The Soroptimist International President´s Appeal (PA) has been part of our lives since 1982. Each 10th December thereafter, Soroptimists worldwide have united to raise funds in support of projects advancing the lives of women and girls. This past biennium (2021-2023) was no different.
Under the banner of SI President Maureen Maguire´s Appeal, ‘Opening Doors to a Bright Future,’ we strove to facilitate access to education for disadvantaged and marginalised women and girls. President Maureen´s goal was to launch five projects, one for each of our Federations. Surpassing expectations, Soroptimist International, with the dedicated support of the PA Committee formed of members from each of our five federations, ran six projects! Starting with the inauguration of the initial project in Cambodia (SISEAP) in October 2021, subsequent projects swiftly followed in Georgia (SIE) and Uganda (SIAF) in 2022. This momentum continued with three additional projects being launched this year in Malawi (SI Taiwan); Paraguay (SIA); and Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent and the Grenadines (SIGBI).
Members of the President’s Appeal committee identified ambassadors within their federations to spread the news about the PA and invite donations. Leveraging our Facebook page, we reached out to almost 400 members and, since October 2022, raised awareness about the PA in connection with relevant international days. My heartfelt appreciation goes to Maria Elisabetta de Franciscis (SI Italy, SIE Past President), Yvette Foubert (SI France), Béatrice Masson (SI France), Renate Müller-Bagehl (SI Italy), and Rita Nogueira Ramos (SI Portugal) – I will miss our biweekly calls hugely, you have been an inspiration to me!
At the beginning of this year, there were doubts over the feasibility of launching our last project due to slower-than-expected fund raising. However, in September, we received fantastic news: not only were enough funds raised for all six projects, but the total amount exceeded double the budgeted sum, allowing several projects to continue to run beyond the initially anticipated scope. So this is a big ‘Thank You’ to our members whose contributions opened doors to 3,000 women and girls worldwide!
This year marks the end of our President´s Appeals. It is always sad when you need to say ‘goodbye’ however, in this case, that does not mean the end of our work. The PA is being replaced with the SI Foundation, expanding our ability to fund projects and initiatives. Spearheaded by the SI President, this foundation will champion projects aligned with fundamental pillars of SI’s mission, including:
- Advancing education
- Relieving and/or preventing poverty
- Advocating for human rights, peace, equality, and diversity
So, to new beginnings!
Learn all about what we are doing at the Soroptimist International Foundation and what has changed with the launch of this initiative.