Soroptimist International of Europe

http://www.soroptimisteurope.org/

2011-02-03T07:26:00.000-08:00

http://www.soroptimisteurope.org/

Programme News January 2011

2011-01-18T01:53:00.000-08:00

Programme News January 2011

Programme News December 2010

2010-12-15T02:01:00.001-08:00

Programme News December 2010

Nouvelles du Programme décembre 2010

2010-12-15T02:01:00.000-08:00

Nouvelles du Programme décembre 2010

St-Petersburg Neva Club Water Project

2010-10-29T03:45:00.000-07:00

St-Petersburg Neva Club Water Project

Sisterhood Tour 2011

2010-10-29T03:28:00.000-07:00

Sisterhood Tour 2011

Internationale Peace Day

2010-09-21T03:11:00.000-07:00

Internationale Peace Day

Journée Internationale de la Paix

2010-09-21T03:08:00.000-07:00

Journée Internationale de la Paix

UN Women

2010-09-15T02:02:00.000-07:00

UN Women

8th Europeen Meeting and Friendship Days

2010-09-07T03:02:00.000-07:00

8th Europeen Meeting and Friendship Days

Grant of Friendship

2010-09-07T02:47:00.000-07:00

Grant of Friendship

Programme News September2010

2010-09-06T05:49:00.000-07:00

Programme News September2010

Newsletter du Programme Septembre 2010

2010-09-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

Newsletter du Programme Septembre 2010

Hopes and Dreams for Everyone

2010-08-11T00:25:00.000-07:00

SI CSW 54 2010_0001.wmv

2010-07-09T02:00:00.000-07:00

Do the MDGs influence national development policies?

2010-06-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

Do the MDGs influence national development policies?

Peace Marathon

2010-05-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Press article on Peace Marathon

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14247&article=3372&week=17

2010-05-18T00:57:00.000-07:00

Click here and read the New Programme Newsletter May 2010

Cliquez ici et lisez la nouvelle lettre d'information du Programme, mai 2010

Project SIerra

2010-04-26T05:24:00.000-07:00

Letter VII (english) from Lisbeth Hass, SI/E Project Liaison

Lettre VII (français) de Lisbeth Haas, Chargée de Liaison de Projects SI/E

Study Tour to Moldova

2010-04-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

From 17-22 March, 23 participants from Norway, Denmark, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Austria and Switzerland visited the project “Hopes and Dreams for Everyone” which is SI President Hanne Jensbo’s December 10 Appeal.

They travelled across Moldova to Napadova, Soroca, Balti, and Edinet. There they visited boarding schools where the beneficiaries of this project receive life skills education.

SI Norway cooperates with the International Organization of Migration and other local organizations to implement the project. In particular, to identify vulnerable girls and boys. The participants were also part of the inauguration of a well in a kindergarten in Edinet.

2010-04-13T08:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Soroptimists,

Another issue of interesting news about our Programme work worldwide. Share this newsletter with your friends and colleagues!

http://www.soroptimisteurope.org/data/files/Programme%20News%20April%202010.pdf

Haiti Petition

2010-04-07T08:14:00.000-07:00

Ensuring Haitian Women’s Participation and Leadership in All Stages of National Relief and Reconstruction, see the Petition signed by Soroptimist International of Europe.

Call to Women and Girls

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5095/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2433

PEP Waterprojects in 18 countries

2010-04-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

Water and Sanitation Projects

There are many water-related diseases and most of them are due to lack of sanitation

Infected person > Pathogen in excreta > Contamination of water source > Consumption of untreated water > Infection of other person

Prevention of water contamination is essential in the fight against infections. Access to clean water and adequate sanitation is a key priority for a better and healthier life.

Completed PEP Projects > here
Ongoing PEP Projects > here

8th European Meeting and Friendship Days 2010

2010-04-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

The 8th European Meeting and Friendship Days in Mijas, Spain 15th -17th of October 2010.

The five Spanish Clubs have great pleasure in inviting all our Soroptimist sisters to Spain to participate in the Friendship Days which will be held in Spanish, English and French. We have chosen the theme ‘The Power of Optimism’ in order to infuse everybody with good vibrations and renewed energy!

We have a wonderful line-up of interesting and powerful speakers - and will be appealing to all participants to share their knowledge with each other. We want to stimulate your senses by introducing you to our beautiful country, with its warm climate, tasteful cuisine and extraordinarily friendly people.

Bring your partner and stay for a few extra days – once here, you will find it difficult to leave. Please visit our website www.si-es.org for more information and registration details - and remember, airlines have wonderful deals if you book your flights early!!

We look forward to your company and being able to say BIENVENIDA A ESPAÑA!

webclip: Sylvia Borren / So Much We Can Do / PART 5

2010-04-01T05:01:00.000-07:00

Speech delivered by Sylvia Borren at the Soroptimist International of Europe Water Congress '09 in Amsterdam.

Water is Life, Sanitation is Dignity

http://www.soroptimisteurope.org
http://www.soroptimistsgoforwater.nl
webclip by: http://www.buzzmedia.net

Sylvia Borren is co-chair of the Worldconnectors and GCAP (the Global Call to Action against Poverty), chair of the EEN campaign, and Project leader of Quality Educators for All, a project of Education International labor union and Oxfam Novib.

webclip: Kenza Robinson / Water, Women & Empowerment / Part 2

2010-04-01T04:22:00.000-07:00

Speech delivered by Kenza Robinson at the 19th SI/E congress in Amsterdam.
Water is Life, Sanitation is Dignity

http://www.soroptimisteurope.org
http://www.soroptimistsgoforwater.nl
webclip by: http://www.buzzmedia.net

UNESCO-IHE and Women for Water Partnership form alliance

2010-03-22T03:15:00.000-07:00

UNESCO-IHE and Women for Water Partnership
form alliance

UNESCO-IHE and the Women for Water Partnership (WfWP) have agreed to jointly enhance women's participation in achieving sustainable

With the launch of this strategic partnership, UNESCO-IHE and the WfWP will work on UNESCO-IHE’s Waters & Society Programme, on the World Water Development Report of the United Nations and on the follow-up of the outcomes of World Water Forum 5.

Co-convenors

WfWP and UNESCO-IHE were co-convenors of Topic 6.1 'Education and Capacity Development Strategies' at the World Water Forum, at which their creative approach in highlighting the issues drew many accolades. The strategic partnership is intended to broaden the joint efforts towards inclusion of gender issues and women's empowerment in the water and sanitation sectors.

Scholarship

Besides this, UNESCO-IHE will facilitate the WfWP's participation in technical and high-level events; a future scholarship and internship programme. This also will be aimed at enhancing women's participation and practice on the ground components in UNESCO-IHE's education programs and with its academic partners. The new partners will disseminate each others material at events and will fundraise together.

Women for Water Partnership

The Women for Water Partnership is an international network of women's organisations with presence in approximately 100 countries of the world. They contribute to women's empowerment and combating poverty taking water and sanitation as a point of entry.

UNESCO-IHE website

Women for Water Partnership website

World Water Day - 22nd March 2010

2010-03-22T03:07:00.000-07:00

This is a United Nations Day.

The international observance of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.

UN-Water has chosen ”Communicating Water Quality Challenges and Opportunities” as theme for World Water Day 2010. The overall goal of the World Water Day on 22 March 2010 campaign is to raise the profile of water quality at the political level so that water quality considerations are made alongside those of water quantity.

The 2010 World Water Day 's theme; ‘It’s a Water Celebration’. During the 2010 World Water Day Celebration there shall be the launch of the Community Health Education and School Sanitation (CHESS) Africa Project, which aims at not only at helping communities and schools understand the importance of water but actually working in collaboration with these communities and schools to provide them with clean/safe water and adequate sanitation.

http://www.soroptimistsgoforwater.nl

http://www.worldwaterday.org/

Your guide to the world’s longest toilet Queue

2010-03-22T02:52:00.000-07:00

World Water Day, 22 March 2010, is a crucial
moment in the fight to tackle the global
sanitation and water crisis.

Just one month later, politicians from across
the globe will gather to discuss what they need
to do to fulfil some of the most basic rights of
the world’s citizens - access to a safe toilet and
clean water. they must act, and so must we.

The world’s longest toilet Queue is a global
mobilisation bringing together thousands of
campaigners from across the world to demand
real change. we need your voice too.

Become part of a global movement this world
water day. this toolkit will tell you how.

EARTH HOUR - 27th March 2010

2010-03-22T02:45:00.000-07:00

EARTH HOUR - 27th March 2010

Join thousands of people around the world in doing a little bit to help mitigate the effects of Climate Change.

SI/E has signed up - why don't you?

Go to http://www.earthhour.org/and add your name.

Don't forget - 8.30pm wherever you are in the world. Mmm... a candlelight dinner sounds nice!

Soroptimist International Incentive Prize

2010-03-22T02:36:00.000-07:00

The Soroptimist International Incentive Prize was awarded at the International Women’s Day in Berlin.

The SI German Union hosted the event in the federal State building of Nordrhein-Westfalen.
This was the second time the German Union presented this prize.

The prizewinner Prof. Dr. Dagmar Schipanski received a cheque of € 20,000 for her project to which inspires and stimulates women and girls to study science and physics; to increase the number of women in the world of science.

State Secretary of the Ministry of Gender, Family, Women and Integration of the Federal State, Dr. Marion Gierden-Jülich and Union President Sibylle Lindenberg presented the prize to Prof. Schipanski

The prize giving ceremony which was was sponsored by the Federal State and Henkel was attended by many Soroptimists and guests.
The goals of Soroptimist International were clearly stated by IPP Mariet Verhoef-Cohen and Union President Sybille Lindenberg.

The prizewinner, Prof. Dr. Schipanski presented her winning project and emphasized how important it is for a sustainable future that women are interested in science and physics and how vital it is for them to enroll and complete these studies.

It was an uplifting ceremony of high-quality and brought home how active Soroptimist International of Europe really are in inspiring women in all fields.

Prof Schipanski in the middel and Union president Sybille on the left.

Anna Tibaijuka / Sanitation in the Urban Millennium / PART 6

2010-03-16T04:54:00.000-07:00

Anna Tibaijuka talks about sanitation issues, at the Soroptimist International of Europe Water Congress, held in Amsterdam, 2009.

Water is Life, Sanitation is Dignity.

