Each year we come together to celebrate International Women’s Day on 8th March. This year the theme is “Inspire Inclusion”, and at Soroptimist International we aim to inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion by creating a better and more inclusive world for all women and girls.
A key way that Soroptimist International inspires inclusion is through the education projects we run at the grassroot level. Across our Federations, Soroptimist International is creating educational opportunities for women and girls in all their diversity.
In Morocco, Soroptimist International Africa Federation (SIAF) launched a project to open a boarding school for girls so they can stay in education for longer, gain qualifications and access medical care, all at no personal financial cost.
Soroptimist International of Europe (SIE) is running programmes to promote female leadership and entrepreneurship with educational elements. To support women and girls fleeing the war in Ukraine, Soroptimists in Poland, which has received millions of refugees, have been running language courses and printing books throughout the country.
‘The Dream it, Be it’ project run by Soroptimist International of the Americas (SIA) has enabled 98,000 girls since 2015 to access professional role models, mentors and career education.
Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI), through its SI Leeds club has partnered with a local school’s trust to deliver a Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) immersion day for children to inspire girls to consider STEM careers to help close gender inequity in this sector.
In Malaysia, Soroptimist International of South East Asia Pacific (SISEAP) has been working with volunteer university students to help children in partner homes and orphanages, through teaching and mentoring, to improve their written and spoken command of English. The project has significantly increased the children’s self-confidence and given them access to wider opportunities.
These are just a few examples of the many ways in which Soroptimists are coming together to inspire inclusion. Together, we are bringing to life our motto ‘Educate, Empower and Enable’.
Training and education in non-traditional, formal and non-formal methods, included but not limited to vocational training and apprenticeships, act as a springboard to empower all women and girls to transform their lives by teaching them the skills required to access paid employment.
Education is a universal human right and Soroptimist International asserts that all women and girls should have equal and fair access to lifelong education and training. More efforts must be made at all levels to achieve gender equality in education and training while combating continuing notions of misogyny.
Soroptimist International recognises that education can be a catalyst to tackle occupational segregation by giving women and girls the skills, resources and knowledge to meaningfully participate in financial management and decision-making processes in their households and communities, as well as at the national and international levels as leaders and good citizens.
Soroptimists work at the grassroot level around the world continues to demonstrate that by inspiring inclusion and working collectively, we can foster positive long-term changes for women and girls worldwide, in all their diversity.
By taking the lead, we can inspire others and create the next generation of female leaders. In doing so, we are supporting the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 4 to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.