{"id":56,"date":"2017-05-01T17:48:51","date_gmt":"2017-05-01T16:48:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/cwmbran\/?page_id=56"},"modified":"2025-09-09T19:16:23","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T18:16:23","slug":"what-we-do","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/cwmbran\/what-we-do\/","title":{"rendered":"What we do"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soroptimist International is a global volunteer movement working together to transform the lives of women and girls in 29 countries.<\/p>\n

Vision<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Mission<\/h2>\n

Soroptimists inspire action and create opportunities to transform the lives of women and girls through a global network of members and international partnerships.<\/p>\n

Soroptimist Values<\/h2>\n

Human Rights for all<\/p>\n

Global peace and international goodwill<\/p>\n

Advancing women\u2019s potential<\/p>\n

Integrity and democratic decision making<\/p>\n

volunteering, diversity and friendship<\/p>\n


\nSoroptimist\u00a0International 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\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Educate<\/b><\/h2>\n

STEM<\/b> (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths)<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"\"Plan<\/b><\/p>\n

We support a girl in Indonesia. \u00a0One of the aims of Plan is to empower girls to reach their potential and be involved in shaping the world they live in. \u00a0The challenges in the area include tackling domestic violence , child marriages, poor child care and poor personal hygiene.<\/p>\n

Enable<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Elimination of Violence against Women<\/b><\/p>\n

The UN has designated November 25th as a day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls. \u00a0SI has supported this by adopting 10 days of activism and awareness raising. \u00a0Our Club decided to organise an event (Orange the World) at Pontypool Leisure Centre on 25th November. \u00a0It was a successful awareness raising day enabling us to speak to numerous people as well as sell jewellery and teddies. \u00a0We raised \u00a350 for Women\u2019s Aid and \u00a345 for Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/b><\/h2>\n

Empower<\/b><\/h2>\n

Trafficking and anti-slavery<\/strong><\/p>\n

We recognise that most people in our society are unaware of the amount of trafficking in Wales. \u00a0One 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 \u00a0Cwmbran members learned about legal definitions, the types of exploitations, signs and indicators to look out for and what we could do to help.<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s Refuge<\/b><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Federation Project<\/b><\/p>\n

A coffee morning held at a member\u2019s house raised \u00a3160.60 for Empowering Girls in Nepal.<\/p>\n

International President\u2019s December Appeal \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a358.70 was sent to the President\u2019s Appeal \u2013 Women, Water and Leadership in Kenya and Bulgaria in lieu of Christmas cards<\/p>\n

Sewing and knitting projects<\/h2>\n

Drain Bags <\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

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\u2019s Ark Children\u2019s Hospital to be used to hold pain-drivers for children.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Comfort Cushions<\/strong> These comfort cushions are made for ladies who\u2019ve had mastectomies.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Comfort Teddies\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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 \u00a0They have been given to Gwent Police and the Fire Service to keep in their vehicles as well as to Serennu Children\u2019s Centre ( Sparkle), Nevil Hall Children\u2019s Centre, Noah\u2019s Ark Children\u2019s Centre, Bobath Children\u2019s Therapy Centre, Gwent Missing Children Unit, South East Wales Adoption Agency, St.David\u2019s Hospital for Children\u2019s Grief Week, SARC,<\/strong>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.\u00a0 We have donated 531\u00a0 Comfort Teddies this year in total.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Twiddle Muffs:<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have donated 62 Twiddle Muffs to South Wales Ambulance and a number of Twiddle muffs to Age Connect Torfaen.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

see here for patterns Sewing\/Knitting Instructions\/patterns<\/a><\/p>\n

Work with Partners<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Gateway Credit Union<\/b><\/p>\n

Credit Union is a financial co-operative run by and for members who are local people. \u00a0It 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. \u00a0It helps people with financial problems to manage their money – a high percentage of borrowers are women with children. \u00a0Pontypool in particular is a deprived area and this lending scheme is well used to support families. \u00a0Collecting money from members has been an activity that the Club has supported for over 20 years. \u00a0Some members are now giving by direct debit.<\/p>\n

Food Bank<\/b><\/p>\n

Members continue to donate foods to the local food banks<\/p>\n

Alzheimer\u2019s Association\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

S.I. Cwmbran continues to raise money for Alzheimer\u2019s U.K. with the sale of pre-loved jewellery. We also support Widdershins which is run by Age Connect, Torfaen. We have donated \u00a3600, 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.<\/p>\n

\"\"WaterAid<\/strong><\/p>\n

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 \u00a368.74 for Water Aid. Unfortunately there is no match funding scheme with the Government this year. Our aim was to bank our pennies, as \u00a315 pays for a well \u2018Buckets of pennies for buckets of water\u2019.<\/p>\n

