Hello and welcome to the Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) website. We hope you’re enjoying the exhibition, thank you for clicking on the QR code to learn more about our work.
What do you want to know more about? Click on your area of interest below:
This year, Soroptimist International (SI) celebrates 100 years of service. Since the very first club was founded in Oakland, California, in 1921, SI has sought to bring about change to the lives of women and girls worldwide. Through its global network of five Federations and its dedicated volunteer membership of over 75,000, SI is driven by its mission of transforming the lives of women and girls through education, empowerment and enabling opportunities. We do this through raising awareness, advocating for change and taking action.
SI consists of five Federations: SI Africa Federation, SI of the Americas, SI of Europe, SI of Great Britain & Ireland and SI of the South West Pacific.
Find out more about the history of SI:
https://sigbi.org/soroptimistcentenary2021/the-history-of-soroptimist-international/
SIGBI has special consultative status at the UN which helps us engage with UN entities, this includes attending the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) which is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Find out more about the United Nations.
Link https://sigbi.org/what-we-do/opportunities/united-nations/
Restoring ecosystems means protecting their biodiversity and helping them to deliver benefits for people and nature. It means using ecosystems on land and in the oceans in ways that strengthen their natural resources and processes. Actions for restoration can also mean preventing degradation or reducing its extent.
“The world is reaching the tipping point beyond which climate change may become irreversible. If this happens, we risk denying present and future generations the right to a healthy and sustainable planet – the whole of humanity stands to lose.” – Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of UN
Soroptimist clubs have been working on their mission in improving the lives of women and girls by emphasising on education, economic security, environmental sustainability, and better health.
An Olive Garden was created for a Refuge Centre, bees wax wraps for food covers and at another club project, members learnt not only how to make eco-friendly beauty products but also the varied uses of different essential oils for the skin.
Advocating sustainable environment, and teaching communities to respond appropriately to climatic disasters were carried out through novel methods like street plays and lectures and seminars. Clubs encouraged collection of plastic milk bottle tops for recycling. Students in South West and Channel Islands were empowering people to create eco bricks. Clubs across the 5 Federations made presentations on “Climate Change in Your City” addressed issues like air pollution, waste management and the effects of climate disaster. In our Centenary Year Soroptimists worldwide agreed to give credence to current environmental concerns.
At SIGBI #PlantTrees is a year-long project to mark the centenary. In India, they undertook to focus efforts on the mangroves at Sunderbans. This highly fragile region begs restoration for the forests, as well as rehabilitation of the communities that live therein. The vagaries of climate change and intensity each time make a compelling tale. Many clubs decided to focus on the centenary theme of planting trees by partnering with local clubs, authorities and friendship link clubs to encourage planting trees and shrubs, sometimes even in the memory of a loved one.
Some clubs undertook the Miyawaki Japanese technique of ecological engineering to restore native dense forests.
COP26 is the Conference of Parties (COP26) coming up in Glasgow in Nov 2021. Countries that agreed to abide by the United Nations framework convention on climate change will attend. Soroptimist International is partaking to indorse its commitment to restoration
As Soroptimists we believe in the power of our voice. The more noise you make, the more accountability you demand from your leaders, the more our world will change for the better. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.
Women at Work – Restoring the Mangroves at Sunderbans
Our International Presidents are each in office for two years and they launch an Appeal at the beginning of their term of office which is supported by Soroptimists all over the world.
Examples of these are See Solar, Cook Solar 2013-15 which supported projects providing solar cookers in Fiji, solar cooking, lighting, laptops and a water system in two schools in Uganda, solar lanterns in Papua New Guinea and Nepal, and solar lighting and cooking in Mali. Through the provision of light Soroptimists enabled education after dark. By providing solar ovens, the need to spend hours collecting firewood was removed, eliminating the toxic inhalation of smoke. This Appeal took bold steps to achieve the basic human right of clean water, whilst opening the doors to education, economic security, environmental sustainability and better health.
Women, Water & Leadership 2017-19 supported a project in Kenya focused on improving access to agricultural information, clean energy and water to achieve better food security. Another project in Bulgaria re-shaped the lives of unemployed and low-income women and girls by increasing access to safe water and sanitation, whilst supporting the provision of nutritious food for the women and girls. Through education, coaching programmes and leadership training the project supported the equitable involvement of women in decision-making, increasing employability for 100 women and equipping a minimum of 30 women with the skills to run small-scale businesses in the alternative sanitation sector. This Appeal also helped indigenous people living in Malaysian Borneo face threats from climate change, deforestation, mining and continuous logging which was polluting the air and valuable sources of drinking water and threatening the rich biodiversity of the area by working in partnership with the local people. It also provided water, sanitation and health facilities as well as vocational training on water, waste water, waste management and hygiene education in Lombok, Indonesia.
The Road to Equality 2019-21 strategically focuses on taking action and advocating on topics affecting women and girls, including Child Marriage, Female Genital Mutilation, Domestic Violence, Rights of Older Women, Migration and Human Trafficking.
The latest Appeal has just been launched. Opening Doors to a Bright Future 2021-2023 will focus on providing education for women in marginalised societies. At least one project will be launched in each of our five Federations, beginning in Cambodia, SI South West Pacific.
We are currently focused on projects which work towards achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. We do this through our own projects and working in partnership with others at home and abroad.
Our projects range from supporting local charities (e.g. women’s refuges) to those at country and international levels.
