighted in this key date with the World Without Limits club, the social club for people with disabilities that meets in our cafe.
A suitably lavish lunch was prepared and laid out by a mixture of Salem staff and volunteers, followed by the full works of a programme of fun and speeches, and some small gifts. They loved it, as the shining eyes, big smiles, uproarious laughter and genuine gratitude all demonstrated. Genuine fun, genuine friendship. That’s what March 8th is all about here.
The only drawback was the lack of a better photo to show the fun!