Anna Tibaijuka is the Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT. (www.unhabitat.org)

http://www.soroptimisteurope.org

http://www.soroptimistsgoforwater.nl

webclips by http://www.buzzmedia.net

Sylvia Borren / So Much We Can Do / PART 4

2010-03-16T04:53:00.000-07:00

Speech delivered by Sylvia Borren at the Soroptimist International of Europe Water Congress '09 in Amsterdam.

Water is Life, Sanitation is Dignity

http://www.soroptimisteurope.org
http://www.soroptimistsgoforwater.nl

webclip by: http://www.buzzmedia.net

Sylvia Borren is co-chair of the Worldconnectors and GCAP (the Global Call to Action against Poverty), chair of the EEN campaign, and Project leader of Quality Educators for All, a project of Education International labor union and Oxfam Novib.

Old Cell phone for WATER

2010-03-16T04:12:00.000-07:00

Dear all,

water is precious, as we all know.
However there is more we can do than taking shorter showers or brushing teeth without running water.
An initiative that goes along with the "World Water Day / Weltwassertag 2010" is aimed at helping those people that have no or bad access to clean water:

http://www.wasserfuerafrika.de/

I would like you to help me supporting one of the projects:
Every old cell phone, old, not in use, that is sent to Vodafone, results in a donation of 3 Euros. The money will be used to support the water projects in Africa.

--> If you have any old cell phone, that is broken or just not used, please give it to me. I will organize the shipment to Vodafone and will keep you updated on the amount of money we were able to collect. Just put it on my desk or send it via Hauspost (M02) please.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR COOPERATION !!!!

http://www.wasserfuerafrika.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=55

Kind regards, Ulla

Ulla Hüppe
International Brand Management
- Gliss Kur

International Women's Day 2010

2010-03-09T04:30:00.000-08:00

International Women's Day 2010

Monday, 8th March 2010

International Days

Even though it may not be considered fashionable these days, I have to confess that I am a feminist. Originating from the suffragettes who chain-linked themselves to lampposts and the bra-burning hippies from the seventies, feminism is now considered slightly ridiculous and outdated. The young women of today either think that women have equal rights or that the good old days of being a housewife were not that bad after all.

For me, feminism simply means that a woman has the same rights as a man, has equal access to health services and education and can function as a responsible, leading person in her community. Those minimal rights are still a utopia for millions of women and girls today. We, as Soroptimist, must empower women and girls to become equal partners in their communities and show our solidarity to the women all over the world by celebrating March 8, International Women’s Day

Education is the key to a better life; literacy enables women to know and defend their rights and opens the road to self-improvement. To be educated and to go to school, girls must have the time and be in good health. Freeing them of water-fetching chores gives them time. Having access to clean water and adequate sanitation helps preserve their health.

That is why World Water Day on March 22nd is so important and must remind us of the 2.5 billion people who lack these basic services. Soroptimist can help by supporting and implementing water and sanitation projects.

In most communities, women are responsible for providing and managing the water supplies. By setting up practical and sustainable water projects and teaching the women to manage them, we empower the local women to be responsible and respected members of their community.

Women’s emancipation and access to safe water and sanitation are both basic human rights that SI/E has pledged to sustain.

So, with all this in mind, I encourage you to be an old-fashioned feminist like me: stand up for women and their rights (no handcuffs or bra-burning needed) and campaign for access to safe water and sanitation for all – but especially for women and girls. If you need inspiration, please go to our water website www.soroptimistsgoforwater.nl or go to the SI/E web site www.soroptimisteurope.org and learn about the latest projects and events .

In friendship,

Eliane Lagasse

SI/E President 2009-2011

Video Message from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

2010-03-09T04:28:00.001-08:00

The fight for women’s rights is central to the UN’s global mission.

Fifteen years ago, in Beijing, Governments committed themselves to equality, development and peace for all women, in all countries.

The Beijing Declaration was a landmark on the road to women’s empowerment.

It has guided policy making.

It has inspired women and girls to strive for equality and opportunity, and reminded everyone that this is their right.

We have seen progress.

Girls are now more likely to receive an education.

Women are now more likely to run businesses or participate in government.

But much work remains.

Death in childbirth is still too common. Too few women have access to family planning.

Violence against women remains a cause of global shame, and sexual violence in war is endemic.

I have just appointed a special representative to mobilize international action to address these crimes.

At the United Nations itself, we have more women in senior posts than at any time in history.

Securing women’s rights is central to all our hopes for peace, security and sustainable development.

As we look back on 15 years of achievement, let us look forward to a world of equality and progress for all.

Huge Garbage Patch Found in Atlantic Too

2010-03-03T08:07:00.000-08:00

source: National Geographic News

Published March 2, 2010

Billions of bits of plastic are accumulating in a massive garbage patch in the Atlantic Ocean—a lesser known cousin to the Texas-size trash vortex in the Pacific, scientists say.

"Many people have heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch," said Kara Lavender Law, an oceanographer at the Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. (See pictures of the Pacific Ocean trash vortex.)

"But this issue has essentially been ignored in the Atlantic."

The newly described garbage patch sits hundreds of miles off the North American coast. Although its east-west span is unknown, the patch covers a region between 22 and 38 degrees north latitude—roughly the distance from Cuba to Virginia (see a U.S. map).

As with the Pacific garbage patch, plastic can circulate in this part of the Atlantic Ocean for years, posing health risks to fish, seabirds, and other marine animals that accidentally eat the litter.

For entire article, visit National Geographic

Cousteau webclip by Soroptimist International of Europe / Buzzmedia Network

Writing Women Back into History

2010-03-02T07:08:00.000-08:00

March is Women’s History Month!

Check out the National Women’s History Project’s

"Writing Women Back into History."

http://www.nwhp.org/whm/index.php

Anna Tibaijuka / Sanitation in the Urban Millennium / Part 5

2010-02-27T11:21:00.001-08:00

Anna Tibaijuka on sanitation issues and their effects on women.
Speech held at the Soroptimist International of Europe Water Congress, held in Amsterdam, 2009.

Water is Life, Sanitation is Dignity.

Anna Tibaijuka is the Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT. (www.unhabitat.org)

http://www.soroptimisteurope.org

http://www.soroptimistsgoforwater.nl

webclips by http://www.buzzmedia.net

Jointly achieving sustainable livelihoods

2010-02-27T10:38:00.000-08:00

UNESCO-IHE and the Women for Water Partnership (WfWP) have agreed to jointly enhance women's participation in achieving sustainable livelihoods

With the launch of this strategic partnership, UNESCO-IHE and the WfWP will work on UNESCO-IHE’s Waters & Society Programme, on the World Water Development Report of the United Nations and on the follow-up of the outcomes of World Water Forum 5.

Co-convenors

WfWP and UNESCO-IHE were co-convenors of Topic 6.1 'Education and Capacity Development Strategies' at the World Water Forum, at which their creative approach in highlighting the issues drew many accolades. The strategic partnership is intended to broaden the joint efforts towards inclusion of gender issues and women's empowerment in the water and sanitation sectors.

Scholarship

Besides this, UNESCO-IHE will facilitate the WfWP's participation in technical and high-level events; a future scholarship and internship programme. This also will be aimed at enhancing women's participation and practice on the ground components in UNESCO-IHE's education programs and with its academic partners. The new partners will disseminate each others material at events and will fundraise together.

Women for Water Partnership

The Women for Water Partnership is an international network of women's organisations with presence in approximately 100 countries of the world. They contribute to women's empowerment and combating poverty taking water and sanitation as a point of entry.

UNESCO-IHE website

Women for Water Partnership website

75% of China's rivers and lakes are polluted

2010-02-24T09:23:00.000-08:00

China has 20% of the world’s population but only 7% of global water resources. To make matters worse, 90% of cities’ groundwater and 75% of rivers and lakes are polluted according to the World Bank. This means that 700 million people drink contaminated water every day.

source: 15 Facts About China That Will Blow Your Mind

http://www.businessinsider.com/15-facts-about-china-that-will-blow-your-mind-2010-2#the-majority-of-chinese-drink-polluted-water-15

WHITE PAPER ABSTRACT: Teen Dating Violence

2010-02-23T08:27:00.000-08:00

source: soroptimist.org/whitepapers/wp_teendating.html

In this white paper, Soroptimist International of the Americas, working to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world, examines the issue of teen dating violence. Dating and intimate relationships are a normal part of growing up for many adolescents. Yet teenagers frequently form their first romantic relationship without a clear understanding of what constitutes a healthy versus an unhealthy relationship.

As a result, they are particularly vulnerable to becoming targets of dating abuse. Fifty-seven percent of teens know someone who has been verbally, physically, or sexually abusive in a dating relationship. Moreover, females ages 16 to 24 are more vulnerable to intimate partner violence than any other age group. Although the patterns and signs of teen dating violence tend to mirror those exhibited in adult abusive relationships, there are some unique issues that teens face. This white paper examines those unique issues as they relate to the factors that influence teen dating violence, as well as the consequences thereof.

The paper also addresses the unique obstacles teens face when seeking help and/or deciding to end an abusive relationship.

Download White Paper

webclip: Soroptimist Africa Projects

2010-02-13T07:33:00.001-08:00

Soroptimist Africa Projects from Soroptimist Europe on Vimeo.

See how Soroptimists support their sisters in various development projects and in helping to build a better future. Projects run by Soroptimists in Africa for improving conditions for young women.

soroptimisteurope.org
soroptimistsgoforwater.nl

webclips by:
buzzmedia.net

webclip: Anna Tibaijuka / Sanitation in the Urban Millennium / Part 4

2010-01-29T05:02:00.001-08:00

Anna Tibaijuka / Sanitation in the Urban Millennium / Part 4

Anna Tibaijuka on sanitation issues. Speech held at the Soroptimist International of Europe Water Congress, held in Amsterdam, 2009.

Water is Life, Sanitation is Dignity.

Anna Tibaijuka is the Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT. (www.unhabitat.org)

http://www.soroptimisteurope.org
http://www.soroptimistsgoforwater.nl

webclips by http://www.buzzmedia.net

Clean Water for a Healthy World

2010-01-29T04:34:00.000-08:00

Water and sanitation

Clean Water for a Healthy World

Water is life. It is as simple as that!

Did you know that 1 in 6 of us around the world does not have access to safe, clean water? That for many, the only water available is over five miles away or brown or too expensive? Can you imagine going a day without water? Or seeing a child die from diarrhea because he or she only had dirty water to drink?

