International Women’s Day is the perfect time to celebrate women’s achievements and support organisations around the world that help women in incredibly challenging situations. Taking place on March 8 every year, International Women’s Day is a day to remember how far women have come, as well as how far we still have to go on the journey towards equality.

But what can you do to really help other women around the world? Some women are experiencing difficulties that in the west we can hardly imagine, while others are having remarkably similar experiences to us. Whether you have time, skills or a little money to offer, there are plenty of ways that you can support organisations that are working to help women and girls in a variety of ways across the globe.

The simplest way to support organisations is to join their mailing lists, follow them on social media and share their posts. This will help to spread the word about their campaigns and get people talking about these all-important issues. Examples of good organisations to follow are the Malala Fund, which is working towards educating girls in countries where many don’t go to school, and Plan UK, which campaigns on a range of global women’s issues including child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM).

Although sharing posts on social media might not seem like much, it is surprising just how effective it can be. Don’t underestimate just how important it is to talk about these organisations and share their information with your own followers. Another easy way to support organisations is by setting up a direct debit to donate to their campaigns. However much you can afford to donate will add up to a great deal when it comes to helping women and children in very poor countries.

If you have specific skills and want to volunteer for an organisation, you may well wish to do so closer to home. There are many organisations working with women and girls within the UK, helping them to overcome poverty, domestic violence and other challenging problems, and many of them rely on volunteers to continue their work. Organisations such as Women’s Aid and Rape Crisis have lost a great deal of their funding in recent years and require volunteers to work on their helplines.

Volunteering for an organisation is an incredibly rewarding thing to do, even when you feel like you don’t have the time to dedicate to it. If you can give just one evening each week, you’ll be surprised at how much of a difference you can make. As well as supporting other women, you’ll gain an entirely new perspective on the world and feel a great sense of satisfaction. However you decide to support women’s organisations this International Women’s Day, remember that even the smallest gestures add up to a lot.

Photograph: iStock