“Women on the Bridge” event in London International Women’s Day – Monday 8th March    Soroptimists joined the march and stood in solidarity on the Millennium Bridge in London to mark International Women’s Day. This global event, organised by Women for Women International brought together women from their partner organisations including members of Soroptimist International. Annie Lennox, popstar and campaigner, Sarah Brown, the Prime-Minister’s wife, Cherie Lunghi  the actress were there along with other prominent figures.  The event honours the resilience of millions of women survivors of war around the world. The 81 events worldwide symbolise building bridges to peace, sending a message that says “No!” to war and “Yes!” to peace and hope. Pictured here with Annie Lennox are Julie Blackwell (Soroptimist international London Chilterns Regional President) and Johanna Raffan (Soroptimist international London Chilterns Regional President-Elect). Take a look at the event on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHqOUUzNhh4

British-Taiwanese Women and Soroptimist London Chilterns Conference‏ “Stop Trafficking”   This special event was organised by Taiwan Soroptimist Helen Yang from the Citizens Organizing Foundation (COF) in London in partnership with SI London Chilterns Region. Hilary Ratcliffe, SIGBI Programme Director chaired the morning session where three speakers tackled human trafficking from different perspectives. Workshops in the afternoon covered “how to organise a campaign”, “Taiwanese experience of human trafficking” and “Drivers to supply and demand – what limiting action can we take?” Pauline Monk from SI Poole ran a workshop and presented on the “Purple Teardrop Campaign” – “Stop the Trafficking, Stop the Tears” www.purpleteardrop.org.uk  

Bras in Cardiff Bay at the Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) Annual Conference in Cardiff  Photo: Andrew Jeffrey The “Bras in the Bay” event in Cardiff was a spectacular success. Hundreds of Soroptimists brought their bras to Cardiff Bay to benefit an Oxfam project for women in Senegal. The Millennium Centre in Cardiff is behind this chaotic scene of Soroptimists with thousands of bras. To hear the interview on Radio Wales with Hilary Ratcliffe (SIGBI Programme Director and member of London Chilterns Region) click here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8335356.stm

Rosie Simbo, a midwife from Sierra Leone (S.L.) came to talk to the Thames Valley Soroptimists about her experiences growing up in S.L. and the work that she currently does there, trying to persuade young girls to avoid HIV/AIDS and working to eradicate female genital mutilation (fgm) which is still going on in her area of S.L.. Rosie was very brave in sharing her experience of fgm and the struggle to change the hearts and minds of people who still maintain that it is part of their ‘culture’. The photograph shows Rosie with her three NHS colleagues who persuaded her to come and talk to us: Helen St Ledger who is a diabetes clinic co-ordinator, Dr Amanda Gilliland, GP, and President Barbara Turner who is an NHS manager. For more about the Thames Valley Club please visit their website: www.sitv.org.uk