In the 2010 World Water Day shall be organising activities with the theme; ‘It’s a Water Celebration’. During the 2010 World Water Day Celebration they shall be launching the Community Health Education and School Sanitation (CHESS) Africa Project which aims at not only helping communities and schools understand the importance of water but actually working in collaboration with these communities and schools to provide them with clean/safe water and adequate sanitation.

Project: Rainwater harvesting, Bambusi, Eastern Surinam

2010-01-29T03:59:00.000-08:00

The project:

Many villages in the interior of East Surinam are already enjoying the luxury of clean and safe drinking water. However, several small villages still remain to be provided with these facilities since, in general, sponsors tend to focus on larger villages.
Formerly, water for all purposes was gathered from the mighty rivers.
Pollution nowadays has reached a level that has become a threat to the health and safety of the people concerned.

Using rainwater harvesting in large water-containers has proven to be a rather simple solution for these problems: containers can be purchased locally and transported to the villages while installation, after properly instructions, can and will be done by the locals themselves.

Providing the small villages with clean and safe water gives the people both health and socialwise advantages to improve their standard of living.
This project is meant for 5 families living in Bambusi in the Beneden-Marowijne area.

Main target of the project:
To provide safe and clean water for people living in villages in the interior of eastern Suriname
People will be trained in proper use and maintenance, a training program established by Pater Ahlbrinck Stichting (PAS)
People will work together; they will be able to live more healthy and will cooperate with the civil society organization.

Involvement of the target group:
The target group will appoint a project coordinator. The person will organize the participation of the target group such as taking care of the installation of the water tanks; transportation of these water tanks, using their boats for transportation etc

In Cooperation with:
- PAS (Pater Albrinck Stichting) an organization existing for 40 years, very active in the interior of Suriname and therefore familiar with the needs of the locals.
 - SI Club of Paramaribo, Surinam
(Contact: Agnes Guda e- mail: agsomsar@planet.nl)

Total Cost:
5 water tanks for Bambusi 5 x SRD1350,- = 6750 SRD ,- (€1688,-)
Sponsor € 88,-

SI Project: Let our children drink safe water

2010-01-29T03:25:00.000-08:00

SI Karşıyaka, Turkey
Project: Mevlana Primary School
Improve access to clean water, sanitation and essential food resources

In our visits to Mevlana primary School, we observed that the outside garden fountains were not sanitized enough and we established a filtration system to clean water.

We believe that safe water is essential in our lives and we want to protect our children from the disadvantages of contaminated water.

Our member, who was a mechanical engineer, did the research and her own company placed the filtration system. It worked with Ultraviolet energy and cleaned the micro-organism. We proved it by the analysis of water.We also had an opening in the school garden with the students, members and the school board.

Results  The school garden fountains were proved to be safe with analysis and the children could drink clean water while they were playing .

Women Helped 750
 Girls Helped 20
Project Start 12 / 2008  Completion n/a
Project Costs $501-1000 
Number of Hours 401-500

Join the advocacy campaigns

2010-01-28T07:08:00.000-08:00

JOIN THE ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS

8th March 2010

www.womenforwomen.org

JOIN WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE – is the crescendo of our first integrated global event. It unites women all over the world in showing that they can build the bridges of peace and development for the future. By joining this event women will be standing alongside women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Iraq, Sudan, and Nigeria in saying no to war and yes to peace, development and hope.

Toolkit

22nd March 2010

www.worldtoiletqueue.org

MAKE A STAND FOR SANITATION & WATER

Join a Guinness World Record attempt – and help solve a global crisis at the same time.

A shared message from Social NGO's across Europe

2010-01-24T03:27:00.001-08:00

from The European Women's Lobby and End Poverty

2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion

2010 has been designated as the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. The Year comes during a time of severe financial, economic and social crisis. Part of the necessary response to this crisis is the renewal of a common vision for the type of society we want to create. A commitment to building a Europe where women and men of all ages can live free of poverty and social exclusion, should be the legacy
of the 2010 Year. This would contribute to a real recovery plan to address the current crisis.

Poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon

It is not simply the lack of financial resources and income, whether through employment or social benefits. It also encompasses the notion of vulnerability, precariousness, lack of opportunities, injustice and denial of rights, such as access to
education and health, housing, employment, services and infrastructure, as well as access to information, culture and political participation.

Against the backdrop of the worldwide financial and economic crisis, NGOs are concerned that the current EU strategy of ‘growth and jobs’ and market liberalisation, without attention to fairness, inclusion, participation and re‐distribution, has failed to deliver a social Europe, where everyone has access to fundamental rights.

2010, the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, represents an opportunity to make policy changes that will have a real impact on fighting inequalities and create a Europe free of poverty in the long term. We therefore call for a wide mobilisation at local, national, and European level.

SI/E extends support to Soroptimists in Haiti

2010-01-13T07:30:00.000-08:00

January 13, 2010

Dear Soroptimist Sisters,

We are deeply saddened at the horrendous earthquake that has caused so many deaths in Haiti. We would like to extend our heart-felt sympathies to our sisters in Haiti and reassure them that we will support them throughout this disastrous ordeal.

We share the grief of all those who have lost loved ones and hope for the recovery of those who have been injured. We are profoundly affected by the devastating consequences this tragedy has and will have on Haiti’s inhabitants and we will provide any assistance needed.

Dr. Eliane Lagasse
SI/E President 2009-2011

Hanne Jensbo, Lala & Club of Fianarantsoa

2010-01-13T07:05:00.000-08:00

Dear Hanne Jensbo,

On behalf of all the members of the Club of Fianarantsoa, I hereby send you and all the members of the club of Aarhus and Aarhus Kraka our big thanks for the help you gave us in 2009.

In fact, the club has realized the building of toilets in the park and all the accessories (games such as toboggan, swing,…and the garden and the hedges around it) ; they all have been rehabilitated too.

I’m very sorry if it has taken so long for us to send you the report but the new staff of the club is not yet ready. Beside that, the political situation in Madagascar is not yet stabilized till now; that is why I've decided to send you this letter and some photos of the inauguration of the sanitary fittings on December 10th 2009.

Now, we were very pleased to tell you that everything goes smoothly and the neighbourhood have appreciated this opportunity. They have even told us that they will participate in the cleaning of the place and the surroundings.

We can’t do anything either than reiterating our deepest sympathy and our grateful thanks to you Hanne and all the Soroptimists of Aarhus and Aarhus Kraka.

Sending to you all the warmest wishes for the cold Christmas in Europe and a very happy New Year 2010 .

Sincerely yours.

Lala

Past President of the Club of Fianarantsoa.

Outcome of the Water Project of the Swiss Union

2010-01-12T05:27:00.000-08:00

I will gladly inform you about the outcome of the Water Project of the Swiss Union

2006 – 2008

We are very proud that the project was a bigger success than was anticipated.
The Swiss Union collected much more money than was foreseen. We got 120'000,- Euros, the Soroptimists in Lviv act as trustee and survey the progress of the project. They make sure that the money is spent cost-effectively for the installation of pipes and sanitation in the hospital.

CHF 25.000,- = E. 16.831,- have been spent before October 2007
With the rest of the money the sanitation in the hospital is nearly completed and the second wing can get started yet.
Total amount after 1 October Euro 103.169,-

12 Swiss Soroptimists and 2 husbands met the Lviv sisters last summer and were very pleased about the progress of the work. It was a happy moment when we visited the new wing. One mother told us that she now feels much more at ease when her child has to go to hospital, as it is no longer a mouldy place.
What's more: Our visit had the side effect, that individual Soroptimists collected money for windows, doors, electric installations, etc. as the Soroptimist Union project only entails water and sanitation installations.

There is still a lot of work to do which means employment for people in the region.

Sina Stiffler

Sponsoring clean water supply in new pipes and sanitary facilities for Hospital Bryuchovychy in Lviv, Ukraine.

Inspire Us!

2010-01-12T05:24:00.000-08:00

“Don’t keep what you do for yourself - Share it with others! Inspire us with your stories!”
- write to us on our blog or here: soroptimist.europe@googlemail.com

Anna Tibaijuka / Sanitation in the Urban Millennium / Part 3

2010-01-12T04:55:00.001-08:00

Anna Tibaijuka / Sanitation in the Urban Millennium / Part 3 from Soroptimist Europe on Vimeo.

Anna Tibaijuka talks about sanitation issues, at the Soroptimist International of Europe Water Congress, held in Amsterdam, 2009.

Water is Life, Sanitation is Dignity.

Anna Tibaijuka is the Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT. (www.unhabitat.org)

soroptimisteurope.org
soroptimistsgoforwater.nl

webclips by buzzmedia.net

SI/E Vice Presidents

2010-01-12T04:37:00.001-08:00

Vice Presidents

SI/E 1st Vice President

Tasks of the SI/E 1st Vice President (2009-2011) Ulla Madsen :

Twinning of mature and Young Unions
Countries responsible for : Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Russia

SI/E Vice President

Tasks of the SI/E Vice President (2009-2011) Daniela Stern :

Mentoring Project
Countries responsible for : Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Hungary, Slovenia, Israel, Slovakia, Liechtenstein, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic and Kosovo.

SI/E Vice President

Tasks of the SI/E Vice President (2009-2011) Boguslawa Kalita :

Coordinated Report Layout
Countries responsible for : Poland, Romania Bulgaria, Turkey, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldavia.

SI/E Vice President

Tasks of theSI/E Vice President (2009-2011) Rina Dupriet :

Dr. Suzanne Noël Award
Countries responsible for : France Monaco, San Marino, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Belgium, Switerland, Spain, Portugal, Luxemburg, North Africa and Egypt.

A Call to the 6th Peace Marathon 2010 in Rwanda

2010-01-11T04:28:00.000-08:00

A Call to the 6th Peace Marathon 2010 in Rwanda
on Whitsun 23 May

There are many reasons to go to Rwanda for the Peace Marathon 2010.

The first Marathon was organised by Soroptimist International of Europe in 2005:

For one thing, you will witness the enormous progress this beautiful country has made since the horrific genocide of 1994. Be inspired by the incredible enthusiasm of the youngsters participating in the Run for Fun event. They are the future of Africa!

Information can be provided about how to register and travel to Kigali. Details of the Tours in Rwanda can be found on the tour operator’s website http://www.mercatorassistance.rw
The marathon is the perfect occasion to meet Rwandan Soroptimists and to visit their many education and water projects around the country. You will also enjoy the wonderful Rwandan food with the freshest vegetable and fruit you can imagine. Several tours will be offered which you will find under http://www.kigalimarathon.com . For example seeing the gorillas in their natural habitat is an unforgettable experience!

