Soroptimist International is a global volunteer movement working together to transform the lives of women and girls in 29 countries.
Vision
We are committed to a world where women and girls together achieve their individual and collective potential, realise aspirations and have an equal voice in creating strong, peaceful communities worldwide.
Mission
Soroptimists inspire action and create opportunities to transform the lives of women and girls through a global network of members and international partnerships.
Soroptimist Values
Human Rights for all
Global peace and international goodwill
Advancing women’s potential
Integrity and democratic decision making
volunteering, diversity and friendship
Soroptimist International calls its project work Programme Action, which is at the heart of everything we do. Our Projects are varied some are short term and some are long term as well as being global, national and local. Some are reflecting Soroptmist International’s gaol of improving the lives and status of girls through education, empowerment and enabling them, others are working with community groups and our practical knitting and sewing Projects.
Educate
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths)
As part of the STEM initiative 55 copies of the book Women in Science have been circulated to schools in Torfaen, Newport and Blaenau Gwent.
Enable
Elimination of Violence against Women
The UN has designated November 25th as a day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls. SI has supported this by adopting 10 days of activism and awareness raising. Our Club decided to organise an event (Orange the World) at Pontypool Leisure Centre on 25th November. It was a successful awareness raising day enabling us to speak to numerous people as well as sell jewellery and teddies. We raised £50 for Women’s Aid and £45 for Alzheimer’s.
Empower
Trafficking and anti-slavery
We recognise that most people in our society are unaware of the amount of trafficking in Wales. One of our members is in regular contact with the Medaille Trust and Ann Wilkinson MBE and Jackie Jones presented a very interesting and informative talk on Modern slavery awareness and Cwmbran members learned about legal definitions, the types of exploitations, signs and indicators to look out for and what we could do to help.
Women’s Refuge
Cwmbran Club takes toiletries to refuge and anything else they need e.g. bedding, this year as well as donating comfort teddies for children staying at the Refuge.
Federation Project
A coffee morning held at a member’s house raised £160.60 for Empowering Girls in Nepal.
International President’s December Appeal £58.70 was sent to the President’s Appeal – Women, Water and Leadership in Kenya and Bulgaria in lieu of Christmas cards
Sewing and knitting projects
Drain Bags
These are in great demand as they can only be used once due to the risk infections. We have made different designs over the years and taken to different places including the Royal Gwent Hospital and Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital to be used to hold pain-drivers for children.
Comfort Cushions These comfort cushions are made for ladies who’ve had mastectomies.
Comfort Teddies
These teddies are given to children in need of comfort in times of need and given out to small children in volved in traumatic or upsetting circumstances They have been given to Gwent Police and the Fire Service to keep in their vehicles as well as to Serennu Children’s Centre ( Sparkle), Nevil Hall Children’s Centre, Noah’s Ark Children’s Centre, Bobath Children’s Therapy Centre, Gwent Missing Children Unit, South East Wales Adoption Agency, St.David’s Hospital for Children’s Grief Week, SARC,South Wales Ambulance , Age Concern Torfaen and Family Contact Team. This year we donated Comfort teddies to 13 Primary schools in our area including Crown Bridge Special School. 130 teddies in total were delivered by members to the schools. We have donated 531 Comfort Teddies this year in total.
Twiddle Muffs:
We have donated 62 Twiddle Muffs to South Wales Ambulance and a number of Twiddle muffs to Age Connect Torfaen.
see here for patterns Sewing/Knitting Instructions/patterns
Work with Partners
Gateway Credit Union
Credit Union is a financial co-operative run by and for members who are local people. It is an ethical movement where members save and create a pool of money which can be lent to those who want to borrow at a low rate of interest. It helps people with financial problems to manage their money – a high percentage of borrowers are women with children. Pontypool in particular is a deprived area and this lending scheme is well used to support families. Collecting money from members has been an activity that the Club has supported for over 20 years. Some members are now giving by direct debit.
Food Bank
Members continue to donate foods to the local food banks
Alzheimer’s Association
S.I. Cwmbran continues to raise money for Alzheimer’s U.K. with the sale of pre-loved jewellery. We also support Widdershins which is run by Age Connect, Torfaen. We have donated £600, this went towards an automatic sliding door. Some members spent a very pleasant morning in the centre meeting carers and users. We were able to see the newly installed door and understand how beneficial it is to those who use the centre. We have also donated blankets for people needing wheelchairs and teddy bears.
WaterAid
Water Aid has teams in 37 countries across the world, working with partners to transform millions of lives every year by improving access to safe water, toilets and hygiene. As a club we have supported Water Aid for a number of years. During the last financial year to date we have banked £68.74 for Water Aid. Unfortunately there is no match funding scheme with the Government this year. Our aim was to bank our pennies, as £15 pays for a well ‘Buckets of pennies for buckets of water’.
Glasses Any spectacles brought in used to be donated through Rotary. When that was stopped they were donated through Inner Wheel to go to Vision Africa. They are now donated through the ASDA opticians.
Tools for Self- Reliance
Tool for Self- Reliance is a voluntary organisation run by volunteers who clean and repair old and unwanted tools and sewing machines. These are then sent to Tanzania where individuals and communities who wish to set up their own businesses are supplied with the necessary tools and machines. We in Cwmbran have been recycling tools and sewing machines for over 18 years. This year we have given 5 sewing machines, sewing aids and a large quantity of tools for recycling to the Crickhowell work shop.
Bras – Harts of Monmouth. Every tonne of bras raises £700. These funds are used for research to improve detection and increase survival of breast cancer diagnosis. Cwmbran SI continue to support bra collections, which have been taken to Harts of Monmouth the retailer that runs a bra bank. Every tonne of bras raises £700. These funds are used for research to improve detection and increase survival of breast cancer diagnosis.
We have donated both good quality and damaged bras. The good quality bras going to countries which help aid women to run small businesses. The damaged bras are dismantled and components reused in workshops. These schemes in Toga, Ghana and Kenya help to provide employment and keep families out of poverty. Bras that have seen better days, avoid landfill by being recycled and the monies used towards research into breast cancer.
Both friends and members of the club have donated 440 bras this year.
Local Projects
The Grange University Hospital
We liaise with the chaplain to offer what is needed. There are two houses put aside for the parents/carers of children in the hospital. We have made toilet bags filled with essentials. Also provided duvet covers, pillowcases, towels, tea towels, mugs, pictures as well as a supply of our teddies. We have also provided activity packs for children to use in the wards.
ARTregen
Open Air Painting; Last June, in association with the Museum, another open air painting competition was held in Pontypool Park.
Mural Restoration Pontypool: We were eventually awarded an H.L.F grant of 18K. This together with a John Andrews Trust award of 2K and other small monies meant that we could cover the cost of renovating the existing Pontypool murals, but not create a new one.
Selling Jewellery
Pre-loved jewellery has been sold at numerous venues throughout the year. Added to this are the monies raised for more valuable items sold at the International Antiques Fair at Builth Wells and various gold outlets. This would not be possible without the very generous donations of jewellery given by friends and families throughout the year. This activity was started in order to provide funds to be donated to Charities that support both old and young Alzheimer’s sufferers and enable much needed research to be carried out into this dreadful disease. During 2019/2020 we have raised £652.50 from the sale of pre-loved jewellery.
