Blog by Helen Harvey.

“This was my first time attending a Commission for the Status of Women Event. The knock-on effect of Covid has meant that some events are now accessible online. I was apprehensive when asked to speak myself, but also pleased to have the chance to highlight one of our club’s projects. So, what have the Soroptimist federations been up to?

• Education
Access to education allows women to have control over their finances and well-being; with acquired knowledge and skills, women can make their own decisions in many aspects of life including health care, nutrition and when to marry. With empowerment comes the confidence to make positive life choices and participate in the community.

President Kuzuko Morita SIA presented The Economic Empowerment Dream Programs, which have reached many thousands of women girls over the past 50 years. The “Dream It, Be it” program plans to invest in the dreams of half a million girls, through access to education and training, by the end of 2030. Sandra Gozalez Skold, SIE presented 3 different projects. In Romania, financial support enabled teenage mums to return to education. A programme training and mentoring women prisoners in  Italy gave them better employment prospects on leaving prison. The European Leadership Academy programme provides weeklong training course in leadership skills, it has already benefited many girls and young women in several European countries.

Helen Harvey delivering her presentation on the fast fashion project.

• Raising Awareness
The effects of climate change and environmental disasters disproportionally impact on women and girls. Fast fashion, a worldwide industry, is second only to oil as the world’s biggest polluter, its carbon emissions are set to more than double by 2050 if left unchecked. According to non-profit Remake, 75 million people are making our clothes, 80% of whom are girls between the ages of 18-24 often working for low wages and in poor working conditions. I was pleased to share how SI the Wrekin SIGBI raised public awareness to change shopping habits. From growing cheap cotton through to massive landfill problems, fast fashion is harming people and the planet. Messages were printed on to old T shirts, some were pegged out on washing lines in the local carpark and others tied around trees, grabbing the attention of visitors to the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site and that of local radio. President Maureen Maguire presented the “Throughout Life Course” in Seim Reap Cambodia, which educated disadvantaged women and girl in a safe environment. The life skills project provided them with self-confidence to continue into further education, business skills training lead to more independence in adult life.

• Disaster Relief
Isla Winarto SISWP presented SI Presidents Appeal 2017-2019 Earthquake Recovery Project. Following an earthquake, Rebus Satu village in Lambok Indonesia, was left with a poor water supply. The construction of a new borehole provided the village with clean drinking water, toilets and washing facilities. The Capacity Building Programs for Women taught basic literacy skills and practical training in sewing, weaving, agriculture, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. The whole community was involved, with women holding key roles on work committees.

Chinwe sharing her presentation of the ‘Don’t Waste that Seed!’ project.

• Land Regeneration

Chinwe Ezenwa-Mbah, SI Africa, gave an enthusiastic presentation on aiding women farmers in rural Africa – “Don’t waste That Seed”. The project encouraged them to gather seeds from fruit they’d grown then throw the seeds into vegetation areas; on germination, the seedlings were reimplanted to regenerate depleted areas. 1.5 hectares of land were fenced off, half the area was used to grow fast growing vegetables and the other half for seed reimplantation. Farming equipment was provided by the Soroptimists. The project impacted on over 100 women and their families, it regenerated land and provided more food for the community. Media coverage gave visibility to the Soroptimists and passed on the message “Don’t waste That Seed”.

Soroptimists are making a difference at grassroots level in many diverse ways. I hope that CSW continues with online events in the future, opening it up to a wide audience. I liked dipping into hour-long presentations, maybe next time I will be more successful navigating all the different time zones!”

WATCH THE FULL SESSION HERE