Don’t miss to visit San Marco in Kigali, a unique Soroptimist project which has created a huge multifunctional meeting hall and training facility. You will be tempted to buy some of the handmade objects from pupils of San Marco and other educational projects.

The workshop in vegetable fibres for Young Designers from Europe and from Africa will take place at San Marco for the second time in May. This project is extremely fascinating http://www.gaddo.eu . See what wonderful things are made from materials like grass, banana leaves and bark.

To further support the event if you cannot personally go to Rwanda, why not contact the marathon organisations in your country and have them advertise the marathon on their website. Another idea is to organise a Peace Marathon evening in your community showing photos and a video of previous marathons.

Or, why not sponsor runners from your country to participate in the full marathon or the half-marathon?

Contact the media. Send press releases and reports before the run, and ask the media to publish articles about he results of the run. And, of course, always emphasise that it is a Soroptimist event that benefits the people of Rwanda.

For more information contact: Gudrun Horst horstgu@lpt.lu

or Bettina Scholl-Sabbatini betmar@tango.lu

Kathy Kaaf, SI/E President elect 2009-2011

Wishes 2010 from the SI/E President Eliane Lagasse

2010-01-09T09:10:00.001-08:00

Dear Soroptimist Friends,

January, the first month of the New Year, is traditionally the moment for making wishes. I
wish you, dear members of Soroptimist International of Europe, a very happy, inspiring,
healthy and successful 2010.

January is also the moment of resolutions and lists. At the beginning of a new year, most of us
make lists of things we really want to do, things we could not do until now but for which we
intend make time and invest a greater effort in the coming year.
Apart from the usual intentions such as I’ll go on a diet, I’ll stop smoking, I’ll start a course in
cooking or IT, I would like to propose some Soroptimist New Year ‘s resolutions:

I’ll try to attend every meeting of my Club
I’ll wear my Soroptimist pin every day
I’ll be proud of being a Soroptimist
I’ll talk about Soroptimist with friends and colleagues
I’ll try to recruit at least one new member for my Club
I’ll visit other Clubs and go to an international meeting
I’ll look regularly at the SI/E and SI websites
I’ll be loyal and friendly in dealing with my Soroptimist sisters
I’ll work at local projects, but also at international ones
I’ll devote myself to the cause of women and girls

If every member of our Federation keeps these resolutions, Soroptimist will bloom and
expand in the next twelve months and thus make a huge difference for women and girls.

May the New Year bring you happiness and contentment. Personally, I feel this is what
Soroptimist is all about. Being a Soroptimist is meant to be fun, to give you friendship, to
make you part of a professional network and to give you the joy of helping other women
through projects.

In friendship,

Eliane Lagasse

(SI/E President)

Anna Tibaijuka / Sanitation in the Urban Millennium / Part 2

2010-01-08T04:20:00.000-08:00

Anna Tibaijuka express her thoughts about sanitation issues at the Soroptimist International of Europe Water Congress, held in Amsterdam, 2009.

Water is Life, Sanitation is Dignity.

Anna Tibaijuka is the Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT. (www.unhabitat.org)

http://www.soroptimisteurope.org
http://www.soroptimistsgoforwater.nl

webclips by http://www.buzzmedia.net

SI/E Seminar: "THERE WAS HOPE IN THEM"

2009-12-22T03:58:00.000-08:00

Soroptimist International Club Krakow Galicja
invites to the seminar:

"THERE WAS HOPE IN THEM.
- Women at the time of war and occupation and their difficult choices"

Place and Date: Krakow, Oswiecim (Auschwitz), April 23rd-25th 2010.

Aims: Learn, understand, communicate - save the historic remembrance and truth for future generations.
- Broadening the knowledge and raising awareness of the members of Soroptimist International.
- Building ties in today’s Europe basing on the experience of the war and occupation generation.
- Showing women’s attitudes in the inhumane world.
- Paying tribute to the Holocaust victims.
- Showing collective historical memory as heritage, which should be the source of reflection and the ground for educating young generations.
- Using the dialogue in the spirit of tolerance.

Project Realisation:
The project implies the meeting of women, associated in the European and World Clubs of Soroptimist International, in Krakow; combined with a seminar (study visits, discussion panel, meeting with authors, concert, exhibition).

Our initiative is aimed at women who are interested in learning the truth behind the events of World War II in the area of Poland. Historical truth is manipulated much too often. The witnesses of the past events, including the generation of children who were born during the war, are passing away. Therefore, women who witnessed past events have been invited to the conference to share their memories with us. The historical memory contained in the fates of individual people is very suggestive and it gives us an opportunity to empathize with them and form our own judgment on the problem. We hope that we will be able to communicate and show that the experience of war can help us overcome our contemporary, worldly problems or face various adversities. It will help us believe that people are able to unite against evil.

We want these saved memories to contribute to the development of humanistic attitudes. In the period of moral evil, when many women were victims of inhuman deeds (medical experiments, rapes, murders of the innocent), women also played an important role. For them life was, unquestionably, the most important value. Having saved and given the gift of life, they were becoming the carriers of dignity and guaranteed survival. They could forgive, overcome their hatred, nurse hope.

The seminar participants associated in Soroptimist clubs often try to find for themselves new social challenges and missions. Sharing the knowledge on the experience of women in extreme war conditions, we want to boost their motivation and support their faith in the belief that every activity to help others, in every historical context has a profound meaning.

Seminar Program:

Friday, 23rd April 2010
• Arrival, Accommodating participants
• Visiting Krakow under the banner of Krakow as a meeting place of many cultures
• Opening the seminar in Galicja Museum:
• Speech by the Representative of Galicia Jewish Heritage Institute
• Dignity saved… -Meeting with exceptional women, history witnesses:
- Roma Ligocka – a writer, painter and the author of ”The Girl in the Red Coat”, the prototype of the figure of a girl in the film “Schindler’s List” by Steven Spielberg;
- a woman awarded the title: Righteous among the Nations of the World;
and
- the Survivor
• Dinner
• Late Evening Walk in Kazimierz – the Jewish District of Krakow

Saturday, 24th April 2010
State Museum Auschwitz -Birkenau in Oswiecim:
• Visiting the camp in Auschwitz and the camp in Birkenau
• Women’s camp stories – meeting with a Museum director
• Lunch
Maximilian’s Centre in Harmeze, Franciscan Monastery
• visiting the exhibition: - Labyrinths of Memory, works by Marian Kolodziej, an ex Auschwitz camp prisoner depicting camp life and experience.
• Man in the presence of evil - discussion
Galicja Museum:
• Dinner
• Song koncert by Jaga Wronska, an artist of Loch Camelot

Sunday, 25th April 2010
A Walk in Krakow:
• Podgorze – places connected with Krakow’s ghetto (“The Pharmacy under the Eagle” - a supply and contact spot for the Jews living in the ghetto, Oscar Schindler’s Enamelware Factory)
• Sightseeing
• Lunch
• Free time
• Optional - Temples and Cemeteries of Kazimierz

Seminar costs:
Registration fee - 270,00 euro (program costs: guides, consecutive translation, entrance fees, transport, meals – lunches, dinners)
Accommodation approx. - 80,00 euro per night x 3 nights = 240,00 euro

We would like to ask the ladies interested in the seminar to confirm their participation by 15th January 2010 by sending an e-mail to the following address: klubgalicja@gmail.com

Animated Climate Talks: Voices from COP15

2009-12-22T02:52:00.000-08:00

The Little Mermaid laments the COP15 outcome

2009-12-22T02:42:00.000-08:00

The Little Mermaid laments the COP15 outcome. Members of the tcktcktck coalition of more than 15 million people today called "Climate shame" on heads of state in Copenhagen.

source: http://www.greenpeace.org

Anna Tibaijuka / Sanitation in the Urban Millennium / Part 1

2009-12-19T06:51:00.000-08:00

Anna Tibaijuka / Sanitation in the Urban Millennium / PART 1 from Soroptimist Europe on Vimeo.

Anna Tibaijuka express her thoughts about sanitation issues at the Soroptimist International of Europe Water Congress, held in Amsterdam, 2009.

Water is life, Sanitation is dignity, and unfortunately for the majority of humankind, this dignity is simply not there.

Anna Tibaijuka is the Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT.

(www.unhabitat.org)

soroptimisteurope.org
soroptimistsgoforwater.nl

webclips by buzzmedia.net

Soroptimists of Saratoga celebrate 30 years of providing the ‘best for women’

2009-12-16T02:20:00.000-08:00

By MAREESA NICOSIA, The Saratogian

Click to enlarge

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Loosely translated from Latin, the term “Soroptimist” means “best for women.”

The phrase is a benchmark for success used by Soroptimist International of Saratoga County, which is marking its 30th anniversary as the local chapter of the professional women’s service club.

“We work to improve the lives of women and girls locally and throughout the world,” said 2009-10 club president Jovanka N. Harrison, a Saratoga Springs resident and research specialist for the New York State Cancer Registry.

They do it by raising money, contributing funds and rolling up their sleeves, providing public service in a spirit of camaraderie.

In the 2008-09 year, the club raised more than $24,000, the majority of which was distributed to nonprofit organizations and award recipients, including female heads of households pursuing an undergraduate degree.

For the past four years, the local club and Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services of Saratoga County have been working together to give women the tools to obtain financial and legal independence through a free eight-week program called Project Hope and Power. Soroptimist members volunteer as program facilitators and mentors, and also baby-sit for the children of the women attending the classes.

Harrison, who joined the club in 2004, said her aim as president in 2010 is to make a greater impact on the community through the club’s ongoing signature service projects and by surpassing fundraising levels.

The two major annual fundraisers are the Cabin Fever luncheon, which will next feature Virginia G. Drachman, author of “Enterprising Women: 250 Years of American Business,” on Feb. 6; and the Secret Gardens Tour on the second Sunday of July.

A longtime member and former chairwoman of the Secret Gardens Committee is Saratoga Springs resident Mary Caroline Powers, who has been a Saratoga Soroptimist member since the club’s second year.

“I felt very strongly that I needed to engage in the civic life of the community that I was living in and raising my children in, and this was a wonderful way to do that,” said Powers, who joined the club after giving birth to her third child, who is now a married mother of two.

Powers is vice president for communications and government relations for Empire State College. She and Harrision are among about 60 business and professional women in the local club, which meets monthly for dinners and programs at the Saratoga Golf and Polo Club and distributes funding to dozens of local organizations that help women and girls. Members pay dues, attend monthly meetings, serve on committees and contribute at least 12 hours of service each year.

