Yearbook (Eng)

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Slide 1: This is the electronic version of the biennial report of the Belgian Union of Soroptimist International (SI). This is the showcase of the most important activities and projects of the last two years 2006-2008.

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Slide 2: This document aims to make SI more visible to the outside world, to reach potential new members, as well as sponsors and press, and to inspire the clubs with their activities.

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Slide 3: SI is the biggest worldwide non-governmental organisation (NGO) of professional women. We aim to improve the status of women and girls through targeted activities and projects at local, national and international level. We strive for equal rights and opportunities and the equal representation of women at all levels of decision making in society. SI is represented in 124 countries and has about 90.000 members. Our name is derived from the Latin: we are sorores = sisters who strive for the best.

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Slide 4 : SI organises quadrennial projects which are supported by all members worldwide. Project Independence 2003-2007 raised 2 million dollars and gave medical help, job training and micro-credits in order to start a small businesses to female victims of the wars in Rwanda, Bosnia and Afghanistan. Project Sierra aims to provide the women of Sierra Leone with a route to a better life by tackling the problems of this poorest country in the world: health care (HIV care), education and job training, in short, empowerment for women.

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Slide 5: SI/E also launches 2- or 4-year projects in which all the clubs of the European Federation take part. Women Building Peace through Local Heritage was the theme of 2005-2007 and to which the Belgian clubs have actively contributed. This Unesco theme aims to change an element of our heritage which is a symbol of war, through our action into a symbol of peace. Every year on September 21st we will organise activities to raise awareness for peace, aimed especially at young people. Currently all clubs of the SI/E are being encouraged to undertake projects in connection with water. Already 19 Belgian clubs have started actions to dig wells, to install citerns for rainwater harvesting and the sponsoring of water purification systems. At the same time this project enables young girls to go to school – the key to progress - instead of walking for hours to collect water.

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Slide 6: In Belgium we have 57 clubs with 1,741 French, Dutch or German speaking members Over the last two years we have raised 1million euros for our projects

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Slide 7: During the last two years the Belgian Union has followed two guiding- principles: the first one was to emphasise the international character of our organisation, a direction, which the clubs have largely adopted. Many projects abroad were implemented, many friendly contacts were established across the borders with our sorores of other unions and federations. A high point was the 5 day visit by our “Pope” Margaret Lobo, to the Belgian Union and to whom we presented a cheque of 25000 € for her project for women in Ethiopia. The Belgian Union also became mentor of the Polish Union, many fruitful contacts were established and Friendship Links between Belgian and Polish clubs are under way. Other highlight were the charters of two new clubs.and the celebration of various silver and gold club anniversaries.

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Slide 8: The second guiding principle was to make our organisation more visible through our updated website, a new head editor for our magazine, the organisation of mediatraining and webmaster training for all clubs, the publishing of a new leaflet and other promotional material, and as cherry on the cake, this biennial report. .

Soroptimist International Belgium 2006-2008

Awards

Admin

Communication

SI and SIE

0 10.000 20.000 30.000 40.000 50.000 60.000 70.000 80.000 90.000 100.000 110.000

Chart

Column B

Funds received from subscriptions & bank interest: €260,500

Expenditure:

Total raised by Clubs: €1,000,000

Invested in projects as described later in presentation

Environment

Education & Culture

International Goodwill & Understanding

Human Rights & Status of Women

Economic & Social Development

Health

0 2,5 5 7,5 10 12,5 15 17,5 20 22,5 25

Column B

Awards

Administration

Communication

SI and SI/E

Environment

Education/Culture

Int. Goodwill

Human Rights

Ecosoc

Health

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Slide 9: Here you can see how the income of the union and the clubs was distributed. We can be rightly proud of the many actions and projects which the 57 Belgian Clubs have organised during the last two years and which have brought in 1 million euros. SI is a driving force for building a better world.

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Slide 10: The Union adopted a project from the Val Brabant Club within the framework of the European project “Women Building Peace Through Local Heritage”. We became sponsors of the Chapel of Hougoumont on the battlefield of Waterloo and raised 27,500 euros with activities including the organisation of an impressive organ concert in the cathedral of Brussels. A memorial tablet will remind the 300,000 yearly visitors of the fact that SIB was teh main sponsor of this project. A Best Practice Award rewards clubs or unions that have executed exceptional projects and brought them to a good end. The Belgian Union was awarded this distinction by the European Federation for the Hougoumont project: 5,000 euros during a ceremony at the headquarters of Unesco in Paris.

