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Human Rights Day – UN Secretary-General’s Message

December 10th 2011 marks the 63rd anniversary of the acceptance by the UN General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is a time for people to reflect about the meaning, importance, and need for human rights. The Day is marked with a message from the UN Secretary General (see this year’s message below).

As well as being the day each year that members collect for and contribute to our International President’s Appeal, December 10th will in the future be adopted as a Soroptimist day of action for education and leadership for women and girls, linked to an annual global advocacy and awareness raising campaign. SI President Alice Well’s 2011 December 10th Appeal will focus on “Birthing in the Pacific” and further information is available here.

 “Today’s human rights violations are the causes of tomorrow’s conflicts.”

Mary Robinson, former Irish President and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY – 10TH DECEMBER 2011

UN Secretary-General’s message

Human rights belong to every one of us without exception. But unless we know them, unless we demand they be respected, and unless we defend our right — and the right of others — to exercise them, they will be just words in a decades-old document.

That is why, on Human Rights Day, we do more than celebrate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 – we acknowledge its enduring relevance for our own times.

The importance of human rights has been underlined over and over again this year. Across the globe, people mobilized to demand justice, dignity, equality, participation — the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration.

Many of these peaceful demonstrators persevered despite being met with violence and further repression. In some countries, the struggle continues; in others, important concessions were gained or dictators were toppled as the will of the people prevailed.

Many of the people seeking their legitimate aspirations were linked through social media. Gone are the days when repressive governments could totally control the flow of information. Today, within their existing obligation to respect the rights of freedom of assembly and expression, governments must not block access to the internet and various forms of social media as a way to prevent criticism and public debate.

Yet at the end of an extraordinary year for human rights, let us take strength from the achievements of 2011: new democratic transitions set in motion, new steps to ensure accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity, new and ever-spreading awareness of rights themselves.

As we look to the challenges ahead, let us take inspiration from the example of human rights activists and the timeless power of the Universal Declaration, and do our utmost to uphold the ideals and aspirations that speak for every culture and every person.

Ban Ki-moon

Fairtrade Fortnight 27th February – 11th March 2012

In 2012 we are asking all our members to take steps throughout the year for Fairtrade. We will record all our steps on our online database and see how far Soroptimists can step out for Fairtrade.

Check out the video on YouTube http://youtu.be/J60mvcp_Q_E

Record how many STEPS your club made for Fairtrade by registering at http://step.fairtrade.org.uk/
Spread the News and Share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter!

On 29th February – leap year day, we are asking all Clubs to give a good start to our campaign. One STEP on that day will equal a GIANT FAIRTRADE LEAP for Soroptimists.

You can order Action Guide and resources from the Fairtrade Foundation online shop.

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.

Read more about Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI)’s partnership with the Fairtrade Foundation.

Proposed club in Kathmandu make its mark

Posted: December 8, 2011

On 7th December 2011, members of the proposed new Soroptimist International Club of Kathmandu, Nepal, joined with other women’s organisations in a rally in support of Action against Gender Violence.

The rally started at 11 am local time and ended 2 pm local time. At the end of the rally, the gathering was addressed by different women right activists, including a spokeswoman from the proposed club of Kathmandu.

Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) are delighted that the club of Kathmandu is almost ready to be chartered, and we hope to welcome both this new club AND Nepal as a new Country into our Federation early in 2012.

Turn ‘Wine into Water’ for World Water Day 2012!

Back by popular demand, WaterAid is asking Soroptimist clubs across Great Britain and Ireland to turn “wine into water” by hosting a wine related fundraising event before World Water Day, 22nd March 2012. You could host a cheese and wine evening, a wine tasting evening or a wine water quiz - basically involve wine and you’ll be fine! It’s really easy to do and a fun, sociable way to celebrate the water we have and raise funds and awareness for those without.

For further information about the work of WaterAid:

 

Maternal and Infant Health innovations

Innovations in Maternal and Infant Health address chronic problems creatively

Women in Bangladesh

More than 350,000 women die each year around the globe from complications of childbirth, and 3 million children die in the first month of life. In the face of such dire numbers, development experts will focus on what is working around the world to improve the situation next week during the Millennium Development Goals assessment at the U.N. General Assembly.

A new report from the U.N.’s Every Woman, Every Child Innovation Working Group, out in the Lancet Monday, looks at some of the promising and innovative projects that could help change those statistics. Learn about five interesting approaches that could be models for other countries struggling with high maternal and infant mortality:

Project: ColaLife , Zambia

Have you ever travelled to a rural part of a developing country and been astounded to find that bottles of Coke also managed to find their way there? ColaLife is piggy-backing on Coca-Cola’s extensive supply chain to provide isolated communities with much-needed medical supplies.

Self-contained “aid pods” filled with supplies can fit into any unused crate space and are delivered to local contacts when beverage supplies are distributed.

The group is currently working on an anti-diarrhoeal kit that would carry rehydration salts, soap, water treatment tools and educational materials. Diarrhoeal disease is one of the leading causes of death for children under five in the developing world, but is preventable and treatable.

Project: HERproject , Bangladesh , China , Egypt , India , Mexico , Pakistan and Vietnam

Reaching women where they work is the strategy at HERproject (Health Enables Returns), which now operates in more than 70 factories in seven countries. The group trains female employees at factories manufacturing everything from Levis to Microsoft to teach their peers about reproductive health, nutrition, infectious disease and other health issues. The project also links women up to health services, either by improving in-factory clinics or directing women to outside government services.

