Presidents Message 2022-2024

Written by SISWP HQ Administration on 24 February 2023. Posted in Presidents Message 2022-2024.

Equity, Economic, Enterprise, Environment, Education, were the 5 core elements I introduced this biennium and it was my wish that members consider ensuring that one of these core elements are being met when implementing projects for this biennium. Each of these core elements can be addressed during the month of March when clubs and members focus on the Consultative Status of Women (CSW67), 6-17^th March and International Women’s Day, March 8. Many countries designate a whole week or month to Women’s Week/Month, it is a time when we celebrate our diversity, when we amplify our voices, we challenge and raise awareness. Have you pondered Gender Equality vs Gender Equity? I recently came across this great reference by Goodwall.io.

Equality
One thing that women’s groups are constantly emphasizing is that gender equality ISN’T a women’s issue alone. It’s an issue that affects the entire human race, including men. Both parts of the whole, men and women, need to be engaged when it comes to working upon gender equality issues.

It’s a human rights issue, and not just a women’s rights issue. And if men do not come together with women to work upon these inequalities, no transformational and lasting change will ever take place.

Equity
Gender Equity is ‘the fairness of treatment of both women and men depending on their specific needs.’ This could mean equal treatment or treatment that is different but is considered equivalent based on rights, obligations, opportunities, and benefits.

The thing to remember again is that men and women are different. There’s no doubt about that. BUT that doesn’t mean that men and women deserve different opportunities.

The way to look at the difference between gender equality vs gender equity is that equality is the END goal, whereas equity is the way to get there.

Please visit their website for the full article Gender Equality vs Gender Equity vs Women’s Empowerment can be found HERE.

In no country are women equal. In fact, the World Economic Forum predicts it will take 170 years to reach gender equality globally. Don’t waste an opportunity, use International Women’s Day (or week) and the 2 weeks of CSW67 to amplify your voices and actions. To achieve gender equity we need to change the narrative and fix systems (not women), it is the systems which do not treat us as equal.

The Turkey/Syria earthquake humanitarian suffering has shocked us to our core. Whole communities, families crushed under infrastructure which couldn’t withstand the 5.4 earthquake. Countries are rushing to assist both countries, and we give thanks when we hear of people being pulled out alive after many days. Soroptimist International has clubs in Turkey, and many of our Soroptimist sisters are suffering. I urge you to consider donating to one of the International aide groups currently working in the devastated area, or donate to the SISEAP Turkey & Syria Earthquake appeal, donations will be sent to the SI European Disaster fund for distribution. (link to our Donation page).
CSW67 SISEAP delegates who will be attending CSW67 in person consists of myself, Dr Donnell Davis (Programme Convenor), Judy Toll (SI Perth) and Sineat Som (SI Phnom Penh) and will be joined by Leigh Ellwood Brown (SI Brisbane), SI Director of Advocacy. Be sure to keep abreast of CSW67 through our blogs from the delegates on both the website and social media.

You too can participate in CSW67, register to attend virtual events via the NGOCSW website HERE.

Read more about the parallel event hosted by SISEAP, and virtual parallel events hosted by SI HERE.

In the meantime, I look forward to seeing many social media posts where you don the “Embrace Equity” pose and amplify your voice and actions for Equality.

Christine Johnstone
President 2022 - 2024
Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific
swppresident2022@siswp.org

Written by SISWP HQ Administration on 24 February 2023. Posted in Presidents Message 2022-2024.

Soroptimist International SEAP members recognise the importance of Education as a core element of our project work. Education is a basic human right; our Clubs provide many pathways towards improving education leading to economic empowerment. Just recently the Federation celebrated International Day of Education with the other 4 Federations. I do hope you were able to view the webinar hosted by SI President Maureen Maguire. Noting the SISEAP section, where we were able to showcase the Building Bridges Beyond Borders, an education initiative by SI Damansara. This presentation focused on the education of refugees and the importance of partnering to achieve results.

Also celebrated was World Environmental Education Day, which has a focus to “Identify environmental issues both globally and locally and to raise awareness about the need for participation in order to conserve and protect the environment". I used World Environmental Education Day to launch my Presidential Living with Nature Art competition. This Federation wide initiative will raise awareness of SISEAP and advance our advocacy and awareness of the changing environment due to climate change and pollution. I encourage Clubs to take up the challenge and implement a Living with Nature art competition in your community. Please watch the video and peruse the guidelines HERE. The art competition will run from now until the 5^th of June 2023.