Glasses <\/strong>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.<\/p>\n

Tools for Self- Reliance<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Bras \u2013 <\/strong>Harts of Monmouth. Every tonne of bras raises \u00a3700. These funds are used for research to improve detection and increase survival of breast cancer diagnosis. <\/strong>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 \u00a3700. These funds are used for research to improve detection and increase survival of breast cancer diagnosis.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Both friends and members of the club have donated 440 bras this year.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Local Projects<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Grange University Hospital<\/b><\/p>\n

We liaise with the chaplain to offer what is needed. \u00a0There are two houses put aside for the parents\/carers of children in the hospital. \u00a0We have made toilet bags filled with essentials. \u00a0Also provided duvet covers, pillowcases, towels, tea towels, mugs, pictures as well as a supply of our teddies. \u00a0We have also provided activity packs for children to use in the wards.<\/p>\n

ARTregen<\/strong><\/p>\n

Open Air Painting; Last June, in association with the Museum, another open air painting competition was held in Pontypool Park.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Selling Jewellery<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pre-loved jewellery has been sold at numerous venues throughout the year.\u00a0 Added to this are the monies raised for more valuable items sold at the International Antiques Fair at Builth Wells and various gold outlets.\u00a0 This would not be possible without the very generous donations of jewellery given by friends and families throughout the year.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 During 2019\/2020 we have raised \u00a3652.50 from the sale of pre-loved jewellery.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What we did in lockdown<\/h2>\n

During lockdown members kept touch via Zoom speaker meetings, coffee mornings, activities \u00a0and Sally and Paddy put together a monthly newsletter for us .<\/p>\n

July<\/b><\/p>\n

We had a socially distanced meal at Greenmeadow . Our first get together since March<\/p>\n

Sheelagh and Pat took our jewellry stall to the clothing
\nevent that Jane Clay held \u00a0to support her London Marathon run into raise funds for Alzeimers society. They took an amazing \u00a360 to add to Jane’s total that she made that day.<\/p>\n

June<\/b><\/p>\n

Jessica Morden MP.<\/p>\n

Paddy and Sally went to Caerphilly County Borough Council to 4 schools to continue our distribution of books under our STEM project which the pandemic has stopped,<\/p>\n

May<\/b><\/p>\n

Alison Pope from the Little Welsh Chocolate Company<\/p>\n

March<\/b><\/p>\n

With a glass in hand and plenty of daffodils on show we celebrated St David\u2019s Day with readings, poetry, singing and a quiz.<\/p>\n

At our coffee morning we celebrated the annual March 8th, International Women’s Day (IWD) which \u00a0has occurred for well over a century to
\n\uf0b7 celebrate women’s achievements
\n\uf0b7 raise awareness about women’s equality
\n\uf0b7 lobby for accelerated gender parity
\nfundraise for female-focused charities<\/p>\n

February\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

A welcome back to John Sheen and his talk \u20184 Boys and a Pasty\u2019 about his childhood in Port Talbot in the 1950\u2019s.<\/p>\n

January<\/b> \u00a0Robin and Chloe from Natural Weigh at Crickhowell<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

December \u00a0 16 Days of Activism<\/b><\/p>\n

Every year Soroptimists use the 16 days of activism against gender based violence which<\/span>\u00a0is an international campaign to challenge violence against women and runs every year from 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women , to 10 December, Human Rights Day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Normally we would have had marches, events and demonstrations, wearing orange as well as social media items \u00a0but this year we have just had daily powerful social media images with an appropriate message and at our December Zoom coffee morning we all wore orange.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In December Sallie and Marian also delivered 150 comfort teddies to the Grange University Hospital. \u00a0Giving them to the chaplain.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

November<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0Emma Saysell from St David\u2019s<\/p>\n

October<\/b> \u00a0 Julian Hayman on the new critical care hospital, Grange University Hospital at Llanfrechfa.<\/p>\n

September<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0Anne O\u2019Donahue on Track and Trace<\/p>\n

Lockdown Knitting<\/h2>\n

The ‘Lock-down knitting’ completed by members, family and friends.
\nincluded
\n49 Bonding Square Sets
\n16 Baby Gift Sets
\n535 Innocent Smoothie hats 20 Fish and Chip Jumper sets 7 Baby Cardigans
\n17 Baby hats
\n8 Baby blankets
\n2 Knee blankets
\n200 + Comfort teddie<\/p>\n

These items were delivered to – Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital, Grange Hospital, Lives for African Women, Age Concern at Widdishins, Age Concern Abergavenny.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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