Let me count the ways!   At the heart of our Club is our desire to stand up for women and girls.   By inspiring action and transforming lives we want to open doors to a bright future for them.    Our Club works to support women on so many levels and in so many ways including partnership with the local Lions

So let’s have a look  at just what have we achieved recently with our Programme Action and Fundraising :-

World wide

Club members enjoyed ‘Afternoon Tea’  where we could mix business with pleasure.   We bought second hand books and gifts made by Friends of Sick Children in Malawi.   Although limited to Soroptimists due to Covid we have still managed to raise over £500 at two sociable events.   This will be pay for the education of a nurse to work in the paediatric department at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital Blantyre.   The hospital sees around 100,000 children a year and over 24,000 need to be admitted.   Paying for the education of this nurse in Malawi will definitely be transforming the lives of so many children.

Lend with Care has proved to be a resounding success.   If you remember we started with an initial investment of £100.   However with more donations including the speaker fee from MAR and repayments, we’ve now invested £540.   We’ve made 19 loans.   This has supported 19 entrepreneurs – all women – and 400 family members.   We’ve also helped create 15 jobs.   Again opening doors to a bright future for these women and their families.

Wateraid was our topic for our January dinner meeting.   You can read the statistics about the number of people who don’t have access to clean water, toilets and hygiene by clicking on the Wateraid website.   Thanks to the generosity of Club members and the matched funding by the Government, £400 has been donated.   As it costs £15 to provide clean water that means that almost 27 families have benefitted.   As it is generally women and girls who have to the task of fetching water, the biggest transformation will be for them.

Kenilworth and beyond

President Julie chose The Parenting Project for her charity this year.    If you live in Kenilworth you will have seen us at various stalls during the year.   Thanks to Ann’s generous donations of scarves, Jean’s knitting, Marion’s cards and Carole’s wood carving we both raised money from the public, and made them aware of the work this charity does in Warwickshire.   The finale was our phenomenally successful tombola stall where even the local MP managed to win a prize!

All this action by Club members has raised over £1500.   And this will pay for around 150 counselling sessions to improve the life experiences and outcomes for children.

Locally

Funded by the Arts Society Leamington Spa the weekly art classes at the Refuge continue to be a very positive experience for the women and their children there.   They have created some beautiful things that are helping to improve their self esteem, sense of worth and self affirmation.

When we get a message from the manager of a Refuge in Warwickshire, Club as ever rallies to the call.   Working in partnership with Kenilworth Lions Club we’ve helped a woman and her three children to leave the Refuge and move into her new home.   She arrived at the Refuge with nothing but has left to start her new life with a van load full of furniture, bedding, kitchen items, toys etc.

This was the message that she sent us

THANK  YOU SO MUCH

I just wanted to say you’re special through and through. You’re very helpful and supportive in a way that warms my heart. For women and children who have left there homes coz of domestic abuse you are there to play your thoughtful part.

Thank you so very much for your kindness which can never be repaid and for your understanding and the difference it made. Without you I don’t know how i was going to do it. I am so so very grateful to you all. For all the gifts God bless you always

Hopefully you agree that indeed, our Club members, by their actions have transformed and opened the doors to make a brighter future for women and girls.

So what’s next?    International Women’s Day of course on Tuesday 8th March!

We’re chuffed to bits that the powers that be were so impressed with our Kenilworth Town Trail of 100 Women of Empowerment, they’ve given us permission to ‘Purple the Park benches’ in Abbey Fields – yay!!!

If you’re interested in any of these projects, do get in contact with us.   As well as women of action, we do love a chat over a cuppa!!!