Programme Action club activities
Programme Action is divided into 6 areas. Economic and Social Development, Education, Environment, Health, Human Rights and the Status of Women, International Goodwill and Understanding.
President Cathy has chosen EDUCATION as her programme action area. The club however endeavours to cover each area in some way. Detailed below are some of the projects that SI Cardiff and District supports or have supported in the recent past.
The club has its own charitable education trust, which raised money to support the education of girls in Cape Verde. See for more details http://soroptimist-gbi.org/cardiff-and-district/soroptimist-international-of-cardiff-district-education-trust/
Beach clean
On a quarterly basis, in support of the ENVIRONMENT, and on behalf of the Marine Conservation Society http://www.mcsuk.org/ members clean the beach at Swanbridge. Statistics detailed below.
Last year, we took part in the Great Taff Tidy, a Keep Wales Tidy initiative.
River Clean
Following a meeting with Keep Wales Tidy, we have agreed to take responsibility for cleaning the feeder brook at Roath Park.
4th February 2012 – the planned river clean was cancelled due to the snow.
5th -November 2011 - River Clean - Five members met with Chris Partridge from Keep Wales Tidy to clean the brook running alongside Ty Draw Road. 9 bags of rubbish were collected. To see photos follow link http://www.flickr.com//photos/keep_wales_tidy/sets/72157627983835835/show/
The first litter pick took place on 31st July 2011.
Ten members of the club met in Roath Park at 11am and, together with Chris Partridge from Keep Wales Tidy, collected 11bags of rubbish and 5 bags of recycling from the banks of our ‘adopted’ Roath Brook, and from the brook itself. Many passers-by congratulated us on our efforts. Members took the opportunity to publicise SI Cardiff & District. To view a slide show, see http://www.flickr.com//photos/keep_wales_tidy/sets/72157627323469120/show/
Collect/recycle
We collect and re-cycle a variety of itmes – spectacles for Vision Aid Overseas, tools which are sent to developing countries, aluminium foil for the Guide Dogs for the Blind, used stamps for RNIB and ink cartridges for the SI Cardiff and District Education Trust.
Barnados – Kitchen ware, crockery, sofas- not mattresses, bedding and rugs are collected for single parents setting up home. Each Christmas, gift vouchers are given to single mums in residence in their Cardiff unit.
Knitting for premature baby unit UHW
Vice President Joan Payne is an avid knitter and following an enquiry amongst club members, it materialised that she was not alone! Joan approached the Special Care Baby Unit at University of Hosptial of Wales and as a result, members knit items for premature babies such as blankets, cardigans, hats and booties. Mothers have baby clothes ready but when a baby is premature, it is difficult to obtain garments small enough. The garments are also used to dress still born babies who are either left wearing the clothes or the items are taken home by parents in a memory box which, staff assure us, is a huge comfort. The first delivery of clothes were made on 16th August 2011 and another supply was delivered on 17th October 2011 where the message received was ‘more of the same please’. The photo on the left below shows Joan Payne (centre) with President Elect Joan Williams at UHW baby unit. The photo on the right shows Jill Delgado (rh of photo) presenting the items she has knitted.
Baby Clothes – 13th December 2011 - The third batch of baby clothes and blankets, knitted by some our members, has been delivered to hte University Hospital of Wales. Midwives in the Delivery Suite were, once again, delighted with the clothes, used to dress the premature and stillborn babies. The parents are most appreciative and one midwives said it helped the tiny babies actually look like babies. 
World Water Day
Each year, we support World Water Day. In 2011 we collected £129 for Water Aid at the Farmer’s Market in Cowbridge. In 2011, we collected £140 and on 11th March 2012 we are holding a sponsored white water rafting event in Cardiff. See http://sigbi.org/cardiff-and-district/files/2011/08/wwr-flyer.pdf The money raised will pay for a tap to supply fresh water for a village in the Gambia
. The photo shows the compound being repaired following storm damage.
The people who will benefit from the new water source with President Cathy back row on right
For information on a more gloabal perspective, see http://soroptimist-gbi.org/our-work/
Beach cleaning statistics
After each beach clean, rubbish is sorted and plastic, cans etc are sent for re-cycling
21st January 2012
10 members collected 6 bags of rubbish weighing 23 kg including a carpet that weighted 10 kg
26th September 2011
4 members collected 10kg of rubbish
25th June 2011
5 members collected 4 bags of rubbish
18th April 2011
12 members collected 4 bags weighing 17 kilos
22nd January 2011
8 members collected 5 bags weighing 24 kilos
19th September 2010
8 members collected 5 bags, weighing 24kg total.
15th May 2010 12 – 1pm
12 Sorops cleaned 100m of beach, average width 10m
We collected and recycled 8 bags of rubbish, weighing a total of 46kg
27th February 2010 12 – 1 pm
7 Sorops cleaned 100m of beach, average width 20m
We collected and recycled 6 bags of rubbish, weighing a total of 17kg
20th September 2009 12 – 1 pm
5 Sorops cleaned 100m of beach, average width 20m
We collected and recycled 3 bags of rubbish, weighing a total of 31kg
31st May 2009 12 – 1pm
11 Sorops cleaned 100m of beach, average width 20m
We collected and recycled 3 bags of rubbish, weighing a total of 10kg
Previous activities :-
Gambian Garden Project - Five members, including President Cherry Wright, visited The Gambia for a week in March 2010 to present £1,080 in local currency to the Marakissa Garden project which the Soroptimists of SI Banjul are sponsoring. The project involves the women of 16 villages who have come together to develop a market garden to grow food for their families’ consumption (20%) and to sell the remainder to provide the villagers with an income. The money was urgently required to help to provide a permanent form of fencing, as cows and goats were breaking through the temporary fences and helping themselves to the produce. The Cardiff members met a tremendous reception from the villagers, with singing and dancing; there was also much hilarity at their efforts to join in the work – there is clearly a technique to getting water out of a well, but one member did master it! The Club’s thanks are due to SI Banjul for making Cardiff members so welcome.
The photo immediately below shows the garden and the second photo shows Past President Cherry handing over the donation to President Rosanna of SI Banjul.
For many years, we helped Caerphilly Women’s Aid. In October 2010, 25 wash bags (given by members) with soap, toothbrush, toothpaste etc, bed linen and baby clothes were donated to them.