Every Soroptimist Club devises, plans and carries out project work – known as Programme Action – based on the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SIGBI is a registered charity (Charity Number: 1179433) and has Special Consultative Status at the United Nations.
The SDGs – otherwise known as the Global Goals – are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
At Regional Level we celebrate the work of individual clubs and also bring it together when a project would benefit for a collective approach region-wide. We have 9 clubs in our region and there are definitely times when “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. We also work across regions from time to time for the same reason.
Ongoing Projects
Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking
We have a three year project across three Presidential years (2021- 2024), to help support survivors of Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking (MSHT). As a region we support the local charity Voice of Hope which is a charity based in Staffordshire that raises awareness of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking through training, campaigning and practical support. Initially we have been undergoing training and will be working to raise awareness of what is “one of the most serious and barbaric crimes, profiting from human misery and is one of the fastest growing criminal industries of our time.”
Observing Specialist Domestic Violence Courts – Midland Chase & Midland Arden Regions
Dame Vera Baird QC, Soroptimist and Northumbria Police & Crime Commissioner published her report on Specialist Domestic Violence Courts, in July 2018. She subsequently spoke at the March 2019 Midland Chase Regional Meeting, and having heard about the in depth work which had been carried out, clubs throughout the Region unanimously agreed that this was an area on which they could work together.
We were joined in this by Midland Arden region and between us we managed to cover three police forces – West Midlands, Staffordshire and West Mercia – and a large geographical area. You can learn much more about this cross-region project on the website of Lichfield & District Club where you can also read Dame Vera’s original report “Specialist Domestic Violence Courts, How special are they?”
Archive – Read our Regional Programme Action Newsletters:
- Autumn 2022 – Progress Not Perfection
- Spring 2022 – Women Inspiring Action, Transforming Lives
- Winter 2021 – Focus on the Centenary of SIGBI 1921 – 2021
- November 2021 – Programme Action Update (COP 26 & Keyworkers)
- Autumn 2021 – Equality
- Summer 2021 – Planet
- Spring 2021 – SDG16 and International Women’s Day
- Winter 2020 – Be Bold & Mind the Gap
- Spring 2020 – Focus on Keyworkers