Hello and welcome to our website S.I. of Northern Ireland

Regional President Hazel Holmlund welcomes you to the Soroptimist International of Northern Ireland’s Website.  On taking the chain of office at the Federation Conference in Brighton on 29 October, President Hazel said, “I am honoured to head up Soroptimist International in Northern Ireland and am extremely proud of the service and projects undertaken by the 15 Clubs in the Province.”

President Hazel has chosen two promises from the Soroptimist Pledge as her theme for the year – The Sincerity of Friendship and The Dignity of Service. She intends to visit each of the 15 Clubs at least once during her year of office to strengthen the bonds of friendship and compliments sister Soroptimists on the friendship and support that they have given to each other and to her.

The Kate Community Centre for the Elderly in Mekelle, Ethiopia (http://www.mumsformums.com/currentprojects.htm) is her chosen service charity for the year. There are an estimated 2000 elderly women aged over 60 in Mekelle living in extreme poverty. The Kate Centre is now open 6 days a week, providing a daily hot meal, sanitation facilities, an environment for education on basic environmental issues, personal hygiene and caring for those with HIV/AIDS and basic medical services, such as eye treatment for some commonly occurring conditions like trachoma. The centre provides these services in collaboration with local clinics. This is the second year that Northern Ireland Soroptimists are supporting the Kate Community Centre for the Elderly in addition to Clubs’ commitments to their own local and international charity work.