Dear Friends,

As more and more people face floods and other life-threatening disasters caused by global warming, we write to invite your Church to participate in a global event which aims to stop the greed and selfishness which is leading to destruction in Third World countries as well as here. For the second time running, on 8 March, International Women's Day women will strike to demand that society invest in everyone's life rather than in the enrichment of a few. "A World which values all women's work and all women's lives."

According to UN figures, women and girls do 2/3 of the world's work. Women give birth to and care for the world's population, but most of the work we do is neither waged nor valued nor even respected. The Strike focuses on this enormous social contribution by women and girls because we feel that this is the only way to shift from a global market economy increasingly focussed on corporate profits, to a caring economy based on human need and the needs of the planet.

Women in the Church have been very active in getting their churches and their governments to recognise women's and girls' contribution. In Switzerland, the European Women's Synod passed a resolution to this effect as far back as 1996.

The first Global Women's Strike was extremely successful with women in 64 countries taking part (see enclosed leaflet) and had wide-ranging support from people in the Church. In Catalunya, Spain, members of Women in the Church spoke to an audience of thousands during the Strike; some churches rang their bells at noon in support. The Catholic Church has begun to acknowledge how dependent they are on women's unwaged work.

People in the Church were particularly enthusiastic about the Strike because it focuses on vital issues which are also central to their work. Many in the Church have taken a stand on justice issues including Third World debt, poverty and racism. You'll see from the enclosed leaflet that we point particularly to the gross discrepancy between the $800 billion a year spent on military budgets world-wide and the $80 billion a year which would provide the essentials of life – water, sanitation, basic health, nutrition, education, and a minimum income.

The Strike would be an opportunity to pay tribute to the largely unwaged work done by women which keeps churches running: organising social events, fundraisers, nurseries and other activities for children, cleaning, preparing food, welcoming new members, teaching catechism, arranging flowers, etc. Without women's work, neither society nor the Church would exist.

We are approaching people now so that there is enough time to plan how they may want to participate. We have already heard from women in over 26 countries. Would you be interested in inviting someone to speak at your church about the Strike? Please let us know.

Best wishes,