SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL OF CIRENCESTER AND DISTRICT GLOUCESTERSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST PRIMARY SCHOOLS NATURE AND WILDLIFE QUIZ 2014 The GWT’s annual Primary schools Nature and Wildlife Quiz is organized from the Trust’s Education department  and covers the whole County which is divided into eight areas – North Cotswolds., South Cotswolds, Stroud,Dursley, Tewkesbury , Cheltenham, Gloucester and the Forest of Dean. Each area is administered by volunteers who organize the schools in their particular area. Here in the South Cotswolds we have a large number of schools widely dispersed from Birdlip to Lechlade which are organized by Cirencester Soroptimists and has been ongoing for many years. As Nature as such is not taught as it used to be, we have found that Nature clubs are extra curricula activities in most of our schools and are a direct result of the Quiz. Volunteer parents and teachers organize these groups after school and they have become very active in providing wildlife experiences that inspire children to take direct action for

GDA Trustee wins regional ‘Specsavers’ award GDA supporter and Trustee is recognised for her work supporting the local deaf community and outstanding charity work Jackie Gloyn, a Trustee and supporter of Gloucestershire Deaf Association (and a member of SI Cirencester & District) has been selected as one of 10 regional finalists in the Specsavers Sound Barrier Star Awards, a UK-wide competition to find people who have triumphed despite their own hearing difficulties. Jackie’s story was chosen as the most inspirational in the region for her work with a huge number of organisations and charities. Jackie, who herself lives with severe hearing loss, is not only a trustee of GDA and single handedly raised money to set up the Cirencester Deaf Children’s Club (CDCC) and Cirencester Hard of Hearing Club, she has also been a district organiser for Women’s Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) organising meals on

Commission On The Status Of Women 58 Most of the SIGBI delegation will be flying out to New York on the 8 March for CSW58 (Commission on the Status of Women), missing out on the action on International Women’s Day! This is the first time for our Federation to have its own delegation following the award of ECOSOC (UN Economic and Social Council) status in July 2013. Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited NGOs (Non-government organsiations – ie Soroptimists) from all regions of the world attend this session. Priority theme: ‘Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Goals for women and girls’ (draft agreed conclusions are now available on the UN Women website. Review theme: Access and participation of women and girls to education, training, science and technology, including for promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work (agreed conclusions from the fifty-fifth

International Day of the Girl Child Girls are our future. This year, for the fourth annual International Day of the Girl Child, on 11 October, join global efforts to ensure a world free of discrimination for young women and girls. This year’s theme focuses on adolescent girls and the Sustainable Development Goals, which set a range of international targets, including on gender equality, to be achieved by 2030. As a particularly vulnerable demographic, adolescent girls face social, economic and political barriers. While they hold the potential to become leaders and effect change, their empowerment can be hindered by factors such as unwanted pregnancy, forced early marriage, gender-based violence and limited access to higher education and reproductive health services. Cirencester plans to talk to many of the local primary schools about the issues facing women and girls across the world. Some further reading…………… About the Day Since

Why a World Water Day? World Water Day is an international observance and an opportunity to learn more about water related issues, be inspired to tell others and take action to make a difference. World Water Day dates back to the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development where an international observance for water was recommended. The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day. It has been held annually since then. Each year, UN-Water — the entity that coordinates the UN’s work on water and sanitation — sets a theme for World Water Day corresponding to a current or future challenge. The engagement campaign is coordinated by one or several of the UN-Water Members with a related mandate. Better water, better jobs Today, almost half of the world’s workers – 1.5 billion people – work in water related sectors

With Fairtrade you have the power to change the world every day. With one simple choice you can get farmers a better deal. And that means they can make their own decisions, control their futures and lead the dignified life everyone deserves. Ever wondered how many farmers and workers participate in Fairtrade? How Fairtrade sales are doing globally? Or how the Fairtrade Premium is used? Need more detail? Our Monitoring and Evaluation reports have extensive information. Click through; data can be fun! Monitoring the Scope and Benefits of Fairtrade – sixth edition – 2014 Past editions Monitoring the Scope and Benefits of Fairtrade – fifth edition – 2013 (view the Slideshare version here) Monitoring the Scope and Benefits of Fairtrade – fourth edition – 2012 Monitoring the Scope and Benefits of Fairtrade – third edition – 2011 The Benefits of Fairtrade – second edition – 2008

The International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (The following letter was sent to all medical practices in the town on 6th February 2014)   Dear Doctors Soroptimist International of Cirencester & District wish to draw your attention to the issue of Female Genital Mutilation. Our organisation, with its consultative  status with the United Nations, is using 6th February, the International Day of Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Mutilation to raise awareness of the practice, which has been illegal in this country for more than  27 years. People in the medical profession are uniquely placed to see the evidence of this unlawful practice and, with the consent of the patient, help to make the practice, with its dangers to life and health more widely known; to raise awareness of the dangers to a woman’s health in childbirth and to make the practice totally unacceptable in

On a warm sunny Friday afternoon, members past and present enjoyed a lovely tea party at the home of president Marietta. A lovely afternoon was had by all.