February is a month of Club administration, as our Clubs hold their annual general meetings and elect new office bearers, who will provide guidance and leadership to Club members. I congratulate all members who take on leadership within their Clubs, whilst this is a great opportunity to be creative, inspire and motivate, build relationships and implement exciting projects, taking on these leadership roles does come with administrative duties. To understand these duties the Club Roles and Responsibilities document for position holders is recommended reading, you can find these documents HERE.

Recently I held a webinar titled “Getting the best out of the SISEAP website”, this webinar covered the rights of the Club President, Secretary, Treasurer and ICT Liaison officer to create and edit Club website pages, add events to the events module and how to update Club Position Holders after an AGM. Please take the time to watch this video HERE, the webinar is available from the webinars section of the website.

Members are our greatest asset, and providing pathways for our members for personal growth is an asset to SISEAP, with improved training our members are more confident as they step up into Club and Federation leadership roles. The Federation is pleased to announce the Thriving Futures Program. The aim of this program is to build capacity and capability for Soroptimists at all levels to ensure the organisation’s future sustainability. This program will be delivered virtually over 4 months, including an intensive 3 day face to face workshop held in Kuala Lumpur scheduled for September 2023. More details about the Thriving Futures Program can be found HERE.

International Women’s Day (IWD) and Consultative Status of Women (CSW67) are the next two programme campaigns in which Soroptimists world side participate in. Programme Convenor Donnell Davis and I will be attending CSW 67 in person, I encourage all members to participate in CSW67 which can be done virtually. To register please click HERE to create your account to allow you to participate virtually in the parallel events. SISEAP will be hosting both a face to face parallel event, as well as a virtual event, more information to come on how to view this event. I would encourage all members to be involved with IWD, which provides an opportunity for Clubs to raise awareness of the vision and mission of SISEAP, promote gender equality and what is needed for women worldwide to reach parity.

During this month I have the utmost pleasure to Charter a new Club, as we welcome the new members of SI Port Macquarie to the Soroptimist family. As we all prepare for another Soroptimist year, I thank each and every member for renewing your membership in this vibrant organisation. Your participation does make a difference each and every day and I ask each of us to remember our Soroptimist pledge, including the sincerity of friendship, the joy of achievement and the dignity of service, all of which add value to our lives. And I leave you with this:

“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
— Rob Siltanen

Christine Johnstone
President 2022 - 2024
Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific
swppresident2022@siswp.org

Written by SISWP HQ Administration on 24 February 2023. Posted in Presidents Message 2022-2024.

And just like that, it's December! and we all start asking ourselves, where did the year go?

Before the close of this year and Clubs start to think of their summer break, (or snow break if you are in Mongolia). Members have one more important campaign to complete, we will already be 5 days into the 16 days of Activism, commencing on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and concludes on 10 December, Human Rights Day.

Already, as I write this article SISEAP Clubs' social media platforms have begun to turn orange. Clubs are already showcasing their actions to amplify our voices for change. These social media campaigns are designed to shift community attitudes. Looking at the statistics, one could almost ask, what has changed in the many decades of action? We still see: 1 in 3 women will experience gender-based violence in their lifetime, and less than 40% of women who experience violence will seek help. For many decades Soroptimists along with other feminist voices seemed to be a lone voice in the wilderness. Domestic and gender based violence were perceived as a ‘feminist’ centric issue, and this we know has changed.

Over the decades it was the feminist movement that drove the change in society, our actions have contributed to open conversations, governments implementing policies and laws and national plans to reduce violence against women. Women’s movements forge strong partnerships, these partnerships focus on educating our men about respectful relationships, and having strong male role models to call out abusive behaviour. Soroptimist advocacy does not stop, and we individually must ACT, and call out gender-based violence when we know or see someone in a domestic violence situation. Whilst it looks like the situation does not change, there have been massive changes and Soroptimists are part of that solution.