Soroptimist members come from a spectrum of professions — they include attorneys, business owners, members of academia, fitness instructors, financial advisers, executives of nonprofits and newspaper editors. They range in age from their mid-20s to late 60s and they include retirees, CEOs, grandmothers and young mothers. Internationally, the club counts 95,000 members in 1,400 clubs throughout 120 countries.

“Any woman who is willing to give back to the community and who has the time and the resources can become a Soroptimist,” Harrison said.

The Project Hope and Power has become a keynote program of Saratoga Soroptimists. It teaches skills like resume writing, interviewing for a job, establishing credit and managing money. The objective is to help women break free from abusive relationships.

“It gives them the emotional, analytical, financial and practical skills to venture out on their own,” Harrison said. “What’s rewarding is to see the development, the strengthening of their self-esteem during the training. It gives them the things that a lot of us take for granted.”

Harrison said the program has served about 40 local women a year since its inception four years ago. It has received acknowledgement by Soroptimists at the national and international levels in the form of $10,600 in grants. The club has also received requests to teach other Soroptimist chapters how to start their own Project Hope and Power programs, she said.

“It’s about what we can do to make a difference,” she said, adding that as a Soroptimist and a world citizen, she encourages young women to “break any ceilings that may exist.”

Soroptimist public service goes well beyond local borders. Members have been responsible for a clean water project in Mexico and introducing legislation to the United Nations about abortion rights. They have been increasing public awareness about sexual trafficking. And local members like the late Betsy Davis were in the forefront of efforts to speak out against female genital mutilation, Powers said.

“I don’t think another club would have necessarily taken up these issues,” Powers said.

She described the club’s founding members, including first president Sondra Silverhart, second president Martha Margolis and third president Linda Toohey as “cracker jacks” — intelligent, energetic, influential, fun women who were leaders in the business community.

Charter member Lisa Schroeder-Bevis, who joined the club at age 23, shortly after opening the Clothes Horse store on Broadway, said the women were connected through their desire to improve the quality of life for other women and children, and they had the resources and motivation to get things done.

The formation of their female network took place in a social and cultural environment much different than today’s.

“In ’79 and ’80, the community was just beginning to brush itself off and move forward. It was not the community it is today,” Powers said. Women were not allowed to join Rotary, Kiwanis or Lions clubs in those decades. Now, they are; yet Soroptimists still has a special appeal for women, including young professionals.

“The sharing of ideas about social concerns, and doing activities that make a difference about those social concerns is a real bonding experience,” Powers said.

For more information about Soroptimist International of Saratoga County, go to www.saratogasoroptimists.org.

Cast your vote in the Angry Mermaid Award!

2009-12-14T10:19:00.000-08:00

Vote for the company or lobby group you think is doing the most to sabotage effective action on climate change.

The Angry Mermaid Award has been set up to recognise the perverse role of corporate lobbyists, and highlight those business groups and companies that have made the greatest effort to sabotage the climate talks, and other climate measures, while promoting, often profitable, false solutions.

The award is named after the iconic mermaid statue in Copenhagen - where crucial climate talks will take place this December. The mermaid is angry about the destruction being caused by climate change.

Tell us who you think is the biggest culprit by casting your vote online now!

(info from: Friends of the Earth International www.foei.org )

The Soroptimists Commit Themselves to Water

2009-12-14T08:13:00.000-08:00

WATER, A NATURAL PROPERTY and COMMUNAL INHERITANCE
A PUBLIC PROPERTY

Sensitive to the universal principle of water, the source of life

Conscious that it concerns one of the crucial stakes in this 21st century for the future of humanity and life on the planet

Convinced that its increasing short supply in a quantitative and qualitative level, due to global warming, gives it even more a character of communal property, and public world heritage.

WE ASK

Respect for this essential property, indispensable to the life of all human beings or living species.

Guaranteed access to all to this precious property and its recognition as a human right.

For this dramatic situation in terms of food, access to water, health, for three billion impoverished human beings should finally be taken into account.

Participation of every citizen to its safeguarding, protection, valorisation in the interest of all and future generations.

Because it is unacceptable that access to drinkable water is still denied to more than a billion and a half people, that more than 2.6 billion have no access at all to sanitary facilities and that the measures taken at the present time to stop the devastation of the planet’s water resources still remain derisory.

In the light of the conclusions and the proposals formulated during the International Conference «Peace with Water» which was held in the European Parliament in Brussels on the 12th and 13th February

WE ASK

the political powers engaged in the negotiations of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climatic Change (UNFCCC) to support us legislatively and financially in order not to make water a source of conflict between populations, regions, riverside countries or transnational hydrographic basins.

WE EXPECT

That the problematic of water should be put on the agenda of the COP 15 of Copenhagen in December 2009

That the « Treaty of Copenhagen » should approve of the principle of starting a process of definition and approval of a World Protocol on Water for the period 2010-2012.

That the Conference of Copenhagen should recognise the urgency of a Political World Agreement on Water under the aegis of the United Nations and affirms the necessity for the international community to have at their disposal an effective action and world cooperation instrument such as the « United Nations Water Authority ».

SI St Helena Celebrates 25th Birthday

2009-12-14T07:50:00.000-08:00

Soroptimist International

Why do 93,000 women in 3,000 clubs from 125 countries belong to Soroptimist International? Because they want to make a difference in today's world.

Soroptimist International is a world wide organisation for women in management and the professions, working through service projects to advance human rights and the status of women.

The general structure of Soroptimist International is shown in the diagram below:

The Mission Statement for Soroptimist International is:

Through international partnerships and a global network of members, Soroptimists inspire action and create opportunities to transform the lives of women and girls by: advocating for equity and equality; creating safe and healthy environments, increasing access to education. Developing leadership and practical skills for a sustainable future.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has" - Margaret Mead

Soroptimist International of Helena

Soroptimist International of Helena is one of 17 clubs in the Region of Western Australia and is a member of Soroptimist International of Australia and part of the Federation of the South West Pacific.

Our club was chartered on the 14 April 1984 with Dr Sheila Lungley as the Charter President.

The club logo depicting a vine leaf was designed by Charter member Josephine McMullan. The objective of the design was to produce an attractive, meaningful insignia at nominal cost.

The current President wears the club insignia to meetings and important functions. The design incorporates the blue Helena River flowing over a green enamel vine leaf. This depicts the area where our members live and the major industry of grape growing and wine making in the Swan Valley.

This is surrounded by a raised silver octagon, the centre of which is serrated to form the vine leaf. It is inscribed with the words "Soroptimist International of Helena".

Soroptimist International of Helena Club Jewel and Chain of Office

The insignia hangs on a Chain of Office which lists all the previous Presidents and the term that they served.

For 2009 our President is Kim Kennedy with Rosalie Gordon as President Elect.

Swiss Clubs Bad Ragaz and Chur in Mali

2009-12-08T03:48:00.000-08:00

Swiss Clubs Bad Ragaz and Chur in Mali with Roswitha Ott, SI / E Project Manager Africa and Club Bamako Lumière and Club Bamako Espoir

Wonderful meetings in a colourful country

2009-12-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

Help for the people in Mali

Wonderful meetings in a colourful country

6 women of the Swiss Clubs Bad Ragaz and Chur could take the possibility to accompany Roswitha Ott, SI / E Project Manager Africa, on her journey to Mali. Once not only listen to Roswitha’s report on the projects in progress and on the new plans for the future, but visit an African country ourselves and see, what problems people, and especially women and children, daily has to face, was a deeply touching experience.

At November the 5 we arrived in Bamako, the capital city of Mali, and were warmly welcomed by the sisters of the two clubs in the city; Club Bamako Lumière and Club Bamako Espoir.

In the following three days we visited the villages of Diffémou, Sanankorobougou, Soukoulabougou, Bla and Tallo and saw impressive achieved work.

In Diffémou and Sanankorobougou we saw the new built wells. They go down to 23 meters, are functioning with India-pumps and work very well. Tablets on the wall of the wells tell the names of the financing Clubs and single persons.

In the small village of Diffémou we also visited the school with its 3 classrooms. Unfortunately the school is not in a good shape. Only two years ago the building was repaired as best as possible, but the rooms are already visibly dilapidated and the school is too small for the growing group of about 300 children. Happily the new school-toilets function very well and they are clean.

On Saturday, we had the honour to inaugurate the new wonderful well in Soukoulabougou. This new well in this small village, about 2 hours to drive from Bamako, will become a model for other wells in the region. It is also around 23 meters deep, well protected, with two water places for animals and in the Soroptimist colours. To build the well cost about 5’000 Euro and was financed by a couple in the area of the Club Bad Ragaz.

The sisters of the Club Bamako Espoir, which their work on the scene, were helping enormous that this well has been built so well.

In all visited villages we were very impressed, how good the wells are maintained and how estimate the people that help. A well in their area makes live much easier and the clean water supports health. Every visit was accompanied by dancing and music, by gifts and speeches from different persons. What colourful, friendly meetings!

Back in Bamako we visited the project of the school of the nuns of Marie Immaculée, where 22 girls with difficult backgrounds can get basic school instructions and an apprenticeship as tailors in a three year program. The school few is payed by Swiss godmothers. Roswitha Ott is looking year for year that it is possible for the young girls to continue their studies. After a sight in to the lessons, Roswitha Ott had the pleasure to announce the opening of next step of the project, a tailor studio named “Salon de l’ Espoir Brigitte”.

The first two girls who finished the three year program will have an income from their work in the salon.

Another highlight of our journey was the afternoon in the school of Talo. As we arrived, the whole area was gathered under the trees in front of the school. Again there were thanks on both sides, music and dance and at the end our Club-President, Martha-Maria, had to kick off the traditional football-match between the eldest students and the teachers.

Later on our journey, on the way to the sisters of the Club Alliance in Timbuktu, we visited several villages of different ethnic groups. It was always very impressive to see the people on her daily activities, to see all the children and take a short look into a different world. A world that often seems cheerful and happy but in which the poverty and the lack of perspectives are nearly always present. Above all, the children, standing around, having no possibility to go to school, begging, being without any elder person who visibly care about them, filled our hearts and brought several questions and discussions.

After nearly 1000 kilometers from Bamako to Timbuktu; through fields of millet, zones with Baobab-trees, deep-green rice plants and bright-yellow steppe and endless open countryside we were again very well welcomed by the sisters in Timbuktu. There, we visited first a school for children from poor families and could see how motivated the students are.

