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Two complementary projects in Italy resulted in a win-win for Soroptimists and the women they support.

In parallel to retraining female survivors of violence, Soroptimists of San Marino raised funds to support their own concrete actions in one of SIE’s five areas of focus: the elimination of violence against women.

 

Ricuciamo

The first phase was the ‘Ricuciamo’ pilot project. This was designed to help female survivors of violence who are taking rehabilitation courses. ‘Ricuciamo’ means ‘let’s resew’ and so with each stitch, the women taking part took a step towards a better future.

 

By acquiring skills in the textile sector and gaining support to enter the job market, the women were given the tools to gain economic independence. This is a fundamental element for their autonomy and for a future free of violence.

 

Currently, the project is in its final phase, with 12 women having completed the training course, which was given in the city of Faenza with the support of the Region Emilia-Romagna.

 

Mall sale

The Soroptimists’ commitment to improving the lives of women in San Marino has given the club visibility and credibility as an agent of change. As a result, the San Marino Authority for Equal Opportunities reached out to the Soroptimist Club of San Marino (as an organisation with similar aims that has always been active in the field of social promotion in favour of women), and invited them to be involved in a project to raise funds through a sale.

 

The sale took place from 1st December 2022 to 8th January 2023, with the San Marino Outlet Experience, one of the biggest shopping malls in San Marino, providing the space for the sale. The 18 Soroptimists of San Marino taking part in the sale worked from 11am to 6pm. They offered gift wrapping services for items bought in the outlet’s shops and sold Christmas stockings sewed by the women of the ‘Ricuciamo’ project.

 

 

Thanks to this initiative, the Soroptimists raised EUR 1,600. A large part of the funds were reinvested in the Soroptimist Club to support its activities, in particular those related to raising awareness on violence against women.

 

The challenges facing women can be overcome collectively. It’s not individual. This project was a success because it achieved change by coming together!

The Soroptimists of San Marino

 


 

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 

Author

Bintou Koïta,

Senior Programme Officer (SIE HQ)