Project: Cell-Life , South Africa

Pregnant women who are HIV-positive can prevent their babies from contracting the disease with medication, but only if they take it correctly. In South Africa , 40 percent of children under five still die from AIDS-related illnesses, in part because many mothers don’t complete the mother-to-child prevention programs. Cell-Life developed a 10-week program of text message reminders designed to help mothers remember when to attend appointments, give medication and tell them how to safely feed their babies. A randomized trial is ongoing, but so far results suggest that mothers using the SMS program are more likely to get their babies tested for HIV.

Project: LifeSpring , India

Low-income women in India usually have two choices for maternal care and child birth: wait in long lines at overcrowded government facilities or risk breaking the bank by paying for private care. Seeking to provide a middle-ground alternative, LifeSpring developed a chain of hospitals for women who earn about between $3 to $6 a day that provides an all-inclusive maternal care package for about half or one-third what other private facilities might offer.

The facilities cut costs by using a no-frills environment, and by breaking down complex processes into different tasks, some of which can be done by less-skilled professionals.

Project: SMS for Life , Tanzania

When a grocery store is sold out of milk, it’s an inconvenience for customers. When a clinic in Sub-saharan Africa runs out of malaria medication, it’s a life-and-death supply issue for patients. A public-private partnership in Tanzania between several groups, including Novartis and the ministry of health, produced the SMS for Life system in an attempt to end such stock-outs. SMS messages on stock levels, along with a data system used to map distribution helped cut the proportion of health facilities reporting malaria shortages from 78 percent to 26 percent in 21 weeks.

 

8th September 2011 is International Literacy Day

UNESCOUNESCO Promotes literacy for all as a tool for personal empowerment and social and human development.

This is particularly relevant to women and girls as UNESCO statistics state two thirds of the 796 million illiterate adults are women while more than half of the 67.4 million children out of school are girls. Do keep an eye on the literacy section of the UNESCO website to learn about the theme for 2011:
http://www.unesco.org.uk/literacy#literacyday

Message to Soroptimists - start planning now what you will do to mark this important day. Will you raise awareness, provide service or raise funds for much needed books? There are plenty of ideas to be found if you search the Programme reporting database – put “International Literacy Day” into the Keyword Search.  Also there is a template press release available in the Members area of the website under Communications.

Clubs in the UK could do no better than raise some funds for Book Aid International (BAI).  BAI believes ‘That Books Change Lives’. Books and libraries are a crucial resource in sub-Saharan Africa. They are vital for quality education, to raise literacy levels, provide information and aid development. It costs on average  just £2 for BAI to source, select, pack and ship one book to schools and libraries in some of the poorest areas of the world. To find out more about their work visit their website: http://www.bookaid.org/

Fundraising ideas:

  1. ‘Reading Diary‘ - used successfully by some clubs in previous years is still available
  2. ‘LiteraryQuiz‘ - New this year from BAI. This can be downloaded and sold for a nominal amount to raise funds and a small prize awarded to the winner. Answers will be sent on request to the club member organising the quiz. Please email APD for Education.
  3. ‘Give up a Glossy’ – give up your glossy magazine for just one month or donate the equivalent value.

If these ideas are not for you then look at BAI’s ‘Get Fundraising info pack 2011‘ for many more ideas.

Whatever you do remember that just £2 could provide a book for a school library, for a mobile library used extensively though not exclusively by girls, for a Women’s Reading club in Malawi or for a Women’s Resource Centre in Zimbabwe.

Mobile Library

Happy to have books!

 

Human Rights Day December 10th 2011

December 10th2011 marks the 63rd anniversary of the acceptance by the UN General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is a time for people to reflect about the meaning, importance, and need for human rights. The Day is marked with a message from the UN Secretary General (see this year’s message below).

As well as being the day each year that members collect for and contribute to our International President’s Appeal, December 10th will in the future be adopted as a Soroptimist day of action for education and leadership for women and girls, linked to an annual global advocacy and awareness raising campaign. SI President Alice Well’s 2011 December 10th Appeal will focus on “Birthing in the Pacific” and further information is available here.

 “Today’s human rights violations are the causes of tomorrow’s conflicts.”

Mary Robinson, former Irish President and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY – 10TH DECEMBER 2011

UN Secretary-General’s message

Human rights belong to every one of us without exception. But unless we know them, unless we demand they be respected, and unless we defend our right — and the right of others — to exercise them, they will be just words in a decades-old document.

That is why, on Human Rights Day, we do more than celebrate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 – we acknowledge its enduring relevance for our own times.

The importance of human rights has been underlined over and over again this year. Across the globe, people mobilized to demand justice, dignity, equality, participation — the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration.

Many of these peaceful demonstrators persevered despite being met with violence and further repression. In some countries, the struggle continues; in others, important concessions were gained or dictators were toppled as the will of the people prevailed.

Many of the people seeking their legitimate aspirations were linked through social media. Gone are the days when repressive governments could totally control the flow of information. Today, within their existing obligation to respect the rights of freedom of assembly and expression, governments must not block access to the internet and various forms of social media as a way to prevent criticism and public debate.

Yet at the end of an extraordinary year for human rights, let us take strength from the achievements of 2011: new democratic transitions set in motion, new steps to ensure accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity, new and ever-spreading awareness of rights themselves.

As we look to the challenges ahead, let us take inspiration from the example of human rights activists and the timeless power of the Universal Declaration, and do our utmost to uphold the ideals and aspirations that speak for every culture and every person.

Ban Ki-moon

More flood misery in Pakistan

Posted: December 2, 2011

This year has brought more misery with monsoon Floods in Sindh Pakistan. With many children still recovering from last year’s devastating floods, up to 2.5 million children in Sindh have now been affected by the severe monsoon rains and floods.

Please see the latest update on the SIGBI and UNICEF partnership project to provide aid to the victims of the floods in Pakistan.  A big thanks go to Soroptimists whose fundraising efforts have almost reached £26,000!