Best Practice Awards 2025
This year, the Best Practice Awards were categorised by the Soroptimist 3 A’s (Awareness, Advocacy, Action), with a winner in each category.
For the second year, Clubs needed to submit an application, and we were delighted that 67 projects were submitted by 43 clubs and two regions. These were whittled down to 9 finalists, as shown below. Finally, all the delegates at the Conference got a chance to vote for their personal favourite, and a Delegates’ Choice was awarded.
Congratulations to all the finalists for their excellent projects.
Awareness
SI San Fernando were the winners, with their project “Inspiring and Developing Young Entrepreneurs”.
SI San Fernando hosted an International Women’s Day (IWD) Entrepreneurship Programme in which two young successful female entrepreneurs shared their journeys with 20 female Secondary School business students.
This was followed by four (4) online sessions educating the students on various aspects of entrepreneurship, after which they were invited to do a business plan for a business they wished to set up. The two best plans were selected and students were given the materials required (funded by the Club), enabling them to actually start their business.
All the students benefited from the knowledge of business gained, but two students in particular were enabled to start small businesses. One of these students lives in a Home for Girls, and the programme greatly increased her confidence, as well as empowering her to eventually earn a living doing something she loves (baking).
SI Esperance were runners up, with their project “Think before you Click”.
On December 5, 2024, after a year of planning, Soroptimist International Esperance partnered with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to commemorate the UN 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) at ASJA Girls’ College, Barrackpore. One hundred Form 1 students were educated, empowered and enabled to prevent and protect themselves against gender-based violence, with a focus on cybercrime. The topics included Rights of the Girl Child, Grooming, Online Gaming, Sextortion and Cyberbullying.
A UNODC cybercrime coordinator and a subject matter expert led the session, assisted by two club members trained by UNODC in cybercrime prevention. Activities included video presentations, interactive sessions and a Q&A with prizes. The experts shared their insights and personal experiences with cybercrime cases. Students received internet safety booklets, pens and stamped (participation) “cyber passports” with hotline numbers, sponsored by the Canadian High Commission.
This project enabled early intervention and helps to prevent and protect girls against digital gender-based violence, and the Club aims to train girls to be peer advocates for online safety within their school.
Advocacy
SI Belfast were the winners, with their project “16 Days of Activism to end Violence Against Women”.
SI Belfast launched a project on International Women’s Day 2024 which aimed to produce 400 mini fabric banners to be displayed in 16 different public indoor and outdoor locations in the Belfast area, during the 16 Days of Activism.
Workshops were held to create the banners, which were all stitched. Over the course of the workshops there were 160 sewing volunteers (included some men) and the project gained 1,500 followers worldwide.
Banners were sewn in 9 languages – English, Irish, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Ukrainian, Italian and French, and Belfast City Council approved the plan to display banners in all of their Community Centres and Libraries. Banners were also delivered to two MLA offices (Members of the Legislative Assembly NI). One being the Minister for Justice NI.
Jess Phillips, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women met the Project Lead and was very interested in what SI Belfast has been doing to help address the issue of ending Violence Against Women and Girls by raising awareness throughout the Belfast area and beyond via social media.
SI Perth and SI Surrey Hills were runners up.
SI Perth, “STEM Rising Star Award”
SI Perth have been working with the Perth based campus of the University of Highlands and Islands to make an award of a cup and a small cash prize to a female student studying in the sciences, engineering or mathematics to encourage and recognise excellence of young women studying in STEM subjects
The University is keen to make this award every year to recognise and motivate more female students to study STEM subjects. This is the second year that SI Perth have made this award.
SI Surrey Hills, “Conference: Is Surrey Safe for Women?”
SI Surrey Hills spent a year planning a conference in Surrey which brought together professionals involved in domestic abuse, women’s safety and others involved in Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). The conference, which was free to attend, took place on 20 November 2024.
