Woking’s New Year newsletter celebrates the Club’s fortieth ‘Ruby’ anniversary with news of fundraising from wine tasting and card games events. International Women’s Day on 8th March will be marked by a ‘Women in Science’ event for girls in Woling. Details of the 2016 programme and speakers are listed. click here for copy of newsletter
SI President Yvonne Simpson has announced that during her two years of office, her President’s Appeal will focus on working with partners in order to provide education and leadership opportunities for women and girls in Nepal. SI Poole has a Friendship Link with SI Kathmandu and we have already sent significant sums of money directly to their Club’s bank account in Kathmandu. These funds, and those donated by other SI Clubs worldwide are being used by SI Kathmandu to deliver practical support to those most in need. Recently, to mark December 10th, International President’s Appeal day, SI Poole has donated over £400 to this cause. Our Friendship Link with SI Kathmandu is thriving. At the Glasgow Conference, Sue Fortescue met Rachana Upadhyaya, a member of SI Kathmandu, who is currently studying at the University of Hull. Rachana gave a powerful presentation, focussing
A group of members of the SI Winchester and District Club, who live in Selborne, decided on a programme of fundraising events to alleviate the ongoing plight and sufferings of children in Syrian refugee camps. They were inspired by the moving comment of the UN General Secretary, Ban Ki-moon that Syrian refugee children continue to suffer on ‘ a scale that haunts the soul’; deeply concerned by the ongoing crisis of the Syrian children in Turkish migration camps they decided to hold a Cheese and Wine evening in Selborne Village Hall. The aim was to raise enough money to help the children continue their education. The organisers expected to make around £500.00 but were overwhelmed by the amazing generosity of the Selborne villagers and all those who supported the event. An astonishing profit of over £2000.00 was achieved!
The Beetle Drive at Littleton Village Hall on 30th January 2016 is in aid of the charity: Children of Choba. All branch members, family and friends are welcome. The £10 ticket price includes a fish and chip supper and welcome drink. Tickets can be picked up at the front desk on the night.
At the recent SI Winchester Supper Meeting, the Mayor of Winchester announced prizewinners in the 2015 pillowcase dress competition with local schools. Teachers from Eggars School, Alton, Henry Beaufort School, Winchester, and The Mountbatten School, Romsey, represented the prizewinning pupils. Each prizewinner won a new sewing machine. More than a hundred pillowcase dresses were made by the school pupils and will be sent to our partner in The Gambia as part of our ‘Dress a Girl Around the World’ charitable project.
As Soroptimists we value the three E’s – Educate, Empower and Enable. The VIP project encapsulates all three, both for the young woman who is lucky enough to be chosen as the intern and the women and children who will benefit from this SISE initiative. Throughout South Africa, Soroptimist Club Members are supporting projects as diverse as rape crisis centres to penguin sanctuaries. It is this hands-on involvement of volunteers that enables so many initiatives to make a positive difference in the local community. However, in the country as a whole, support for the *3.7 million aids orphans is urgent and vital. Soroptimists in Southern England have very close links with clubs in South Africa, especially SI Pretoria and SI Tshwane and it is women from these groups who are inviting involvement from an intern to help them deliver carer-support services to orphans in that
Almost 70 Soroptimists from 12 Southern England Clubs attended the Annual General Meeting at the HG Wells Centre in Woking on 19 September 2015. Outgoing Regional President and member of SI Woking, Jackie Theobald, said: “I would like to start my report with a huge thank you for allowing me the privilege of serving as your regional President this year. The whole experience has enriched my membership of the wonderful organisation to which we all belong.” The meeting reviewed the past year’s work of the Southern England Region. Incoming President Ruth Healey of the Guildford Soroptimists Club then outlined her programme for 2015-16. The work next year will build on the theme ‘By Women for Women, Making Us Visible’. SI Southern Region will concentrate more on its role as a service organisation than a fund-raising body and will be outward-looking rather than inward-looking. Reducing
SI Bournemouth, assisted by two members from SI Poole, were on duty at one of the hydration stations for the Bournemouth Marathon on October 4th. We had lots of fun and laughter keeping the runners hydrated. Thank you to friends of SI Bournemouth & SI Poole members for making the day memorable and raising money for our charity Cementing Futures.
SI Poole held their traditional Cream Tea on Sunday 6th September in the lovely Dorset village of Wimborne St Giles. The glorious weather attracted crowds of customers and the amount raised for Club funds was over £800.
Since October 2014, our Club has been supporting the No! FGM Campaign in the Mara region of Tanzania. In cooperation with SI Weybridge, we have sent £673.50 to the campaign. It has been very gratifying to receive regular reports about the campaign and see the great strides forward. A Safe House has now been built for girls wishing to avoid FGM, many parents and village elders convinced to abandon the practice, training and education organised for the girls in the Safe House and a 4×4 vehicle acquired. The other international charity we have supported this year is Water Aid: we raised £200 at our Annual Celebration in April 2015. Locally, we have supported North West Surrey Samaritans and the local branch of the Motor Neurone Disease (MIND) Association. Our book sale made £200 for the Samaritans in June and the Wine Tasting held in our
