In this week’s blog, Chinwe Ezenwa-Mbah writes about the process of setting up a Soroptimist International African Federation to represent clubs on the continent. Chinwe has been a member of SI Surulere, Nigeria, since its charter in 1992. She is a Director without Portfolio of the SIGBI Federation and currently chairs the Taskforce on the Proposed SI Africa Federation.

Originally published in May 2013 issue of SIGBI’s Soroptmist News magazine and reproduced with kind permission.

The idea of an African Federation was first mooted in 1987 at the SIE Congress in Athens. In attendance were Gisela Freudenberg (Officer in charge of SIE Extension in Africa), Nina Koumanakou (SIE President) and Soroptimists from Cote d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo and Benin.

In 1989, reflections on the possibility of an African Federation continued in Lugano, Switzerland with the same Soroptimists from Cote d Ivoire, Madagascar, Rwanda, Senegal and Togo. A Nigerian Soroptimist Adetoun Bailey attended this meeting.

Thereafter several meetings were held, especially within the now West and Central Africa Region.The East African Region later came on board¹ . In 2006, at the conference held in Kenya, the Regions decided to set up a membership account. The account was to be managed by Edna Tounou for West and Central Africa and Asha Abdulraman for the East Africa.

The dues were set: Clubs were to pay $100.00 and members to pay $10 initially then $5 annually. In 2011 in Cameroon, the West and Central Africa Region changed this to $150 per Club and $20 per member annually.

Moving the plan forward

In 2012, at the General Assembly of the Future SI Africa Federation held in Nairobi, Kenya, a Taskforce was inaugurated to steer the ship for the proposed SI Africa Federation. Elected to carry on this task were, Chinwe Ezenwa-Mbah Chairperson; four Vice Chairs: Saida Fitouri, Connie Mutunhu, Christiana Ekra-Wiffens , and Tadelech Debele, representing Northern, Southern, West & Central and East African Regions respectively; Vivian Namayi Secretary; Nneka Chris- Asoluka Programme Action; Asha Abdulraham, Extension and Membership; Betty Katiyo, Financial Director and Rose Owour, Treasurer.

The Taskforce has set to work, creating greater awareness with the theme, Women Touching Lives Through Values And Heritage. We have come to the conclusion that we can only achieve our goal of becoming a Federation if we can explore our values and heritage as Africans. The Taskforce has mapped out a five year rolling plan with an accompanying budget that if closely followed will lead to the actualisation of the Federation by year 2017.

The benefits of an African Federation

The benefits of an African Federation cannot be over emphasised:

• Create closer ties amongst the African sisters
• A sense of belonging in the new Federation as the challenge to succeed propels them to greater heights
• Opening up Soroptimism in Africa by creating more awareness. This will give rise to more SI Federations and increased membership
• Independence breeds creativity
• Wean African Clubs off the mother Federations making the new Federation stronger, able to take decisions on its own
• A sense of pride for SIGBI and SIE Federations as a new baby is born
• SIGBI and SIE, having ‘lost’ a baby, will explore other grounds, increasing awareness and membership.

Financing the initiative

The financial team ensures that there are adequate funds available to acquire the resources needed to help an organisation achieve its objectives. In this sense, finance is said to be the life-blood of an organisation. The Taskforce, aware of the great importance of finance has articulated its financial strategy in its detailed five year rolling plan budget.

Extension and Membership

In the Cameroons two more Clubs have been formed making Cameroon a National Association. One Club has been formed in Cotonou (Benin) and Nigeria has added four more Clubs. There are indications that more are in the early stages of being formed.

The future

We acknowledge the fact that the road may be winding and tortuous but we all know the Chinese adage “a journey of a million mile starts with a single step”.

I thank the SIE and SIGBI Federations for their unallayed support and guidance in the roles they have played towards the formation of an SI Africa Federation.

Your belief in us gives us strength and the energy to trudge on. We need the support of all Soroptimists. The formation of SI Africa Federation should be a welcome development by all as we all take pride when a new baby is born.

Franklin D. Roosevelt a former President of the USA said “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”; if we are prepared to allay the fear of the unknown and work as one body the proposed Soroptimist International of Africa Federation will become a reality.

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¹ The first Soroptimist International Pan-African meeting took place in February 1999 with representatives of 21 African countries in attendance.