What is Programme Action?
Programme action is the generic title of the service and project work the members provide to improve the quality of life for women and girls.
The United Kingdom Programme Action Committee (UKPAC) provides help and guidance to Soroptimist clubs in the UK in devising, planning and carrying out their project work (known as Programme Action).
Club projects are chosen to promote the objectives of Soroptptimism which are
- Eliminate poverty and gender discrimination through ensuring women’s full social and economic rights
- End human trafficking and all forms of violence against women and girls
- Ensure access to health care for women and girls
- Support programmes and policies that would eliminate HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB and major diseases
- Improve access to clean water, sanitation and essential food resources
- Mitigate the effects of climate change and integrate sustainability into personal choices and governmental policies and programmes
- Meet the needs of women and girls during and after armed conflicts, man-made and natural disasters
- Promote peaceful processes for conflict resolution through encouragement of intercultural and inter-racial tolerance and condemnation of all forms of genocide and terrorism
- Ensure equal access to education and training throughout their lifespan
- Enable women’s advancement in management, politics and decision making
Club News
At S.I.Neath our Programme Action team regularly supports a variety of causes locally, regionally, nationally and at international level..
S.I. Neath supports the local Women’s Refuge by providing individual toilet bags for women who arrive at the refuge and also has purchased a cot and specialised items to be used with children and young people who may have been traumatised by domestic abuse . At Christmas towels and toiletries were purchased for the refuge with donations made by club members in lieu of sending each other Christmas cards .
Regionally,
For the last 3 years S.I.Neath has supported “Mary’s Meals” by collecting backpacks to send to Malawi. Each backpack contains basic school clothing and stationery items as well as a ball, a spoon, a cup, soap and a towel to allow children to attend school. More than 200 have been provided. Because of this other clubs in the region have also taken on the backpacks project. This is very worthwhile as the ” Mary’s meals ” organisation is able to ensure these much needed items reach their destination and has the knock on effect of ensuring an income for local women who provide maize to feed the school population. As many items in the backpacks come from charity shops, we help to support other charities and ensure recycling of these items .
Club members have written to our MP regarding “Sex for sale ” advertisements in our local press and have supported S.I.Poole’s “PURPLE TEARDROP ” campaign to prevent human trafficking ..
Members have also campaigned to ensure single sex accommmodation in our local hospital wards by writing to the Chief Executive of our local health board.
Plans for the future include
1) lobbying against the use of coltan in the electronics industry due to its unethical mining methods
2) lobbying against windfarms
3) continuing to raise awareness of human traffficking
4) raising awareness of the issues concerning ovarian cancer
5) considering the support of a micro finance project
6) Working on ‘Prison Reform Trust’ Action Pack
7) Continue to lobby against Female Genital Mutilation
as well as continuing our ongoing activities and being actively involved in regional and international programme action projects
Greater details of the international projects with which we are involved may be found on the Soroptimist International website.
SI Neath was awarded joint 3rd at the Regional AGM held on 22nd June 2013 for their Programme Action work. Seen in the picture above Farida Patel [ 2nd left] with other Regional Wales South Club winners and Regional President Pam [ 2nd right].
Collections of ‘smalls for all’ by Club Members(2016)