The topics addressed included early-years education to address root causes, safety in daily life (e.g., travel, night-time economy), recognising and stopping harmful behaviours, and support for victims of violence against women and girls (VAWG). All the Surrey Clubs in Epsom, Woking and Weybridge were involved and many organisations within the county which are involved in VAWG took part. Many organisations were not aware of each other, so it was an opportunity to facilitate communication between them.
Action
SI Trinidad and Tobago were the winners, with their project “Increasing HPV Vaccination”.
SI Trinidad and Tobago launched a national campaign targeting parents and children, advocating for increased uptake of the HPV vaccine. This involved the dissemination of educational materials through traditional and social media, radio and television interviews, the production and distribution of a Comic Book ‘HPV Heroes’, a video adaptation of the comic book for National TV and social media platforms, engagement with organizations at various events, and collaboration with the Ministries of Education and Health to increase uptake of the vaccine in schools.
The National Association carried out research which highlighted that in a population of approx. 630,000 women over the age of fifteen, 200 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, making cervical cancer the 3rd leading cause of cancer in women and the 2nd most common cancer in females aged 15-44.
SI Esperance, SI Guwahati and SI Leicester were runners up.
SI Esperance, “Lighting the Path to Literacy”
SI Esperance partnered with the (Trinidad and Tobago) National Library and Information System Authority and past pupils to establish a library in a rural school by providing shelving and furniture, organising a book drive, and cataloguing and shelving books.
The school had a designated space for a library but no budget to establish one. Club members felt that this was a worthy project with long-term impacts on the minds of girls attending the school presently, in the future, and subsequently on the prosperity of the rural community and our society.
The cost of the library’s shelving and furniture was taken from pooled club fundraising monies, and the library is now established and in routine use. Club members continued to volunteer after the library was completed, holding monthly reading sessions; and remedial reading classes for dyslexic students.
SI Guwahati, “Free Health Screening and Awareness Camp”
On Sunday, March 9th, 2025, a “Free Health Screening & Awareness Camp” was held in observance of International Women’s Day and World Glaucoma Week at the “Gyandayini Gudi Paraishali” (Bodo LP School) in Village No.1 Mazgaon, Udalguri District, Assam.
The event, organized by Soroptimist International Guwahati in collaboration with KGMT Multispecialty Hospital Guwahati and Sri Shankardeva Nethralaya (SSN) Guwahati offered free health check-ups in gynecology, pediatrics, and ophthalmology.
The day-long program was attended primarily by women from the weaving community, their children, and men. About 70 people benefitted.
Senior medical professionals from Guwahati – Dr. Nivedita Goswami (KGMT), Dr. Ayona Barthakur (KGMT), Dr. Shahinur Tayab (SSN, Secretary of SIG), Dr. Jyotirmayee Swain (SSN), and Dr. Deba Pratim Das (SSN) generously provided their services.
Attendees received free health screenings and consultations, with eyesight tests conducted and glasses prescribed as needed. Medicines were distributed free of charge, and women were educated on the importance of preventive healthcare such as hypertension, anemia, breast cancer self-examination, cervical cancer – vaccination & screening, etc Those requiring further treatment were referred for follow-up care. The event successfully fostered greater community engagement in health and well-being initiatives.
SI Leicester, “Monthly Wellbeing Sessions”
SI Leicester has supported a local refuge for six years since it opened in 2019.
They run monthly activities for the residents including manicures/pedicures, trying herbal teas, applying facemasks and participating in group relaxation and mindfulness meditation. Other requested activities this year have included, craft activity sessions, gardening, herb and vegetable planting, pizza making, cup cake decorating and halloween biscuit baking. We also had an afternoon helping decorate the refuge at Xmas.
The sessions continue to be well attended and the residents make regular requests for future activities. Clients participate when they can and the children join in on their return from school. As volunteers we feel valued for our time and the feedback from clients is very rewarding.
Delegate’s Choice
The delegates at Conference voted SI Esperance “Think before you Click” as the overall winner. Congratulations.