The month of May saw a wonderful variety of projects as Soroptimist International clubs continued to empower and educate women and girls via the expertise of both age old traditions and modern technology. See some pictures and read about the projects below.

SI Dunfermline (UK) worked with their local community to raise money to help provide school meals for children in Malawi and also provided backpacks filled with school equipment, clothes, shoes, toiletries and feeding equipment. This enabled more children to attend school fully equipped for class. Enough funds were raised during this project to provide the school with a kitchen where meals will now be made by local mothers for the children attending the school.

SI Milimani (Kenya) planted beans at a local school to allow students to gain practical knowledge of how to grow food produce on a small scale within their own community in the hope that this will help improve food security within the area. The beans also symbolised the clubs feeling of solidarity with other women and girls who struggle with food shortages.

SI Netherlands organised a children’s film festival for school children to view educational films relating to children’s rights and the treatment of children across a variety of cultures. Consequently, teachers and children were made more aware of the importance of ensuring that children’s rights are known and maintained within every society.

SI Joondalup (Western Australia) held a “sausage sizzle” barbeque outside a local hardware store to raise funds to provide training for teachers in the hinterland of East Timor where there is no set curriculum and many of the teachers have had no training at all. The money raised provided teams of teacher trainers to visit the villages to instruct the teachers in the best methods of education and provide them teaching aids and support in the hope of seeing more educated and enthusiastic students.

SI Bangalore (India) celebrated world environment day giving a presentation to a local school and junior college about local herbs and trees that can be used to help the students to lead a healthy, happy and disease free life.  So as to maximise the production of these natural remedies, all the herbs and trees mentioned in the club’s presentation were donated to the school to enable the girls to gain first-hand expertise in growing and harvesting these plants. Books relating to this subject which were written by a member of the club who is a qualified botanist were also donated to the school.

 SI Makati (Philippines) provided livelihood skills training for marginalized women within their community in order to increase their employability, financial independence and ability to leave abusive partners. Funds were used to provide women with micro-loans to purchase supplies to make dish and laundry detergent products and to provide massage, hair and nail services. Club members supervised the livelihood training sessions and collected bi-weekly loan payments from the beneficiaries which will later be used to provide support for other women. As a result of this project 948 marginalized women and girls were equipped with livelihood skills. 330 women grantees were able to start a new business and 38 girls now earn, with the consent of their parents, a daily allowance from providing manicures and pedicures to members of the community.