b'The SI Road to Equality - stronger togetherRoad to Equality, the 2019-2021 SI PresidentsThe one thing we wanted to do from the Appeal strategically focuses on six topics thatbeginning was to educate our members to prove barriers to women and girls in achievingbe advocates for the Appeal issues: Human their full potential. These barriers to genderTrafficking, Migration, Domestic Violence, equality incorporate the United Nations (UN)Female Genital Mutilation, Rights of Older theme Leave no one behind acknowledgingWomen, and Child Marriage, and this was a the importance of supporting those furthestextraordinary opportunity.Initially supporting behind. COVID-19 has certainly impacted thesome seminars and campaigns, we shifted the SI Presidents Appeal in unexpected ways,focus onlineand explored new ways to learn, beginning with a dramatic increase in all formsand to advocate for change.of gender-based violence, the root cause ofThe first SI Voices webinar Exploring the Road women and girls being left behind.COVID-19to Equality was launched in August 2020, impacted the many projects initially identifiedwith a further nine webinars to follow, each by the Appeal, with many having to be canceledwith the format of three speakers for each or postponed, due to the outbreak. webinar, including an expert on the subject, a It became evident we needed to rethink ourspeaker who had lived through the experience, strategy.Masks for Equality was initiated toand a project or campaign to showcase how gather information on the Soroptimist responseSoroptimist International makes a difference.to COVID-19,and we discovered in spite of manyWith a mix of projects on the target issues, each being in their homes avoiding the pandemic,was accompanied with education, building Soroptimists were responding in amazing ways. awareness and engagement of Soroptimists and Many were sewing masks and hospital clothing,friends, and motivation to turn up the volume providing Personal ProtectiveEquipment,of our global voices, to transform the lives of offering to step up locally wherever and howeverwomen and girls.The webinars have proved they could, and most importantly taking care ofa great success and have united our global each other through interaction on social media,membership. It has proven the slogan of the and other communication platforms.Hundredspandemic is accurate: of thousands of protective items were produced and delivered to front line workers around theWe are Stronger Together.world.soroptimistinternational.org 6'