SI International Long Term Project- what do you want to know?

HAVE YOUR SAY! Introducing the new SI long term project

Hopefully you have all received your materials to participate in the first ever worldwide Soroptimist vote to choose a topic for our new long term project. This new long term project is part of a wider strategy to improve and progress our work internationally. We hope that by creating a Soroptimist project which can be implemented in every Club, Region, Union, and Federation, for an indefinite period of time, on a topic which is chose by YOU, we can collectively make a even more of a difference for women and girls! Here at SI, we will connect Soroptimists all over the world as we work on this project together. Once you have chosen a topic, there will be many different opportunities to either become involved in international work or to work on the topic in your own communities. We will also take every opportunity to advocate for our chosen topic at the UN and other international forums. And we will strive to become a resource center of excellence, full of information, ideas, and inspiration for Soroptimists to join together in achieving our common goal.
Please visit www.soroptimistinternational.org to read more about the two topics and to be inspired with Soroptimist success stories and more! Papers are available in English, Français, Español, Português, 日本語, 臺灣, and 한국인.
Below are just a few ideas about how the different topics could be brought to life by Soroptimists around the world:

Topic A: Violence Against Women
• Set up a local community resource or legal aid centre to help women and girls learn about their rights and seek redress
• Sponsor refugee camps in sister communities to ensure that women and girls are adequately protected (e.g. ensuring that there are sufficient numbers of female toilets so that women are not exposed to potential acts of violence)
• Partner with local groups to provide rehabilitation services for women and girls affected by violence and trafficking, including working with local government to ensure that trafficked women and girls are not forcefully deported.
• Focus on the best known tool for halting the human trafficking epidemic – prevention – by addressing gender discrimination, poor economic conditions, and lack of access to education. Working at local level to ensure that vulnerable women and girls are protected will dramatically reduce trafficking and improve the overall status of women and girls.

Topic B: Education and Leadership
• Foster opportunities to empower women economically (e.g. support microfinancing to strengthen businesses and women entrepreneurs). This could include non-traditional education in different skill areas.
• Teach or support courses on basic literacy skills at local shelters, community centres, libraries, or prisons. Female adult literacy is one of the most overlooked issues in our world today, silencing millions of women and severely limiting their abilities to reach their potential.
• Facilitate women’s access to positions of power and decision-making by widespread and vocal awareness raising events and campaigns around women’s rights. Work with local women to identify educational and training needs around leadership and develop community-based programmes to fill these gaps.
• Develop partnerships and awareness raising programmes with men, boys, and men’s groups to foster true gender equality.

Reilly Dempsey-SI Programme Director SIHQ