At a local level, we have many fund raising events through the year for our various projects which we call Programme Action. The money raised from these events goes into our local project account so we ensure that every penny raised or donated goes directly to the projects we support. None of the money raised or donated goes into local, national or international running costs.
Some of our project funds go directly to local young women to provide a little financial support when they are at university studying sciences and to others who are going overseas to work on international projects. We always invite these young ladies to come to one of our meetings to tell us all about their experiences.
Soroptimist International also lobbies Parliament on various issues – the current issue is about raising awareness of the need for housing for women involved in the criminal justice system. By way of lobbying and raising awareness of issues that affect women and girls we take action by signing petitions. To view current petitions endorsed by SI South West & Channel Islands click here.
Soroptimist International (SI) and SIGBI both have consultative status at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at the United Nations (UN), which gives us a voice on important discussion papers, and allows us to attend the Commission on the Status of Women in New York each March, and contribute to the “Agreed Conclusions”. This status would not be possible without the fantastic work being done by our Members. The latest statement entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”can be viewed by clicking here CSW63-GWI-Written-Statement-UN-Official (1)
Our Plymouth branch also finds time to fit in a wide variety of social events during the year, providing great opportunities for building long lasting friendships.
