We held our first Zoom meeting in May. It was great to be able to see each other again after so many weeks apart, even if it was only on screens. Most of our members were able to take part. This gave us a chance to review our Programme Action plans for the year. We hope to be able to do some fund raising activities in the coming months. Advocacy is easier on-line and we discussed plans being made for
- the SIGBI Project Empowering Girls in Nepal https://sigbi.org/what-we-do/our-projects/girlsinnepal/
- SI President’s appeal Road to Equality https://www.soroptimistinternational.org/action/road-to-equality/
- proposed Yorkshire Regional projects
We continue to gather donations from members to help both Storehouse Foodbank http://www.influencechurch.co.uk/storehouse/ and our sister club in Harare, Zimbabwe. This is the sad reality there:
- The five week lockdown, to stem the spread of Coronavirus, has had a disastrous impact, and dealt a final blow to any precarious livelihood. ‘No one can remember the last time a tap worked’ – people are having to buy water, and very often queue for 12 hours at a bore hole.
- ‘When you are starving and the stomachs of your children are grumbling so loudly, who can worry about having a face mask or keeping at a social distance?’
- ‘How can you wash your hands, when there isn’t even enough water to drink’
- Half the population of 15 million lack adequate food and water, and inflation is almost 700 per cent. The Health System, once Africa’s finest is now wrecked.