Previous international projects
2003–2007 “Project Independence – Women Survivors of War”
Soroptimist International with their US based charity partner, Women for Women International, committed to help women survivors of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Afghanistan and Rwanda move from social isolation to becoming active citizens in their community. The goals were to help each woman stand on her own two feet, learn new skills to become self-sufficient, become independent and ultimately to realize her voice, her worth and her strength.
This project was extremely important to Soroptimist members who tirelessly conducted creative awareness, advocacy and action programs to support and promote it. In the four year period Soroptimists raised approximately US $2.2 million to support Project Independence. The service provided to the women included the following:
Provided Sponsorship to 1,960 women in the one year program (exceeding goals by 63%!). Each woman got a small stipend and was assigned a Soroptimist sister - who sent letters to her of encouragement and emotional support for that entire year.
Each woman participated in Renewing Women’s Life Education Training which gave them practical skills for life, health, money management, leadership development, Rights Training and many more topics. With this project women learned about Health topics such as malaria prevention and HIV/AIDs. They learned about their human rights and how not to be a victim. Most importantly they learned that they were an important part of their community and how they could contribute to their community as a leader. In Rwanda 25 % of the women SI sponsored are now elected leaders.
Job Skills Training - Each woman learned specific job skills that would assist her in supporting herself in the future. Women chose skills to learn that were sustainable after the program - they learned how to produce reliable products, and how to market them after they produced them.
Microcredit Loans - In Bosnia and Afghanistan 600 women received microcredit loans after they graduated to help them start their own businesses.
Finally SI also assisted Women for Women International to expand their programs in the three countries - enabling thousands more women to be positively impacted by this Soroptimist International project.
A woman participant in Bosnia wrote: “Please tell the people how important this project is to us. To some it may seem so small- but to us it is huge. We are able to start our lives again. We are using your money wisely. We will make a difference for women in our communities.”
For more information on Project Independence outcomes, please click on the link below:
Women for Women’s Report to SI in June 2008 »
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1999-2003 “Limbs for life”