Later we walked through the legendary town of Timbuktu while Roswitha Ott saw other realised projects and studied new ones.

The Club of Alliance (Timbuktu/Mali) was chartered in 2006 and since then the Club has initiated a lot of projects and hast become a strong and active group.

We met the women of the Club for a very special dinner at the roof of Madame Aissa Baba Touré’s house. There was a lot of chattering and laughing between the women and some new bonds between Mali and Switzerland have started, this evening.

A big “Thank you” to Roswitha Ott who gave us the opportunity to join her and to see some of her work and also a big, colourful “Thank you” to all the women who accompany us during our journey!

6. Dec. 2009 / Barbara Gmünder

Safe Water for a Safe Life

2009-12-02T07:33:00.000-08:00

Our Programme: Safe Water for a Safe Life

Water makes our Earth different from other planets. It is our best friend and our worst enemy.

Water is the source of life, billions of years ago life originated in the seas and we still spend the first nine months of our life in amniotic fluid.

The largest part of our planet is covered with water but only 0,6% is available for human consumption and that makes it a precious and non-renewable resource.

. The worldwide water crisis exists and is serious, it is not only a problem for regions traditionally considered as lacking in water resources, the water problem has become global from a quantitative as well as from a quantitative perspective. The world economy has exploited, wasted and polluted so much that in 2007, for the first time, the withdrawal of water resources in the world outweighed the capability of this resource to renew itself.

Without water no food, one of the consequences of global warming is progressive desertification of certain regions in Africa with resulting crop failure and famine.

We humans are as guilty for the impending water disaster as is climate change.

We need 2 liters of drinking water each day but in the Western world we use 2000 liters for the production of our food, every day. To produce 1kg of wheat 1000 liters is needed and for 1 kg of meat it takes 13,000 liters.

The small percentage of fresh water available for human use is distributed very unequally.

The amount of water used daily by an American is 400 liters, by a European 200 liters, an African can dispose of 30 liters or less, and 5 liters a day is the absolute minimum needed to survive.

To quote Kofi Annan: What is needed along with fresh water is fresh thinking. We need to learn how to value water.

Water is the source of life, of food, but water also kills: 8 million die from water-related illnesses every year, 15 deaths every minute and most of them young children. In Sub Saharan Africa the child mortality rate under the age of 5 is 157 per 1000 compared to 4.6 per 1000 in Western Europe.

The only way to change those figures is to make access to clean water and adequate sanitation an unalienable right of all but also to oblige all to preserve and conserve water resources.

The WHO estimates that 80% of all illnesses in the world can be attributed to unsafe water, lack of sanitation and poor hygiene. In 2002, diarrhea caused 1, 8 million deaths; in developing countries they are at the origin of 21% of childhood deaths under the age of five.

In highly developed and industrialized countries the health hazards are related to water pollution by industrial waste. All of us remember the ecological disaster that occurred when a big chemical plant dumped its waste into the Rhine. Even without incidents, our water is polluted by chemicals such as phosphates, nitrates and pcb; pcb or poly chloro biphenyl is very toxic, the biodegradation is slow and it accumulates in fat tissue. You can even find it in significant amounts in mother’s milk. In fact, our bodies are so polluted that it would be unwise for a cannibal to eat us!

We have talked about the problems, now let’s look at solutions.

What can we, as Soroptimists, do?

We can implement projects dealing with each of those problems, projects about:

· Access to water

· Water purification

· Fair distribution and management of water

· Sanitation with a gender balanced approach

· Hygiene and health care

· Industrial pollution

· Waste water treatment

· Education/awareness about water and the environment

· Capacity building for women in regard to water and sanitation initiatives

· Sustainable agriculture

· Awareness raising about climate change

Those are a few possibilities and all of them can be addressed as Awareness, Advocacy or Action projects and can be related to the 10 Program Focus Objectives.

During the first two years an extraordinary amount of projects were implemented, for the next two years I have high expectations and I strongly encourage the clubs to focus on the vital importance of

Safe Water for a Safe Life

Dr. Eliane Lagasse (SI/E President)

soroptimistsgoforwater.nl

soroptimisteurope.org

Roswitha Ott - Mali Visit - Photo's

2009-12-02T07:14:00.000-08:00

Roswitha Ott - SI/E Project Manager Africa - Mali Visit

Cutting the ribbon in the name of the sponsor

School in Tombouctou

Tailoring at the School of the nuns of Marie Immaculéé

The new well in Koriomé near Tombouctou (Financed by SI/E)

The well of Soukoulabougou

Our girls in teis school financed by godmothers

MALI VISIT of ROSWITHA OTT

2009-11-27T09:54:00.000-08:00

Dear All

I am used to write factual reports of my visits to other countries. With Mali it is a bit different. It is a country so full of hospitality and friendliness. So please apologize when my emotions shine through from time to time. For the first time I was travelling with six members of my own Club Bad Ragaz who have helped me a lot during my nine years as Mama Africa. I wanted to show them the results of their work. For me and for them it was a very good experience. It was impressive to see the reactions of the six ladies to the work done in Mali by the Clubs of Mali and by SI/E and by the Club Bad Ragaz itself.

5 November 2009

Arrival in Bamako late at night. We were welcomed by many Soroptimists of the two Clubs Lumière and Espoir and the travelling office Amadou Traore.

6 November 2009

Diffémou

As always in Mali, the first trip goes to the long-term project Diffémou. The children welcomed us with enthusiasm and showed us the school and the new toilets. The very old building was repaired best we could two years ago: a new roof, new benches, new paint on the walls. But it is obvious that Diffémou needs a new schoolhouse with six rooms. Today 300 children go to school in three rooms in two groups, one in the morning, the other one in the afternoon.

The new well and the toilets function very well and are clean. But we were a bit disappointed that the medical centre was not open and the midwife not present.

School of the nuns of Marie Immaculée

Since 2005 many Swiss godmothers finance the 22 girls in the Centre of Marie Immaculée. This project has developed very well. The girls have learnt to read and write and after three years of basic instruction they can start an apprenticeship as tailors. Two of them have finished already and present their diplomas. The next step in this project is the opening of tailor studio called “Salon de l’Espoir Brigitte” where the girls who have finished their training can work as tailors and earn a living. Asked amount for room rent for the first year, 10 machines, tables and the material EUR 3’500.

7 November 2009

A water day in the area of Kati with Club Bamako Espoir

Water projects in Sanankorobougou

The population of Sanankorobougou welcomes us with music and dance. Everybody seams to be happy and so are we. This village has now two new wells financed by members of Club Bad Ragaz and my former students. It is good to see the very stable buildings. The wells are furnished with India-pumps, go down to 23 meters and work well.

Inauguration of the well of Soukoulabougou

What expected us in Soukoulabougou was overwhelming. The local authorities were there, the whole population and of course Mali TV. The well was just wonderful, a new model, in Soroptimist colours! 23 meters deep, well protected and with two water places for the animals. Everybody admired it. It was financed by a couple in my area in the name of their parents who had passed away one year ago. As everybody knew this, the festivity was very solemn and when cutting the ribbon, we begged for the blessing of the dead parents for the village and the water. The contact to the spirit of the ancestors impressed the listening population. For them the ancestors are important because they protect the living.

I left the place with two more projects in the same area, one in Kouloulabougou and a second one in Mountougoulabougou. And of course, it has to be the same model with two water places for the animals and in blue and yellow.

I would like to stop for a moment in my report and thank the Club Bamako Espoir and Aminata Traore for the big development work done during the past two years and the constant contact with me. Without this good communication the three wells would not spend the badly needed water to a population.

8 November 2009

Bla

Welcome by the women of Bla, where Club Liestal has helped after the devastating floods in 2008 with new donkeys, carts and tools by selling tulips from Amsterdam! The four wells in the vegetable garden and the fences were rebuilt by Club Kalmar in Sweden.

Village of Tallo

On the way to Tombouctou, Tallo is an inevitable stop. So many Clubs have worked for the development of Tallo under the guidance of Coumba Dembele Traore, a cityzen of Tallo who has dedicated her life to develop of her hometown. Coumba could not be with us because her husband had passed away. As his widow she has to stay in her house mourning for four month and ten days.

Tallo is a good model of development. It has a primary and a secondary school now, a medical centre, vegetable gardens two wells, a grain silo and a football team. I am convinced that also a football team can be a sign of development.

9-12 November 2009

San, Djenn, Bandiagara, Songo and Mopti

On all my trips in Africa I have not seen so much of the tourist sites of the countries. I usually run from one project to the other. With my six Sorores as company, this was now possible. Mali is a wonderful country with a great history and culture.

13-14 November 2009

On the way to Tombouctou and in Tombouctou

Seven hours drive on a sandy track, arrival on the river Niger and waiting for the ferry in a very poor nomad camp of Bozo fishermen. We finally arrived in Tombouctou at 16.00, where members of the Club Alliance expected us.

For my six accompanying sister the next day was dedicated to see the legendary town of Tombouctou. I myself visited our realized projects and studied new ones.

Club Alliance of Tombouctou was chartered in 2006. In the past three years the Club has become a well known and strong group, working to develop the town and the area.

Aissa Baba Kalil Touré, the founding President, is an important motor. The flier of the Club gives evidence of the manifold projects: a mill for the widows of Tombouctou, 27 girls of poor families put to school, building of a well in the poor nomad camp of Koriomé, a scholarship for Dr. Kadida Bocar to improve her knowledge as a medical doctor, medical equipment for the hospital, operation of ten women suffering from ostetric fistula, distribution of mattresses and mosquito nets to the poor population, and so on.

Of course all this was only possible with the help of SI/E and European Clubs. But the result is impressive.

Two new projects are presented to me: Toilets for Koriomé and water for Toya.

The women of Koriomé welcome me and show me with pride their new well financed by the SI/E Action Fund. Cholera and many other diseases have gone back with the clean water. What is missing in the big camp, are the toilets. Everybody uses the river Niger as toilet and further down people drink the same water. I take the new toilet project with me. Is now in the PEP, and I hope it finds sponsors (EUR 10’000).

Toya is too far away and also too dangerous for me to go there after the kidnapping of the two Swiss people. The Mayor of Toya, Mr. Jehia Konta, comes to see me in Tombouctou and presents a water project for 16’000 people in the area of Toya. It is a project with three partners, the ONG AMADE (Association du Mali pour le développement), Soroptimist International and the village Toya.

