Thank you to Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland and Soroptimists from SI Bournemouth, SI Dhaka and SI Esperance  for contributing these stories.

Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland gives girls opportunities in STEM learning

SI Club Bournemouth (England)

With only one in five girls opting for the whole range of science subjects, SI Club Bournemouth issued a challenge in 2013 to young women in secondary schools to develop products that could help people living in poor parts of the world. This was the beginning of their annual Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) challenge, now running successfully for 11 years. The project links to the United Nations SDGs 5 (gender inequalities) and 10 (reducing inequality). The Club has evidence of girls having gone on to study STEAM subjects and moving into careers in those fields as a result of participation.

It is nationally and internationally recognised that there is a shortage of girls choosing STEAM subjects as degrees, and a growing body of evidence about barriers to subsequent careers. The Club created this challenge to inspire girls and encourage them to overcome these barriers. It does this by inviting secondary school girls to develop initiatives that will improve the lives of women and girls in other parts of the world.

They work together in small teams to develop the concept, write up a brief and, if shortlisted, create a prototype. The teams then pitch these to experts in the field and are judged. Engaging in this activity stretches the participant’s horizons effectively, so the Club continues it on an annual basis.

The Club approaches high schools in the area early in the academic year and invite them to participate in the project, providing briefing packs and offering visits to the schools. The process is most effective when there is an advocate in the school who has seen the results of the girls taking part.

Numbers vary each year although SI Club Bournemouth recognises that there are many more STEAM initiatives available for girls now than when it started this in 2013. Feedback from teachers, students and staff is always positive and the Club is always looking for ways to extend its reach each year.

During 4 September 2023 to 21 March 2024 the Club had teams from Bournemouth School for Girls, Canford and Parkstone Grammar Schools. The final was held on 21 March; the winning teams received £250 for their school and a small individual financial prize for each pupil.

The Club receives continued sponsorship from Ellis-Jones Solicitors and Southwest Water; this year Robert McAlpine made a significant donation to cover the prizes and CREST awards. Every year the Lord Lieutenant or his deputy attends along with the Mayors of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and the Chair of BCP Council; this endorsement is appreciated and indicates the value that local dignitaries afford the project.

SI Club Bournemouth organised the receipt of a CREST award from the British Science Association for each girl involved. Although there were approximately 30 girls involved in the finals, many more would have been aware of the challenge and even if they did not participate, it may have impacted on their thinking.

SI Club Dhaka (Bangladesh)

SI Club Dhaka’s members celebrated World Environment 2023 with 100 students from two of its literacy centres. The Club worked with local NGO, Let’s Recycle, to help students learn the correct ways to clean and care for the environment by understanding how to recycle waste to save the planet.

The students watched the demonstration of many useful ideas and became more aware of how to keep their surroundings clean, through recycling waste.

SI Club Esperance (Trinidad and Tobago)

SI Esperance, in partnership with the Trinidad & Tobago Association of Energy Engineers, was awarded $100,000TT after a rigorous selection process among hundreds of participants. The Club’s proposal was submitted to The Digicel Foundation & Shell Trinidad Ltd EPIC (Extraordinary Projects Impacting Communities) programme. Through the Club’s Sustainable Harvest Programme at ASJA Girls College, Barrackpore, it aimed to educate, empower and enable the girls to develop and manage a hydroponics farm.

SI Club Esperance has supported ASJA Girls’ College through several prior projects and has researched its needs. The College is located in a deprived, farming community and food security is critical. However, the area is prone to flooding, so to mitigate against the huge loss of crops, introducing hydroponics was seen as a viable alternative.

The Club aimed to develop a working farm utilising solar power with a mix of hydroponics and conventional agriculture.

The Club’s goals were:

• to transform how young women perceive agriculture and entrepreneurship
• to expose them to the same modern technology as their urban counterparts to develop equity

Goals were specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-related, ensuring that the Club’s benefactors were included in every step of the process.

SI Club Esperance developed and submitted a proposal to the Digicel Foundation & Shell Trinidad Ltd. Competition for the grant was fierce and many-layered, requiring a great deal of paperwork and presentations before the Club was awarded $100,000. SI Club Esperance members worked with all the stakeholders to execute the project within time and budget.

The project included site preparation, crop selection, garden development and management, harvesting and sales, all of which required Club involvement. The solar panels used to power the pumps of the hydroponics system were procured and the systems were installed by experts who offered training, with hands-on participation by the girls. The girls were involved in the physical set-up, planting and maintenance of crops.

The girls now see agriculture as a viable career option and have an improved understanding of its entrepreneurial benefits. The garden which once yielded 48 lettuces and kale now yields some 500 crops, comprising a variety of six crops. Sales of produce have increased from $115 to $1000.

Interest and enrolment in agriculture has doubled. Students preparing for exams can conduct improved experiments and produce enhanced research for School-Based Assessment submissions. Staff and students have received the requisite training to operate and maintain the system which the community is keen to replicate. SI Club Esperance created an awareness of new techniques; advocated for improved systems; and acted to educate, empower and enable students and the community to aspire to a better future.

This project has directly impacted 458 girls and 27 staff members. However, the awareness created and educational reach has extended to its immediate community and nationwide. There was excellent coverage on TV, in newspapers and on the Club’s Facebook Page. The videos of the project were impactful, and generated great interest in the subject.