The pandemic, war in Europe, and a developing financial crisis across the region. These are just some of the obstacles Soroptimists have faced in the last two years.
Despite the demanding circumstances, we Soroptimists have stepped up and I am honoured to see the efforts, energy, and power each of you has put into projects. Projects with one purpose: to improve the lives of women and girls both now and in the future.
Catalysing change through webinars
Our webinars have been instrumental in driving change and building awareness on how best to work on advocacy and support each other. We have given practical information on how to edit the PFR and improve your projects; directed resources towards situations requiring urgent support, such as the earthquake in Türkiye; introduced new initiatives through our Project Matching tool including the many projects carried out under the Women in War Zones banner; and shared new additions to our highly successful ‘READ THE SIGNS’ campaign.
Harnessing data & increasing visibility
The invaluable data collected through your work on the ground, notably from our War Zone Initiative, has been included in the 2022 High Level Political Forum Report (HLPF-report). Your actions have helped us to increase our visibility in European forums, such as the European Women’s Lobby (EWL), Council of Europe (CoE), and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), thereby amplifying the visibility of issues concerning women and girls.
Fostering cooperation & collaboration
Through the Best Practice Awards we have witnessed more internal cooperations on projects (more clubs working together), and more collaborations with external partners, such as schools and municipalities. Projects ranged from short-term focus on engaging with members, to long-term projects which show the value Soroptimists bring to society. The intensive advocacy training, held in July 2023, provided a three-day platform for discussions, with representatives congregating to share knowledge about project and advocacy work.
The President’s Appeal
I extend my appreciation to my team for their unwavering support of the President’s Appeal, SI’s international project. Assistant Programme Director Jitka Kratochvílová, together with Maria Elisabetta de Franciscis, have contributed tremendously to Soroptimist Europe. And special thanks go to Bintou Koita for her outstanding work.
In conclusion, I would like to encourage all Soroptimists in Europe to: Keep up the great project work, start the project as a PFR, and keep reporting!
Report your Club or Union’s project in the Project Focus Report (PFR) section of our extranet, and your project could be selected to be ‘The project of the month’, bringing it greater visibility.
https://extranet.soroptimisteurope.org/sieextranet/pages/login/login.jsf