After a thorough discussion with my own Club Bad Ragaz, the members decide to finance this project (EUR 10’000). Club Alliance,Timbouctou is responsible for the realisation.

I thank all the Clubs of Mali for their warm hospitality, before all I want to thank the Presidents and Past-Presidents and Adama Sidibé and Aminata Traoré. It was a very fruitful trip, not only for, me but also for all the six Soroptmists accompanying me.

Maienfeld 26.11.09 Roswitha Ott, SI/E Project Manager Africa

Dr. Eliane Lagasse: Inauguration Speech

2009-11-26T05:48:00.000-08:00

Dr. Eliane Lagasse: Inauguration Speech from Soroptimist Europe on Vimeo.

Soroptimist International of Europe's New President's Inaugural Speech during the 19th SI/E Congress in Amsterdam, 2009 Eliane Lagasse, next term (from October 1, 2009 to October 1, 2011. )

SI/E President delivers a speech outlining her vision of Soroptimists and the role of the organization in the building of a better world for women and children.

soroptimisteurope.org/en/multimedia/videos.html

webclip by Buzzmedia.net

International Friendship Weekend

2009-11-26T03:31:00.000-08:00

Dear Soroptimists,

We will have an International Friendship Weekend in Budapest. Save this date please:

28-30 May, 2010 in Budapest / Hungary

More information can be sent to you late January.

For application please contact:

katalinjuhos@yahoo.com

Start Time:	Friday, 28 May 2010 at 09:00
End Time:	Sunday, 30 May 2010 at 21:00
Location:	Budapest / Hungary

President's message: Dr. Eliane Lagasse

2009-11-21T13:25:00.000-08:00

(from www.soroptimistsgoforwater.nl)

Welcome to the ‘Water and Sanitation’ website of SI/ Europe, where you can find information about our water and sanitation related ‘projects and events’.

The Seventh Millenium Development Goal is to halve the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015. Soroptimist International, whose mission is to create opportunities to change the life of women and girls, pledge their support to this goal.

An adequate supply of ‘clean water and sanitation for all’ is still an utopian ideal even in our western world. Industrial pollution and inappropriate agriculture are potential sources for problems and conflicts everywhere. Climate change with its hotter growing seasons and increasing water scarcity, is projected to reduce future harvests in much of the world, raising the spectre of a perpetual food crisis.

Health and easy access to health care are a necessity for a good life but one of the primary conditions for a healthy life are access to clean water and sanitation. Every day 30 000 people die of illnesses caused by foul or polluted water, every 8 seconds a child dies of diarrhea or other water related causes. This is totally unacceptable! I am convinced that Soroptimist International can and must make a difference!

I hereby dear ask every Soroptimist of the European Federation, during my presidency, to continue working on water and sanitation projects for the next 2 years. I urge to focus on health related projects. That means lobbying to regulate industrial pollution as well as sewage control or access to clean water and working on projects concerning health care, sanitation, irrigation and water.

This website will keep you updated on Soroptimist and international events, information and projects related to water, health and sanitation.

Would you like to participate in an existing water project or carry out your own idea’s ? The Project Exchange Pool is there for you to join in!

Are you seecking experience or would you like to share your knowledge please indicate your field of interest at the Experience Exchange Pool. It is co-operation where you give your time and professional expertise to help realize and so achieve a sustainable result.

During the International SI Convention in 2011, each Federation will be able to present its realizations. I am convinced that, after 4 years of hard work, we will be able to present excellent results on the Soroptimist go for Water theme!

Warm Soroptimist regards
Eliane Lagasse

Personal Message from Dr. Eliane Lagasse, President of the Federation of Soroptimist International of Europe (SI/E) from October 1, 2009 to October 1, 2011.

President's Theme: WATER

2009-11-21T12:42:00.000-08:00

Dr. Eliane Lagasse has chosen water for her SIE President’s theme.

In line with the UN Millennium Development Goal to halve the number of people without safe drinking and basic sanitation by 2015, SI/E President Eliane Lagasse has chosen water as the theme for her term of office 2009-2011.

For more information, please click on the link:
www.soroptimistsgoforwater.nl

Four ways to feed the world

2009-11-20T03:47:00.000-08:00

Four ways to feed the world - science-in-society - 18 November 2009 - New Scientist

IT IS humanity's oldest enemy. Despite all our science, a sixth of people in the developing world are chronically hungry.

At a summit in Rome this week, world leaders reaffirmed a pledge to end hunger "at the earliest possible date".

1 Hold on to water

2 Stop ploughing

3 Go back to basics

4 Boost yields

Click on above link to read full article!

Say NO - UNiTE

2009-11-18T07:26:00.000-08:00

Soroptimist International is a Launch Partner for this new UNIFEM initiative and on behalf of Programme Director Dawn Marie please find links and information about
Say NO - UNiTE below:

Building on the momentum of the first phase, Say NO - UNiTE will now shift its focus on showcasing and counting actions online and on the ground, towards ending violence against women and girls.

Whether it is signatures for a petition, participants at an event to raise awareness, or outreach to school children for prevention… every action will count towards a global groundswell of activism on the issue.

UNIFEM have built an interactive web platform where advocates and organizations can build their own web pages and highlight their initiatives. This way, you can reach your national/local audiences and spread the word around the world – linking local and global advocacy on the issue. The initial goal is to reach 100,000 actions by March 2010 and 1 million actions in one year:

http://saynotoviolence.org

More information and tips on how to use the web platform is available here:

http://www.unifem.org/campaigns/sayno/kits/how_to_use_the_say_no_website.pdf

World Toilet Day- Tomorrow!

2009-11-18T06:57:00.000-08:00

November 19 is World Toilet Day.
It might seem a bit ridiculous to have a special day dedicated to toilets.

BUT

· Think of the millions of people who have no access to adequate sanitation

· Think of how you should feel if you were obliged to go outside in the fields instead of disposing of a nice clean and private toilet

· Think of the thousands of girls who cannot go to school because they don’t dispose of separate toilets

· Think of all the people being ill or dying from contaminated water and poor hygiene

Our Federation theme focuses on clean water and sanitation, so it is appropriate for our Clubs to make a special effort for a sanitation project on this day. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every Club did a fund-raising activity to build one toilet? This would really make a difference.

Go to the PEP on our water website, www.soroptimistsgoforwater.nl and select a sanitation project.

Eliane Lagasse

SI/E President

How reputation could save the Earth

2009-11-15T06:11:00.000-08:00

HAVE you ever noticed a friend or neighbour driving a new hybrid car and felt pressure to trade in your gas guzzler?

Or worried about what people might think when you drive up to the office in an SUV?

If so, then you have experienced the power of reputation for encouraging good public behaviour.

In fact, reputation is such an effective motivator that it could help us solve the most pressing issue we face - protecting our planet.

Read full article here:
How reputation could save the Earth - opinion - 15 November 2009 - New Scientist

Children sanitation alert

2009-11-15T04:50:00.000-08:00

source: bbc.co.uk

Millions of children's lives are being put at risk each year because aid agencies and governments make wrong choices about health care priorities.

This is the conclusion of a new report from the charity WaterAid.

It says that diarrhoea caused by poor sanitation is killing many more children than HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria combined.

The report says the global spending on HIV/Aids hugely outweighs the amounts spent on providing better sanitation.

Read full article HERE

Fabien Cousteau: Our Water Planet, Our Health: Part 3

2009-11-15T04:37:00.000-08:00

Fabien Cousteau talks of the human impact on our (water) planet, affecting our health.
19th Soroptimist International of Europe Congress Amsterdam 2009
http://www.soroptimisteurope.org
webclip by http://www.buzzmedia.net

Who decides our fate?
Perhaps our planet decides our fate because of our actions, or in-actions?
Every ten minutes one distinct species disappears on our planet.
By 2050 only 60% of the world population will have sufficient access to clean drinking water.
It's not too late to change the course that we have set for ourselves.

Fabien Cousteau is a French aquatic filmmaker and oceanographic explorer. He is son of Jean-Michel Cousteau and grandson of the noted oceanographic explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

19th Nordic Soroptimist Meeting

2009-11-15T03:59:00.000-08:00

Soroptimists come to Bergen!

Download the Invitation HERE

The themes of the meeting are:

I. Climate Change – How can we mitigate the effects of climate change and integrate sustainability into personal choices and government policies and programmes?

II.There will also be a follow up of the human trafficking theme run by all the Nordic Soroptimist Unions, launched in Reykjavik in 2008. We have invited a representative of GRETA, the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings appointed by the Council of Europe, to give us an update on its work and on the present situation in Europe regarding Trafficking.

On-line registration as of 1. December 2009: www.soroptimistnorway.no

Start Time:	Friday, 11 June 2010 at 01:25
End Time:	Sunday, 13 June 2010 at 04:25
Location:	Bergen, Norway

Time to take Tuna off the menu

2009-11-12T02:10:00.000-08:00

The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) is calling for curbs to be imposed urgently to prevent the collapse of stocks. A lucrative industry has developed based on catching shoals of migrating bluefin tuna, then putting them in offshore cages to fatten them on smaller fish before exporting them to Japan for sushi.

Spain leads this maritime bonanza, with the biggest tuna-fattening operation in the world off the south-east coast near Murcia, but Italy, France, Greece, Turkey, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia are joining in.

But it is in Spain where a handful of big companies are misusing EU funds, under-reporting their catch, disrupting the ecological balance of the western Mediterranean and depriving local rod-and-line anglers of a livelihood that dates from Roman times, the WWF claims.

Read full article here: Independent.co.uk

L'eau sur notre planète

2009-11-09T09:11:00.000-08:00

Invitation - Water on our Planet - Conference in Lausanne, Switzerland (In French)

Les clubs de Lausanne • Lavaux • Montreux • Rolle • Vevey •
Yverdon-les-Bains du Soroptimist International
s’engagent pour l’eau et vous invitent à une conférence publique:

Enjeux écologiques, politiques et sociaux

mardi 17 novembre 2009 • 19h00

P R O G RA MME
• Dès 18h: Ouverture des portes et accueil
• 19h: Propos de bienvenue
• Allocution de madame la présidente de l’Union Suisse, Emma Brugnoli
• Conférence de monsieur le professeur Alexander J. B. Zehnder
• Présentation des deux projets choisis
• Apéritif dînatoire offert

Entrée libre et collecte en faveur des projets présentés.

