Programme Action is at the heart of what it means to be a Soroptimist. Through projects Club Members work to improve the lives of women and girls locally, nationally and internationally. Projects can take many forms, such as Service, Education, Awareness Raising or Empowerment, and are linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals of People, Prosperity, Planet, Peace and Partnership.
In recent years our Club has locally supported the Sandycroft Centre, the Alzheimer’s Society, refugees from Afghanistan and families fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. Nationally, we support the Buddy Bag Foundation, the Campaign Against Violence Against Women – Orange the World. Members have also taken part in the National Big Plastic Count, and contributed to the Queen’s Green Canopy by planting trees in both Bromsgrove and Redditch. Internationally, Club members support the Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa, the premature baby ward at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Malawi, and the Meru Garden Project in Kenya. The above is not an exhaustive list of the Club’s various areas of involvement, but it is hoped will give a flavour of the type of projects that our members are involved in.
Annual events
Our quiz, held in January, includes a fish and chip supper. In 2024 it was again well supported by the local community, and very ably run by our experienced and popular volunteer quizmaster. We raised £515 for Home-Start North East Worcestershire, a local charity which supports struggling families with young children by giving practical help and advice. We have a longstanding link with the charity, and this regular event helps to maintain local awareness of Home-Start and the Soroptimists. The raffle was as popular as ever and a major contribution to fundraising. Altogether it was a very worthwhile evening which was enjoyed by everybody.
October is the month for a Big Breakfast
Getting ready for Christmas? Don’t keep the oranges in your stocking – we plan to ORANGE THE WORLD.
Previous Projects
Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts (SDAC) – How Special Are They? Some of our members contributed to this project, starting in 2017. The aim was to provide an independent review across England of how Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts should be improved for victims of abuse, the majority of whom are women.
The project has been carried out by Soroptimists across England and involved c4,000 hours of volunteer time in observations and in excess of 1,000 questionnaires were submitted in relation to observations made at over 30 courts. The final report (of four) has now been published in 2023 and the collective reports together come very close to being a comprehensive report on the way in which the Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts are working on a national basis.
Soroptimists stand up as advocates for all women, especially for those who have no voice. We have worked as independent observers to give the public confidence in our courts, but we also want to drive improvement and our recommendations seek to help build public trust in our justice system.
A full copy of the report is available at https://sigbi.org/2023/specialist-domestic-abuse-courts/
Picture Gallery
- We collected Christmas treats for the Redditch foodbank Christmas foodbank