"It
is with great pleasure that Soroptimist International announces the successful
candidate for our Assistant Director of Advocacy. Sharon Fisher, from SI of the
Americas, brings an excellent  mix of passion, experience and skills to
the position. She will lead the team responsible for the SI President’s Appeal and oversee the projects the
Appeal will fund, in order to make a difference to women and girls in Nepal; women
recovering from the devastation of the earthquake. Our focus is on education
and leadership which will empower women and girls to rebuild their lives." International President Yvonne Simpson.

 

 

Photo: Sharon Fisher AIDA

"It is my honour to guide the International
Presidents Appeal over the next two years. Some of the things I have heard is “International Projects are something
we all do together” or “We want to support a Soroptimist project” or “Educate
to Lead is our long term theme”. 
President Yvonne’s choice of Educate to Lead in Nepal will showcase all
Soroptimist’s working together for a common goal.

I was extremely fortunate, as many others
have been, to travel to a Soroptimist project, as part of a study tour.  One can never forget the experience.  In my case it was Sierra Leone, but others
visited Rwanda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Papua New Guinea and other places – and believe me, we
can all say, that it is life changing to see the difference we can make in the
lives of these women and girls.

I hope all Soroptimist’s will donate to
this appeal and be the change in the life of these women and girls who have so
little and have now lost some, or all of that, due to the devastating earthquake
in April.  We will bring you stories to
touch your heart, but then experience the power of working together. 

In addition to the President’s Appeal, I
look forward to supporting SI International Director of Advocacy, Pat Black.  There are many faces I have become familiar
with in attending CSW and DPI over the last years.  Our UN reps work tirelessly on behalf of
women and girls and through several of them, I received my mentoring. 

 

Photo:  Sharon Fisher presenting at the CSW59 side event ‘Present but Invisible’

While the complexity and scale of our
social problems escalate, the solutions cannot remain as they have been, but
instead we need to examine new ways to work together.  It is my dream that Soroptimist International
and the Member Federations will find new ways to come together to transform the
lives of women and girls through advocacy.

As a Canadian, I was particularly proud,
and through my UN experience could appreciate the significance, of a gender
equal Canadian cabinet with 15 men and 15 women that was announced subsequent to the
recent Federal elections.  Of course several
of the male news anchors commented on whether these women were
appointed “due to merit,” or “to check off a gender box”, but it quickly became
apparent in studying their credentials they were all “with merit”.  The news programmes now say; “We can never go
back to a system that lacks gender equality”.  
This, my friends, is what Soroptimists have been advocating for in our
statements at CSW. 
Our Soroptimist voice along with many others will continue to drive
change for women and girls around the world and I am so pleased to be joining
the Soroptimist advocacy team.  

I look forward to meeting many friends,
acquaintances and those who I will soon call friends, in the next two years as
Assistant International Director of Advocacy."

Sharon Fisher