Supporting women on International Women’s Day {5by20}

I received products from Coca-Cola’s 5by20 program; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Today is International Women’s Day. It is celebrated on March 8th all over the world and commemorates and raises awareness of women’s rights. So today I’m going to share a great initiative from Coca-Cola and how they are working to empower female entrepreneurs worldwide with the tools and training they need to grow their businesses and income.

I may be a stay at home mum at the moment but I am so lucky that this is a choice, taken between me and my husband. Some women do not have these choices yet their job opportunities are limited by the country they live in, their culture or the opportunities they have.

That is why I am more than happy to support Coca-Cola’s 5by20 initiative which aims to improve the lives of one woman at a time until they’ve helped 5 million women by 2020. They are doing this by helping women to use their resourcefulness and creativity to turn Coca-Cola packaging into beautiful bags, ornaments and accessories. I was fortunate to receive some of the items which are made in the program and they are just the kind of thing I would want to buy to support other women. I love buying handmade and buying these products helps create a ripple effect, with long-reaching benefits to the woman and her community.

Since 2010 Coca-Cola has provided access to skills training, financial resources and mentorship to help women entrepreneurs across the globe, the program is currently active in more than 60 countries. They support the scheme and help those women make money, which in turn raises them out of poverty but in a meaningful and sustainable way. By giving them the skills to make and sell items from material easy to get hold of they can then support and elevate their families, and communities too.

In these times of increased austerity it is more important than ever to support other women and I am pleased to see Coca-Cola taking their corporate social responsibility seriously. You can find out more and purchase the products through the 5by20 merchandise shop.