At the recent SISWP Conference of Clubs the
following clubs were recognised for their excellence in planning,
administering and evaluating a project to transform lives for women and girls
around the Federation. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees.

 For Goal 1 Objective 1:

SI Penang for their Education
Fund This project, aimed at low income single women households, sought
to provide women and girls with the opportunity to pursue higher education or
to give them a skill to gain better access to employment. It involved fundraising,
the establishment of a committee to select and interview people who met the
criteria and ensured wide publicity about the scholarships. It ensured
monitoring of the project and mentoring of students where required.

 

For Goal 1
Objective 2:

SI
Petaling Jaya for their SEEED Jobs
for Life project. Soroptimists Educate, Empwer and enable Dream Jobs for
life addressed an urgent need to enable young at risk women aged 18 to 26 years
from highly vulnerable areas to undertake a well-planned programme which addressed
weak points in their education. Over a 9 week modular high impact
transformation programme addressing job skills, career placement and economic
empowerment these girls were able to transform their economic employment
opportunities. Careful monitoring, ongoing assessment and independent
evaluation were all part of this successful and nationally acclaimed programme.

 

For Goal1
Objective 3:

SI
Region of South Queensland for Photo
Voice – Focus on Domestic Violence. This project, undertaken in partnership
with Domestic Violence organisations and the state Womens Legal Services,
sought to convey the feelings of being in a violent relationship and the
difference when free. Each week women took an image to reflect the topic of
weekly discussions with a psychologist and then were aided in writing a caption
to link their experiences to the image .Facilitated by clubs around the state,
It became a travelling exhibition which demonstrated the impact of violence on
all aspects of their life and feedback at each exhibition showed it impact on a
wide range of society.

 

For Goal 1
Objective 4:

SI
South Perth for Collaboration and Capacity
Building: Family Foundation Service for homeless families. In partnership
with Uniting Care Wesley, the club co-designed a response to meet the needs of
women and girls who were homeless through circumstances other than domestic
violence and used a centre to cook meals, do homework and access services to
end homelessness. The project had streams all of which were to support
access  to social and emotional learning.
Much attention was given to providing resources to improve self-esteem,
encourage emotional resilience and resources to develop behavioural and
emotional competency. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation ensured that the
process was adaptable to meet changing needs and that the project has continued
successfully since its commencement and trial.

 

For Goal 1
Objective 5

SI
Bayside and SI Lae for their
joint project Soroptimists “Lighting the Way to Climate Justice". This
joint project aimed to provide alternative energy devices to women and children
in village communities lacking easy access to electricity and with very limited
traditional means of access.. This section of the plan involved solar lantern
distribution after an exhaustive research and distribution process. Full
acquittals and reports were provided to funding bodies. The second part of the
project involved education on the environment and a personal ecological
footprint. A web site to do this was established and provides information and
the ability to donate to the project. Women and girls in remote Papua New
Guinean villages were enabled to study, work at night and be safe while
learning about climate issues.

 

For Goal 2:

SI
Lautoka for its project Assisting Victims of Cyclone Winston. Immediately
after Cyclone Winston had devastated large areas of Fiji the club began its
process. After investigating the area, they determined by personal surveys,
where the greatest need was and what emergency supplies were needed. They
consulted advisory counsellors to identify families and with support from
members and local businesses they organised and distributed food parcels and
lighting. They also undertook to get students back into school as soon as
possible to reduce trauma and with support from a variety of donors organised
and distributed school packs and uniforms. The project constantly investigated
needs, organised distribution, consulted experts and adjusted their work to
meet unfolding needs. Feedback was positive and Soroptimist International
gained valuable publicity and recognition.

 

 

Image above: A selection of the projects submitted for the SISWP Best Practice Awards 2016.