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Speaker meeting via Zoom – Tuesday 20 October 2020 – Kaleidoscopic UK

Speaker meeting via Zoom – Tuesday 20 October 2020 – Kaleidoscopic UK

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  Speaker Vicki Robertson, Founder and Chair of Kaleidoscopic Kaleidoscopic: turning the lens on domestic abuse Supporting children and girls who have been exposed to domestic abuse A charitable organisation of survivors for survivors of domestic abuse in all its form. Visit their website http://www.kaleidoscopic.uk/about/   An excellent talk by Vickie Robertson of Kaleidoscopic.   It was very thought provoking as well as inspirational and it stimulated lots of questions, comments and offers of support. In addition to club members, we were delighted to welcome members of SI Slough Windsor & Maidenhead, a memer of SI Weston-super-Mare (one of our Friendship Links) and other visitors to this speaker meeting.  

September 2020 – Business Meeting followed by fun

September 2020 – Business Meeting followed by fun

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Club members gathered via Zoom for a brief business meeting, followed by socialising and fun. Johanna had asked us to gather together 12 items from around our homes.   She then challenged us to present our items one at a time, starting with the oldest.    We could only use each item once.   When we were down to about 3 things, we were asked to model one of our remaining items as a hat.   As you can see, there was much improvisation and a lot of laughter.

Day of Action 2020

Day of Action 2020

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  This year’s Soroptimist Day of Action on 18th July gives us the opportunityto reflect on the causes we have been able to support during COVID-19. International World Health Organisation A donation to the UN Covid-Solidarity fund for WHO. Kori Development Project, Sierra Leone Our link with Kori in Sierra Leone supports women’s education and economic empowerment. During the Ebola crisis some years ago, the most serious issue was not Ebola itself, but that the process of lockdown led to starvation. With COVID we sent money to Kori to buy rice. As before, the rice went to the cases with the greatest need first. Distribution was done less than two weeks after our first discussion, thereby  reaching vulnerable people as early as possible to prevent starvation. Many ladies (SI members and others) spent much of their enforced time at home knitting extra baby clothes and

April 2020 – Annual General Meeting

April 2020 – Annual General Meeting

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Our March meeting was cancelled, so we were delighted to meet via Zoom on 21 April. This year’s AGM was very different due to the Coronavirus lockdown. Papers and agenda items for discussion were circulated in advance to all members by email and post. On the night an online meeting was held for those members able to access Zoom with written feedback from the remaining members recorded on file.   Our thanks to Alison Mayall, our secretary, for organising this. Now we have tried it out successfuly as a club, there will be more online meetings and social gatherings.    

February 2020 – Workaid

February 2020 – Workaid

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We welcomed Roger Lane from Workaid,  accompanied by  his wife Cherry who had been brought up in Sierra Leone in the town nearest to Kori (see Kori Women’s Development Project page). Roger outlined his work and the development of Workaid which restores tools and equipment of various types that would enable communities in Africa to become self-sufficient.  The club thanked them for their presentation and agreed that a visit to the premises be considered for a future meeting. The club welcomed Denise Powell, Regional President as a visitor.  She confirmed that she would be attending the Charter celebrations in March (now postponed to November) and went on to outline her background as a Soroptimist.   She noted that while clubs work separately the role of Region is to co-ordinate action and encourage sharing of expertise.  Denise also looked forward to learning from the experience of other

January 2020 – Oxfam

January 2020 – Oxfam

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We welcomed two speakers from Oxfam who gave us a very informative talk about the charity’s work with communities across the world, focussing on how their work positively impacts women and girls in these areas. Two interesting facts from their talk was that Oxfam work is split 50% emergency relief and 50% development work. Also, there has been a reduction in the percentage of the world living below the International Poverty level from the mid-30s% to 10%.

November 2019 – Somaliland and FGC

November 2019 – Somaliland and FGC

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At our November meeting, we were delighted to welcome Katy Newell-Jones who has spoken to our club previously about her work in Somaliland. We also welcomed Ruth Thomas from SI Weston-super-Mare, one of our Friendship Link clubs. Katy updated the club on progress to address FGC (Female Genital Cutting) in Somaliland. She noted that a number of changes had started to be made in response to her work. Key points included a measurable change in the cutting practice and a move away from the most extreme forms of mutilation. There was also lack of agreement between groups on whether to aim for zero tolerance of FGC or to aim for cutting or pricking only. Religious leaders had endorsed the continuation of some form of FGC but had required that this should be a clinical procedure undertaken by health workers. Unfortunately at present only 5% of