Soroptimist International of the South West Pacific (SISWP) currently includes thirteen countries in the Asia Pacific Region. These countries are: Australia, Cambodia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands and Thailand.
The following clubs were recognised for their excellence in planning, administering and evaluating a project to transform lives for women and girls around the Federation. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees.
SI Petaling Jaya – Education and Overall Winner
The Soroptimist Puberty Organizing Toolkit (SPOT) project, fills the gap in Malaysia’s sexual health and education for young people, particularly for young girls. SI Petaling Jaya developed the SPOT PuberTeen Talk and SPOT Workshops, and the programme is now recognised by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia, supported by the Ministry of Health and the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN), as well as the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development of Malayia.
SI Brisbane – Elimination of Violence
This project, founded on advocacy and awareness, set out to provide a new Women’s Legal Service Helpline to enable Women’s Legal Service Queensland to give a more extensive telephone advice helpline service. Particularly focused on migrant women and women living and working in rural areas, this project enabled the giving of free legal advice and counselling to a greater number of the 16,000 women, whose calls for assistance were currently being unmet.
SI Damansara – Economic Empowerment
Bridging the gap between disadvantaged young women and their more advantaged peers, this project achieved its goals by providing soft skills to improve work readiness, work based learning opportunities and mentoring to position girls for technical opportunities. Since the programme began in 2013, 1000 underprivileged and at-risk youths across five vocational centers have benefited, and the project has placed more than 70% of trainees in full-time jobs.
SI Lautoka – Food Security
Club members recognised the need for a Food Security Project to support girls at the Jasper Girl’s Hostel. The Hostel houses 150 girls from all over Fiji and some of the Regional Countries of the Pacific. With the identification that much of the funding received from the Methodist Church of Fiji and the Ministry of Education was being spent on food and that $300(Fiji) per month was going towards Cassava (a root crop), the major staple food used at the hostel. The Food Security project, set about establishing a sustainable garden at the Hostel to grow Cassava plants, which when grown, would supplement the supply of Cassava and the money saved would be channeled towards other essentials for the students. Due to the success of this project the grounds keeper has shown interest in further Cassava plantings and establishing new vegetable planting.
SI Gold Coast – Healthcare
In partnership with the NGO University of the Nations in Cambodia, as part of it’s Women at Risk Program, SI Gold Coast sought to set up effective free medical care, midwifery care and counselling to women in poverty or trauma. Contact with the midwife from the Women at Risk Program identified a mother, Sryeda, who was expecting twins and required emergency intervention. The club provided funds to support Sryeda, which involved blood transfusion surgery for her twin pregnancy, which thankfully saved the mother’s life and that of the surviving twin. The club continued to provide support following the birth and regular updates from the midwife provide progress on both the mother and surviving twin.
SI Penang – Environmental sustainability/water/sanitation
This project addressed the needs of a Women’s Welfare Council that assisted unwed mothers, single mothers and underprivileged children. SI Penang set up an Environment Project Team, poor ventilation in the Women’s Welfare Council building, resulting in hot and stagnant air quality, a danger for the residents, particularly babies and young children. The project team installed ten wind-powered turbine ventilators, resulting in an energy efficient and effective system, that greatly improved the air ventilation.
SI Damanasara, SI Singapore, SI Phnom Penh, SI Melba – Be the Changemaker
SI Clubs joined forces to provide bicycles to facilitate the work of Village Malaria Workers (VMWs), working on the front-line in the fight against the Malaria in Cambodia. VMWs play an instrumental role in conducting the rapid diagnostic tests and dispensing medication to patients in malaria endemic villages, in both high and low burden areas. The villagers have to travel far to seek medical help if they get malaria and this can lead to delayed treatment. Clubs came together to raise funds and purchase the bicycles for VMWs in Oddar Meanchey, a province in Northwest Cambodia, which now critically support the VMWs valuable work.
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