(Aula des Cèdres / Avenue de Cour 25 • 1007 Lausanne)

Read PDF invitation here:
Invitation - Water on our Planet - Conference in Lausanne, Switzerland (In French)

Let’s be THE global voice for women!

2009-11-04T05:23:00.000-08:00

Soroptimists are always committed to act and shake the world!

Let’s be THE global voice for women!

We look forward to your comments and suggestions!

soroptimist.europe@googlemail.com

Project of the Month: Submit!

2009-11-04T05:01:00.000-08:00

As of this month, we will have a project of the month up on the www.soroptimisteurope.org website.

This project will be chosen from the selection of Programme Focus Reports submitted the previous month.
A small selection procedure will then reveal the winner on the website!

In this way, your projects as well as your C/Union will receive more
publicity.

So please keep submitting your PFRs onto

http://www.reports.soroptimistinternational.org

Deep-sea Ecosystems Affected By Climate Change

2009-11-04T04:46:00.000-08:00

ScienceDaily (2009-11-03) -- Deep-sea ecosystems occupying 60 percent of the Earth's surface could be vulnerable to the effects of global warming, warn scientists. Long-term climate change is likely to influence both deep-sea communities and the chemistry of their environment.

Read full article here:

Science DailyDeep-sea Ecosystems Affected By Climate Change

View Fabien Cousteau's speech, during the SI/E Water Congress in Amsterdam, on how human impact on our (water) planet is affecting our health.

Click for Webclip on Youtube

Climate Change Could Create Agricultural Winners And Losers In East Africa

2009-11-04T04:17:00.000-08:00

ScienceDaily (2009-11-03) -- As African leaders prepare to present an ambitious proposal to industrialized countries for coping with climate change in the part of the world that is most vulnerable to its impacts, a new study points to where and how some of this money should be spent. The study projects that climate change will have highly variable impacts on East Africa's vital maize and bean harvests over the next two to four decades.

Read full article here:

sciencedaily.com

Fabien Cousteau: Our Water Planet, Our Health: Part 2

2009-11-02T08:37:00.001-08:00

Over the years, the blue marble has begun to show signs of serious failing health.

Garbage patches the size of Canada are suffocating our wildlife.
If animals are dying, guess who's next?

How much more before the public has had enough of this inaction that is poisoning not only our planet but all of our children?

Fabien Cousteau talks of the human impact on our (water) planet, affecting our health.

19th Soroptimist International of Europe Congress
Amsterdam 2009

http://www.soroptimisteurope.org
webclip by http://www.buzzmedia.net

Climate map: 4-Degree Celsius Rise

2009-11-02T02:04:00.000-08:00

A new map of the world that details the likely effects of a failure to cut carbons emissions has been developed by Met Office scientists

"A 4C world would have a major impact on water availability, with supplies limited to an extra billion people by 2080. It could also be very bad news for the Amazon, with some computer models predicting severe drying and subsequent die-back. One of the biggest, more subtle, effects could be on the way the world's oceans and ecosystems absorb carbon. About half of our carbon emissions are currently soaked up in this way, which helps put the brake on global warming. In a 4C world, scientists say the amount of emissions re-absorbed in this way could shrink to just 30%."

Read entire article on Guardian.co.uk (source)

Plovdiv Soroptimist Club Annual Ball 11-13.12.2009

2009-10-31T04:00:00.001-07:00

Programme

11.12.2009

10:00 – 16:30 Welcome at Sofia Airport, transportation to Plovdiv;
Welcome in Plovdiv
18:30 – 19:00 Check in at Bulgaria Hotel or Odeon Hotel, Plovdiv
19:00 – 22:00 Dinner and Christmas Charity Ball at Trimontsium Hotel

12.12.2009

07:00 – 10:00 Breakfast
10:00 – 13:00 Guided tour in the Old Town of Plovdiv and Soroptimist project:
”Water is life” – club Plovdiv (our enormous project, aiming to reconstruct 8 fountains for drinkable water in the city of Plovdiv)

Visits to:
Roman Amphitheatre
St. Konstantin and Elena Church
Arts Gallery
13:00 – 15:00 Shopping and sightseeing in Plovdiv
15:00 – 17:00 Free time
17:15 – 18:00 Transportation to the village of Brestovica - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brestovitsa,_Plovdiv_Province
18:15 – 21:30 Dinner and Wine-tasting at the boutique Wine-cellar Todoroff –
http://www.todoroff-wines.com/new2/en/index2.htm
21:30 – 22:15 Transportation back to Plovdiv

13.12.2009

07:00 – 10:00 Breakfast
10:30 Departure or visit to Bachkovo Monastery
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachkovo_Monastery

Note: For people arriving on Thursday – December 10th, 2009, an additional tour guide of Sofia will be organized
For people leaving on Sunday – December 13th, 2009, an additional tour guide to Bachkovo Monastery or Starosel Tracian Tomb will be organized

www.soroptimisteurope.org

Package price: 195 Euro / per person

Price includes:
Dinner and Christmas Charity Ball at Trimontsium Hotel;
2-night accommodation at Bulgaria Hotel in Plovdiv;
Transportation from Sofia to Plovdiv and back;
Dinner and Wine-tasting at the boutique Wine-cellar Todoroff;
Guided tour in the Old Town of Plovdiv.

Any extras are to be paid additionally on site:
Accommodation on Dec 10th /Thursday/ or Dec 13th /Sunday/
Entrance fees to historical monuments
Guided tour in Sofia
Guided tour to Bachkovo Monastery or Starosel Tracian Tomb

Contact person: Assoc. Prof. Dilyana Vicheva, MD, PhD (president of the club Plovdiv); email: dilyanav@yahoo.com

With Soroptimist greetings - Dilyana Vicheva, president 2008-2010, club Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Learning from Durban –How to manage water and sanitation in our cities

2009-10-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

ARTICLE from switchwatersummit.wordpress.com

The city of Durban has a water supply and sanitation utility run by a company called Ethekwini Water and Sanitation Services. It provides 900 million litres of water per day to around 400,000 connections in the Durban area. It collects 500 million litres of wastewater per day and treats it all in 29 decentralised wastewater treatment plants.

There are several interesting ideas being tried out by the utility which needs a close study by water utilities in India.

As a pro-poor policy the utility is committed to delivering 6000 litres of water a month free to households as part of the South African governments policy of treating water as a human right. It does so by providing a 200 litre poly-tank in every household which is filled up every night between the hours of 12.00 and 2.00. Every family is thus given access to 200 litres of water daily, without any connection charge or meter charge. Of course subsequent water is metered and charged on an Increasing Block Tariff based on consumption.

READ FULL ARTICLE on Switch Water Summit

Water Should Be A Human Right

2009-10-26T08:02:00.000-07:00

ScienceDaily -- Experts argue that -- despite recent international objections -- access to clean water should be recognized as a human right. At the March 2009 United Nations meetings, coinciding with the World Water Forum, Canada, Russia and the United States refused to support a declaration that would recognize water as a basic human right. But this flies in the face of considerable evidence that access to water, which is essential for health, is under threat, argue the editors of PLoS Medicine.

Read article here:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629211809.htm#

Sanitation: Health, Dignity and Development

2009-10-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

This video is shot by a local African reporter in Ethiopia. The envisioned project, by HORCO and supported by Women for Water Partnership, aims to capture & protect 2 springs, construct 2 water distribution points, and train women in sanitation, primary health care, horticulture production & small scale business operations. You can support and follow this project online on the Akvo platform at: http://www.akvo.org/rsr/project/50/

and visit Soroptimists Go For Water to find out how investing in sanitation strengthens health, dignity and development.

Fabien Cousteau: Our Water Planet, Our Health; Part 1 Video by Soroptimist International of Europe - MySpace Video

2009-10-25T04:03:00.000-07:00

Fabien Cousteau: Our Water Planet, Our Health; Part 1 Video by Soroptimist International of Europe - MySpace Video

Linked in!

2009-10-23T05:21:00.001-07:00

We have just joined the Linkedin.com platform, join us and communicate!
http://www.linkedin.com/in/soroptimisteurope

Opening to SI/E Amsterdam Congress

2009-08-09T03:08:00.000-07:00

For those of you who could not attend the event, here's the passionate opening address by SIE President Mariet Verhoef-Cohen at 19th Soroptimist International Congress in Amsterdam.

Over the coming weeks we will be streaming extracts from the keynote speakers' addresses on this platform. Please watch this space in the weeks ahead. The speakers include Fabien Cousteau, with powerful messages on the impending water crisis, sanitation and women's health.

Tackling the current global water crisis

2009-07-20T05:57:00.000-07:00

SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL OF EUROPE 19^TH European Congress

The theme of this year’s congress, “Soroptimists go for water” is a highly topical issue.

Tackling the current global water crisis signifies working to preserve an invaluable local heritage in each and every country. By adopting this theme, European Soroptimists continue to strive for Peace. Indeed, how can we build peace if natural resources are being degraded to the point of scarcity? It is impossible to achieve sustainable social and economic development without a well thought out strategy for addressing ecological issues. Lack of safe drinking water is a key element, already underlying various areas of conflict.

It is women who bear the brunt of the problem of water shortage. And women must be fully involved in the management of this vital resource.

The SI congress in Amsterdam demonstrates the determination of European Federation Soroptimists to take on this challenge. The high quality speakers and ensuing discussions will surely serve to enhance our awareness of the scale of the problem.

Monique Riviere
SI/E Federation President
2005-2007

Sunday's Schedule (International European Congress 09)

2009-07-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

A quick reminder of tomorrow's Schedule (Sunday) for those attending the Soroptimist International European Congress 2009 in Amsterdam, ENJOY!

Sunday 12 July 2009

08:00 - 10:00 foyer Registration
09:15 - 09:40 plenary session summary of theme sessions
09:40 - 10:35 plenary session Sylvia Borren
10.35 - 10:45 Art in Rhythm
10:45 - 11:10 foyer coffee break
11.10 - 11:15 plenary session announcements
11:15 - 11:40 presentation of SI/E Water Awards
11:40 - 12:20 plenary session Djeevan Schiferli
12:20 - 12:50 exchange of Insignia
12:50 - 13:00 Art in Rhythm
13:30 - 19:30 boat trip

http://www.soroptimistsgoforwater.nl/SIECongress/Programme/tabid/122/Default.aspx

JEUNES FEMMES

2009-07-01T04:18:00.000-07:00

Jeunes Femmes from Soroptimist Europe on Vimeo.

soroptimisteurope.org

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