to support the Lazarus Home for Girls in Bethany West Bank Jerusalem. Many Clubs give financial support to girls who want to experience different cultures through travel and work. SI Morpeth and District does this by giving awards from a fund set up in memory of a Club member. Like all good projects there are many that cover more than one programme area. Clubs like SI Blantyre support the work of Mary’s Meals who set up school feeding projects in communities where poverty and hunger prevent children from gaining an education. Clubs in the UK also support their companion Back Pack Project which sends the packs filled with everyday school items to children who really need them. Another good example of a project that
includes education and health is the work done by SI York Ebor to develop an Accessible first Response Training Pack for women in Pune, India who will be leading First Aid training sessions in villages where there are limited or no literary skills. Literacy is a fundamental requirement for accessing education. Clubs in the UK support the Book Aid International and have so far raised around £3,000 for books in sub-Saharan Africa. South Africa also has a literacy problem which is why SI Cape of Good Hope has supported the Shine Literacy Centre for several years. Throughout the Federation there are many service projects that use the knowledge and skills of members to further education and encourage women and girls to achieve in all areas of learning. Even in countries where education is freely available, there is always more that can be done. SI Barry and District staged “mock” interviews for 62 sixth form pupils from Bryn Hafren School, giving them advice on interviewing techniques. This was an area in which the members felt they could assist pupils by helping them develop their interview skills and boosting their confidence. Clubs encourage girls to think about science and technology as a career by presenting school prizes for science and organising science and technology events. Members will have read about SI Weston Super Mare’s project ‘Skirting Science’ in the July Edition of Soroptimist News and, for several years, SI Nantwich have planned and organised Set up Science, a series of events held during National Science Week. This proved so successful that the Club has finished the project as schools now organise their own extra curricula science and technology activities. Learning is a lifelong process and Clubs recognise this by the concern they have for the elderly. A service project called Books Aloud involves SI Perth in partnership with their library service to keep care home residents interested and alert by reading and sharing books and poetry with them.
Clubs are to be congratulated for all their
work, it is impossible to mention every type of project that Clubs undertake to make education accessible and inclusive of women and girls. It is certain that their actions are making a difference. The projects mentioned in this summary are just some examples of SIGBI work in education and are showcased on the following pages.
SI NANTWICH In 1995 Claire Curtis-Thomas, SI Nantwich,
asked members to help set up a scientific programme for schools in South Cheshire, to run during National Science Week. The aim was to present exciting scientific presentations to children to stimulate interest in science, engineering and technology as a career. The events would be free, funded by SET Up Science. The activities would be limited to South Cheshire with 69 schools. In 1996 the first programme of 35 presentations took place with 2,200 children. Each year a larger programme was offered. In 2010, 110 events involved 4000 children.
In 2007 the North West Development Agency provided a grant which funded the work for the past three years. However, funding from other sources has been increasingly difficult to obtain. Now, many schools have developed their own science clubs and programmes to mark National Science Week. For this reason, the Club decided that it would no longer run SET Up Science. After 15 years the members believe they have fulfilled their aims. As a final effort SI Nantwich will present one more dramatic event “Out with a Bang” and this will be staged at the Lyceum Theatre, Crewe, in October.
SI NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE The founders of the Lazarus Home
for Girls in Bethany, West Bank East Jerusalem are Samar Sahhar, a Christian Arab, and Alan Anderson, a practicing Christian from North East England who witnessed the desperate need for accommodation for abandoned and abused girls in the West Bank, Palestine. Rented accommodation was obtained but the overwhelming need for a more structured home led to the formation of a UK Registered Charity in 1999. In 2000 the Bishop of Durham led Pilgrim 2000 which assisted with funding towards the purchase of a plot of land.
A Christian Architect assisted with the design of the 5 storey home for 76 girls and staff. Work started in May 2007 and the shell of the building is complete, but funds are needed to finish the building. The girls attend the Russian Convent School as education forms a major part of their development. SI Newcastle upon Tyne have supported this project since 2000 and in 2004 won the SIGBI ‘Peace and Tolerance’ Award for the project. The Club sent out school uniforms, educational supplies and toys, as well as raising funds. The members all look forward to the day when they can visit the new home and meet all the girls.
Soroptimist News SEPTEMBER 2010 5
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