Naomi Long MP
The first keynote speaker on Friday morning was Naomi Long MP, who joined the British Parliament in May 2010, representing Belfast East. Naomi told us of her experiences and the attitudes she encountered on her journey to public life. Born of working class parents in East Belfast, her father died when she was ten years old, and she had to learn how to do the ‘men’s jobs’ around the home. Her career started in a man’s world of engineering and led her to the equally male bastion of politics, where she focuses on representing her constituents and, in the broader global community, helping women to have a better life, through protection in conflict, from trafficking and improving women’s health by the provision of clean water; one of her chosen charities is Wateraid.
“The major barrier that must be overcome is access to clean water, nothing else works. It creases peace, security, health and economic stability, benefiting males, females and their children.” Naomi Long MP
SI President, Alice Wells
Soroptimist International President, Alice Wells reported on her busy year, with international visits, meeting Soroptimists, seeing some of the superb work that they carry out to help women and girls. Alice spoke about Project SIerra, and the £1million raised by SIGBI, and when, at the United Nations CSW a Rwandan woman had come to thank Soroptimists for their work, proving, she said, that Soroptimist International truly did ‘make a difference’.
Alice also went to the African conference to explore the formation of an African Soroptimist Federation and continued her trip with a visit to Kenya to see Soroptimist projects in a slum area to provide showers, toilets and a room for children to do their homework – with electric light!
Alice had visited Papua New Guinea to see the Birthing in the Pacific project – read more about this project. At a hospital in Port Moresby: “Women here give birth on the floor, with no bed, no sheet, no dignity – and this in the capital’s main hospital.” Alice Wells, President, Soroptimist International.
SI South West Pacific President, Siew Yong Gnanalingam
Federation President Siew Yong Gnanalingam, SI South West Pacific (SISWP) addressed the SIGBI Conference in great style, with humour and passion, speaking about her Federation’s theme, “Strength in Diversity”. This theme celebrates their own diversity; so many different countries and cultures in one small Federation. It is designed to bring the countries together with an exchange programme – Educate, Exchange, Connect – to engage younger members.
SI Europe President, Kathy Kaaf
Federation President Kathy Kaaf, SI Europe opened her presentation to conference with her firm assertion that, having been so impressed with the SIGBI Conference in 2011 in Brighton, she had returned this year with more of her colleagues from SI Europe!
Kathy said she had taken great inspiration from President Maureen’s theme, Facing the future together, and described a number of SI Europe projects which aim to address important issues. She focused on the fact that women want freedom, and will go to great lengths to achieve that freedom: in Saudi Arabia, one woman risked her life to defend her right to drive a car and in North Korea, women have only just won the right to ride a bicycle in the city.
Women, said Kathy, want company, networks, connection and other groups are providing it: “This is good, but it means that we, Soroptimists, have to work even harder to attract women to be new members of Soroptimist International.”
Brita Fernandez Schmidt, Women for Women International
Brita Fernandez Schmidt, Women for Women International reviewed Project Independence, the SI project prior to Project SIerra which ended raising 83% more money than its target, totalling $2.2m, but, said Brita, the project was about much more than money and has made a really significant difference to women’s lives.
Brita’s examples included one woman in Afghanistan who was taught stone cutting; she now employs 500 people in her business. Another in Rwanda, Marie-Claudine is now President of the hugely successful Abajeneza Cooperative.
Women for Women monitors the lives of the women they have helped, 1.72 million people have had a positive impact from their work and Brita urged delegates to continue their support for the Women for Women event “Join me on the Bridge.”
