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Andy Bower from Trussell Trust receiving cheque from President Sandra
Do we still need Foodbanks?

Do we still need Foodbanks?

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Yes – because sadly the stats for foodbanks if anything are getting worse. Andy Bower from the Trussell Trust gave us an update on the foodbank situation in our area.   The stats make salutary reading.   There are now 465 foodbanks in the UK.   Besides the one in Kenilworth there are now a total of 6 in the Warwick District. With 158 referral agencies locally more than 5,100 including children were helped in 2019.   53,500 tons of food has been distributed.                         December was particularly busy with 180 people per week helped. The main users being single men and single parent families (usually women).  And the main reasons for need are low income, benefit delays and changes, debt and homelessness.

Heather Alford with President Sandra
What’s life like for women with leprosy in Nepal?

What’s life like for women with leprosy in Nepal?

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As you can imagine – very difficult as our speaker Heather Alford explained     Heather introduced us to life in Nepal, a county with exceptionally rough terrain where there are few made up roads making it difficult to get about. The Nepalese farm on terraced fields making the most of every inch of fertile land to grow crops.       How do Nepalese women access treatment for leprosy? Leprosy can be treated but sufferers are often unable or willing to come to hospitals for treatment. The Leprosy Mission now goes out to find those with the condition to give treatment. So what’s the impact of leprosy for women? Most of the hard farming work is done by women by hand as the terrine is to difficult for farm machinery.   Heather explained how she used her physiotherapy skills on her two five month visits

Selection of second hand paper back books
How does a second hand book help a child with cerebral palsy in Malawi?

How does a second hand book help a child with cerebral palsy in Malawi?

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By donating and buying second hand books throughout the year. We’ve raised enough money to help 7 families.   It’s truly amazing how such a relatively small donation can have such a big impact on the lives of children with cerebral palsy in Malawi.    Working with the our friend Gordon Cowie and the charity Friends of Sick Children in Malawi, we have provided wheelchairs for 7 children. These give them dignity, the chance to play, go to school, join in family life.   And helps the health of their mothers who no longer have to carry them .

So, what on earth do I say now when someone admits they’re being abused?

So, what on earth do I say now when someone admits they’re being abused?

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Would you know how to respond in those first moments if someone had enough courage to tell you that they thought they were being abused? Could you recognise the signs that someone might want to tell you something important about their situation? How would you raise the subject if you thought someone might be in an abusive relationship?

A lovely message from Malawi, just the thing before Christmas

A lovely message from Malawi, just the thing before Christmas

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We had a lovely message from Elizabeth, the nurse whom we’ve sponsored to undertake specialised training to help sick children in Malawi, updating us on her progress. Just in time for Christmas 🙂 She wrote: Currently we are finalising the second semester of our third year. We will have a break for Christmas then finish by February next year and we are expected to start our final year in March next year. We continue to be very grateful for the support we have received. We are both doing fine both personally and academically. Please find attached a copy of last semesters results. Regards Elizabeth. Ref : BSNM5316 To : Elizabeth Ngalawango From : University Registrar Date : 21-09-2019 5th Semester Academic Assessment Results Senate, at its Meeting held on 20th September 2019 confirmed end of semester academic assessment results from Faculty Of Health Sciences, and
November Dinner meeting, all about Friendship

November Dinner meeting, all about Friendship

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Following our ceremony to remember our Friendship links with other Clubs, we welcomed Cheryll Rawbone, Chairman of a local charity called the Friendship Project. The charity works to link disadvantaged children to adult volunteers as friends to enjoy regular 1-2-1 support and enable these young people to have a positive outcome. The charity has deservedly one several awards, the most recent being the ‘Achieves for Charity’ in October 2018 and the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service When thanking Cheryll for her very interesting talk, Club member Barbara so eloquently said ‘Out there, in our own community, there are so many people vulnerable young people and many of them have broken wings If a regular friend can show them respect and give them a regular special time when they feel safe and secure and valued, with time those broken wings may begin to slowly heal and

White Ribbon Christmas Tree as part of our 16 Days of Action

White Ribbon Christmas Tree as part of our 16 Days of Action

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As part of our 16 Days of Action we’ve decorated our Christmas Tree at the annual display in St Nicholas Church with White Ribbons and information about this campaign aimed at men. Their motto is Men Working to End Men’s Violence against Women It would be great if we could get Kenilworth declared a ‘White Ribbon’ town. In the mean time, we’re aiming to get as many men as possible to sign the pledge to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women. For more info, check out https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk

UN Sustainable Goal 15 – Life on Land gets a helping hand in Kenilworth

UN Sustainable Goal 15 – Life on Land gets a helping hand in Kenilworth

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We went litter picking with the Green Party group in Kenilworth. Although Soroptimists are a non-political organisation we took the opportunity to contribute to SDG 15. Life on land can only be healthy when waste is properly managed. All together we collected over 15 bags of waste, mostly plastic and drinks cans. Amongst the more unusual items were a workman’s fluorescent jacket, a ‘for sale’ sign and a bike pump. There was also a whole bag of waste dog poo bags – shame on you dog walkers 🙁 We also took the opportunity to spread the word about what we as Soroptimists do to help women and children. Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Fork handles!

Fork handles!

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The Gardening Gang decided it was that time of year to tidy up Joan’s garden and take the opportunity to replant some of the borders, ready for Joan to enjoy next year. Much digging and weeding was followed a week later by a mass planting session of bulbs, perennials and shrubs kindly donated by one of our neighbours.