The Agricultural Training Institute joins the celebration of the National Women's Month this March.

The Institute will spearhead a symposium on “Women in Rice Farming” on March 25-29, 2019 which will feature a knowledge-sharing and learning among women rice farmers in the country. Invited speakers and participants will talk about their best practices in rice farming as well as the different roles women can play in agriculture.

National Women's Month is an annual celebration that aims to give recognition to women's significant contributions in nation-building. By virtue of Proclamation No. 224 Series of 1988, the first week of March is designated as Women’s Week and March 8 as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day as well as National Women’s Day according to Republic Act 6949 Series of 1990. Meanwhile, Proclamation No. 227 Series of 1988 provided the observance of the month of March as Women’s Role in History Month.

In 2017, the Philippine Commission on Women board members and inter-agency technical working group identified the National Women's Month celebration theme “We Make Change Work for Women”, which shall be used from 2017-2022. It highlights the empowerment of women as active contributors to and claimholders of development. This pursuit of development is also anchored on the commitment of “Malasakit at Pagbabago” or True Compassion and Real Change.

The 2019 celebration of the National Women's Month will focus on strengthening efforts to improve and track the progress of implementation of the Magna Carta of Women, and other relevant laws and commitments to the international community such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Beijing Platform for Action, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

For more information, visit www.pcw.gov.ph/WomenMakeChange2019