Today is an important day around the world: It’s International Women’s Day! You might not know this but in many countries around the world this day is so important that it is a National Holiday and the goal is to stop and reflect as well as pay homage to the contributions of women around the world. One such country is Uganda where I originally come from. Uganda isn’t known for doing many things well, but on this Day it must be celebrated for marking this important day as a national holiday. But they go further. They actually give out a National Medal of honor to a particular woman who has exhibited exemplary work empowering women all over the nation.

So guess who won this noble award on this propitious today? None other than my mother Ms. Miriam Kayongo! She was among the first women to create the Uganda Women’s Secretariat which was responsible for elevating the needs of women on the national stage. To do that, Ms. Kayongo spent years traversing the Country educating and mobilizing women into micro finance, girl’s education, fighting against sexual harassment and getting women elected into cabinet positions and leadership both in government and elsewhere.