Did you know that 80% of the worlds 27 million refugees are women? Or that of the 1.2 billion people in the world living in poverty 70% are women? Did you know that women do two-thirds of the world’s work but receive only 10% of the world’s income?

Today is International Women’s Day. All around the world, today and for the rest of March, International Women’s Day activities are celebrating the social, political and economic achievements of women, and highlighting the myriad challenges to their safety and well-being that women still face.

Born during the labor protests of the early 1900’s and finally endorsed by the United Nations in 1975, International Women’s Day is an official holiday in over 30 countries. This year’s U.N. theme for Women’s Day is “Women and Men United To End Violence Against Women and Girls”. The official International Women’s Day website lists hundreds of local events in 62 countries that you can participate in. And there are opportunities all over the web to learn more and take action on issues like violence against women and children, wage inequality, women’s economic empowerment and women’s health.

Here are some of the best resources, to help you celebrate the day:

• The International Women’s Day website has links to articles about women’s issue in categories including work, government, global issues, finance and the arts, as well as ways to network and links to events searchable by location.

• In honor of International Women’s Day, Global Giving has launched a new campaign called Womenx2. From now until March 27, if you donate $25 to teach 15 women in Afghanistan how to read, Global Giving will make sure 30 women learn to read. If you donate $75 to send one girl to school for a year in Zimbabwe, they’ll match your donation and send a second girl. If you donate $100 so 120 woman in India can start a small business, they’ll make it 240 women. As a bonus, the three projects generating the most number of donations will be eligible for additional bounty awards of $5,000, $2,500, and $1,000, respectively.

• The United Nations Development Program’s Newsroom has an International Women’s Day special called “Faces of Strength and Courage”, showcasing how women worldwide are key players in democratic governance, poverty alleviation, crisis prevention, environment protection and response to HIV/AIDS.

• The National Organization for Women’s Facebook Group has a page with“13 Questions” you can answer and post as a note to share the message of International Women’s Day with your friends.

• Hot Peach Pages includes a searchable international directory of agencies that need your help to stop domestic violence.

• The One Campaign posted a toolkit that anyone can use to join the effort to ensure that women and girls are at the center of current efforts to reform U.S. foreign assistance programs.

• The Girl Effect, an initiative dedicated to enabling the powerful social and economic change brought about by educating girls and giving them opportunities to participate in society, has an excellent video and downloadable action guide that individuals and organizations can use to join the effort to empower girls.

• At the National Women’s Law Center you can urge your U.S. Senators to support the Paycheck Fairness Action.

• And if that’s not enough to keep you busy today, at TakePart.com you’ll find Top Ten Ways To Celebrate International Women’s Day With The Click of a Mouse.

Tags:   Fair Pay · Girl Effect · Global Giving · International Women's Day · National Organization For Women · National Women's Law Center · One Campaign · Pay Equity · Poverty · TakePart.com · Women · Women's Health · Women's Poverty