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Slide 12: During the last two years, the Belgian Union has proposed two other projects to the clubs: Children read for children. Children were asked to read as many books as possible between Carnival and Eastern to find as many sponsors as possible for each book and with the money raised to help less fortunate children. Through this action a win-win situation was created: teachers were happy that their students read, parents also, because their kids were not sitting in front of the TV and the children learned the importance of solidarity with their less priviledged brothers and sisters.

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Slide 12: We printed Christmas cards of the Belgian children’s drawings which were made for the competition during the SI Convention in Glasgow, and which were distributed to all clubs to be sold. The proceeds amounted to 25,000 euros and the money will be used for the project of our International President, her December 10 Appeal, (10 December is the international Day of Human Rights) a project for the Hamlin Fistula Relief and Aid Fund for women fistula victims in Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia. 1400 women are treated yearly.

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Slide 13: The clubs activities are divided into 6 programmes which correspond to the UN structure. By sending Focus reports of our most important actions to our representatives with the various agencies of the UN, we remain credible and keep our prviledged position as partner at the important international meetings. For more details of the projects, please see the websites of each club: www.soroptimist.be

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Slide 14: The photos mirror a fundraising activity or a project to which the funds were destined

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Through International Goodwill and Understanding SI promotes all kinds of exchange programmes.�The Belgian Union received 15 young people from the new member states of the EU for a period of two weeks.

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Slide 25: Empower women Human beings are born equal, but from the day of their birth this is no longer true. Women encounter more problems than men, even in so-called developed democracies: they are the first victims of violence, discrimination and exclusion. In some Asian countries girls are not even given the chance to be born (China and India have a shortage of 90.million women). Every year two million girls are sexually mutilated in Africa, and how many far too young girls aren’t married out to older men against their will? They are systematically raped in war zones (Sierra Leone, Congo, Bosnia): they are forced into prostitution by traffickers, or exploited in so-called free zones, where they carry out slave work for starvation pay. TWe cannot even begin to talk about equal rights and justice, as long as women are not equally represented in governments, parliaments and administrative boards of all kinds, in short, at all levels of decision making. For this they need to be trained, they need to know their rights and be able to defend themselves, in other words to become empowered. For this reason the SIB launched an on-line petition last winter to argue for 50 percent women ministers in the new government, and sent an open letter to all party chairmen.

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. Slide 26: With scholarships and donations from the action fund, SI/E helps women further, such as a promising pianist, a nurse and women in a village in Uganda, all proposed by Belgian clubs.

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Slide 27: The Belgian Union also organises annual awards for exceptional projects: Club Zuid Oost Vlaanderen received the Best Practice Award for their Kim Phuk Peace Project (see website for more information)‏ Club Land Van Waas received an award for their organ donation project Last year the SIB Action Fund gave a donation to the Land Van Waas Club for their project in a village in Uganda, and this year a donation was provided to the Charleroi club for a water project in Madagascar. For the first time, the Belgian Union also awarded a prize for the best club web page: the winner Bruxelles-Doyen received a beamer.

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Slide 28: SI is represented in countless international Organisations, such as the UN and the many associated agencies, the Council of Europe, the European Women’s Lobby, the Council of Women, etc.

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Slide 29: The 5 largest women’s organisations in the world organise education projects together in developing countries. The local population provides the accommodation, the rest is paied for by Five-O. These projects last five years and after this should become autonomous. There are currently 23 active projects.

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Slide 30: The members of SI work at two levels: at the basic level action is undertaken by the clubs in order to raise awareness for the many problems which affect women. A decision is then made to implement a concrete project and to organise an event which can produce the necessary funds. But we also target the improvement of women’s (legal) status: as all members have benefited from higher education, they possess professional know-how and an important social network, with which they can exercise pressure on authorities through lobbying, networking and petitions. In order to make an end to discrimination, violence and exclusion we need laws and sanctions. There is much pioneering work to be done by SI. Empower women worldwide, that’s our mission!

Yearbook (Eng)

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Transcript of Yearbook (Eng)