We call our activities Programme Action (PA) and they are grouped into the UN’s 5Ps.
We work through Education, Empowerment and Enablement (3Es) supported by Awareness (raising), Advocacy and Action (3As).
There are 15 Soroptimist Clubs across Scotland all participating in projects, usually linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, working locally, nationally, and internationally. We have selected three areas of our work to display on the Banner. More information about our projects can be found on the regional websites as listed below.
SI Scotland North: https://sigbi.org/scotland-north/
SI Scotland South: https://sigbi.org/scotland-south/
Toilet Twinning
In December 2015 Soroptimist International of Dundee set about making Dundee the first Toilet Twinned City in Scotland. They had to follow the Toilet Twinning Charity’s criteria and also generate media coverage. In keeping with Toilet Twinning’s purpose, the Club raised awareness of the many people who lack the privacy and safety of a toilet and sanitation. They twinned the toilets of the Lord Provost in the City Chambers, MPs, MSPs, local businesses and private Dundonians. Twinning toilets involves donating to the charity to continue its health and sanitation work in impoverished communities and more than £10,000 was raised towards their projects. By 2016 all the criteria had been met and as the Dundee Soroptimists twinned the toilets (known as the “Cuddies”) on RRS Discovery, the Lord Provost was presented with a Certificate from the Toilet Twinning Charity stating that Dundee was the first Toilet Twinned City in Scotland. The RRS Discovery toilet is twinned with a household toilet in Malawi.
SI Dundee: https://sigbi.org/dundee/
Toilet Twinning: https://www.toilettwinning.org/
16days of Activism against Gender Based Violence
The 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence is an international campaign that commences on every 25 November—the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women—and ends on 10 December, Human Rights Day. Originally created by activists, it continues to be coordinated each year by the ‘Center for Women’s Global Leadership’.
The UN supports this civil society-led campaign through the “United Nations Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women Campaign (UNiTE)”. The UNiTE campaign uses the colour orange to represent a brighter future, free from violence against women and girls, as a unifying theme running through all of its global activities. The global theme for this year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, which will run from 25 November to 10 December 2021, is “Orange the world: End violence against women now!”
Soroptimists in Scotland support the 16 Days of Activism every year, in addition to our ongoing work to support a variety of projects that help women and girls. Across Scotland, we support projects like Women’s Aid refuges, which directly help women affected by domestic violence. We also support projects that educate and empower women to help them avoid situations where they could be vulnerable.
Some of the significant sites we have succeeded in ‘oranging’ are the Hydro entertainment complex in Glasgow, the Kelpies and Heavy Horse equine statues, Marischal College Aberdeen, and the bridges in Perth Some shops in Crieff, Comrie and Blairgowrie have turned their shop windows orange to raise awareness of the campaign.
16 days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/end-violence-against-women
UN Women: https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/take-action/16-days-of-activism
Tomorrow’s Women Glasgow
Tomorrow’s Women Glasgow (TWG) are an innovative and unique Criminal Justice Centre based in the Gorbals area of Glasgow. The team use a trauma informed model, working with women who have very complex needs and who are involved in the Criminal Justice system.
The main aim is to enable women to reduce their offending and to address their needs and issues that prevent them from living positive healthy lives. The women who are supported are from the Glasgow area and on a ‘Criminal Justice Order’ such as Drug Testing and Treatment Order, Community Payback Order or a Structure Deferred Sentence.
A range of group and individual interventions are available from a team of health, social care, housing, welfare and prison liaison professionals.
Glasgow Soroptimists have supported the service since its inception with monthly deliveries of personal toiletries and clothing for the women. One off donation of cooking utensils and sewing machines have allowed the TWG Team to organise group work activities such as cookery classes, arts, and crafts for their clients. In 2019 TWG won the COSLA Annual Partnership Award, and a Glasgow Soroptimist was one of the presenters.
TWG: https://glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=26881
SI Glasgow City: https://sigbi.org/glasgow-city/
UN House Scotland
UN House Scotland is an intern-led civil society organisation committed to strengthening the implementation of the UN goals and values at grassroots levels. Our projects, which are created and organised by teams of young volunteers, include hosting seminars and conferences, writing high-level research papers and “Parliamentary One Pagers”, producing fantastic Podcasts, and working with collaborative partners on current key concerns. These include Human Rights, Human Trafficking, Gender and Climate, Climate Justice and COP26, food and health policies, peace and security. We also run successful ‘Model UNs’ for primary and secondary schools which helps to address and reduce the ‘attainment gap’.
As part of the UN House Partnership with Soroptimists in Scotland we have organised two Conferences, focusing on Mental Health.
The first event an afternoon of talks and expert-led conversation on issues relating to women’s mental health.
The second event was a virtual event aimed to explore what young people, families, youth workers, tutors, teachers, guardians and kinship groups know – and would like to know – about adolescent mental health, especially during COVID
UN House Scotland: https://www.unhscotland.org.uk/
Conference on Women’s Mental Health: https://www.unhscotland.org.uk/post/2019/11/21/report-conference-on-womens-mental-health
Conference on Adolescent Mental Health: https://www.unhscotland.org.uk/post/launched-today-our-adolescent-mental-health-report
SIGBI has 6000 Members in 270 Clubs in 18 countries in Great Britain, Ireland and countries in Asia, the Caribbean and Malta.
If you’re attending one of our regional exhibitions, you can find your nearest club using our club finder.
Join us now and help us make that difference
