As part of SI Centenary celebrations, (re)discover every month a project from the last ten years, carried out by SIE Unions and clubs.
Soroptimist Union of the Netherlands – Apeldoorn
The members of the Dutch Soroptimist Club of Apeldoorn organised a series of 14 empowerment training sessions for teenage mothers. Each session welcomed a group of 8-10 girls and sought to help them build confidence in order to pursue their studies and gain access to better economic opportunities.
The training sessions were given by trainers from partner organisations and staff members of the ‘Coordination Point Young Mothers East Veluwe.’
Professional expertise of the trainers was a key factor as many of the young mothers in the trainings were, for various reasons, coming from positions of social isolation. The goal was therefore to help them improve their lives for the better by helping them build confidence and ambition and create a more positive view of their future. The members of the Club in Apeldoorn raised an impressive 22,500 EUR for this project, from which some 140 teenage mothers have already benefitted! The project itself received significant local media coverage.
So, if you happen to go to Apeldoorn someday soon and you come across a small shop selling second-hand baby clothes – peek in and ask if the ladies running it are the same three young mothers who started it in 2013 after following a course provided by local Soroptimists!