I was able to travel and join the Soroptimists of Malaysia to welcome SI Melaka, as a new Club to the Soroptimist movement. It was a joyous occasion; congratulations to Charter President Lee Lian Teu and the SI Melaka members. Please take the time to send congratulatory messages and warm wishes, we look forward to hearing how the Club flourishes and the grassroots projects they initiate. Whilst in Malaysia, I caught up with several members from the SIROM Region and then travelled with SEAP President Elect Joanne Yeoh to Singapore for the joint birthday celebrations of SI Singapore Orchid City and Singapore Garden City. We also had an informal meeting, followed by a training session with 8 young women who wish to form a ‘Young Soroptimist’ Club, with such energy and enthusiasm from these young women. National President Linda Gan, Membership Convenor Asia Joyce Lim, Joanne and myself were then able to meet with up with members from each of the 3 Singapore Clubs, these visits provided great opportunities for a frank discussion on the value of membership, the implementation of projects and the growth of the Soroptimist movement, the value of friendship can not be understated. My most pleasurable task was to pin 7 of the Federation Team leaders with their Biennium badges and thank them for undertaking these Federation roles. There is no fairy godmother to run this organisation, the Federation exists because members value Soroptimist International and with courage and determination, step up and volunteer for these leadership roles. It is a strong team effort by all.

As our members come together to celebrate the end of the year, please take the time to reflect on all the outstanding work you have contributed as a volunteer to the Soroptimist movement, I am sure each Club has many success stories. Have you considered nominating your Club's successful project for the Federation Programme Best Practice Award? I hope so, the storytelling and the publication of these success stories assist SISEAP to promote the outstanding work we do. December 10, is also the Soroptimist International President’s Appeal. This is the day when Soroptimists worldwide, harness the collective power and generosity of all five Federations of Soroptimist International, in support of the Educate to a Bright Future project. Consider giving up something you love just today, it might be that cup of coffee or the chocolate bar, donate that money to the SI President’s appeal, you can do this collectively with your Club members, or individually via the SISEAP website HERE. Have you read the latest story from SISEAP SI President’s Appeal liaison Linna Khorn? Linna shares with us the story of Chay Satan, who is a single mother and raises an 11 year old daughter alone. She lives in Doun Ov Village. Read this story HERE and you will understand how powerful the Educate to a Bright Future projects are.

Christmas and the season of giving, Soroptimists give their time and money generously throughout the year, we do so knowing that we are making a difference in the life of a woman or girl somewhere in the world. Please consider Soroptimist Gift giving this Christmas, purchase a gift certificate for that special gift, let that special person know that their gift will address inequities, provide learning and education opportunities, and assist clubs in delivering grassroots projects which benefit women and girls. Order yours today by contacting HQ at hq@siswp.org. Soroptimist friends, if you are celebrating Christmas, then Merry Christmas, otherwise Happy Holidays. Enjoy the end of year festivities with your family and friends, recharge the batteries, until we meet again in 2023, and stay safe. Christine Johnstone President 2022 - 2024 Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific swppresident2022@siswp.org

Christine Johnstone
President 2022 - 2024
Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific
swppresident2022@siswp.org

Written by SISWP HQ Administration on 24 February 2023. Posted in Presidents Message 2022-2024.

March was a month of travel, attending the Commission on the Status of Women and then the National Association of New Zealand conference. Over this period there were many side conversations, one of which was “Why am I / are you a Soroptimists”. The common thread running through the responses was ‘friendship’, it seems that becoming a Soroptimist gave us a sense of purpose and companionship. Attending CSW certainly fulfilled that for me, sharing a small (very small) apartment in New York with 3 other Soroptimists, enjoying the companionship of Soroptimists from across the globe, the gaggle of voices in many tongues in the UN Cafes and public meeting spaces, many women together for a common goal of advancing the status of women and girls. Once again many women were denied the opportunity to have their voice heard, due to the inability to access a visa to enter America because of this ongoing issue civil society groups are starting to call for CSW to travel to other UN centres on a rotating basis.

Whilst in New York, I was able to attend the celebration of SI New York’s 100th Charter birthday. It was so lovely to hear of the amazing work they have undertaken over 100 years and for them to celebrate with President Maureen and other Soroptimists. The highlight of CSW was the presentation of SISEAP’s first parallel event, Digital Democracy for Disasters. If you stayed in bed and missed this, please take the time to view it on our youtube channel HERE. SISEAP is a leading example in the provision of medium to long term support to victims of disaster.

Group of Soroptimists at the end of one of the sessions

The UN Assembly room

Judy, Donnell and Christine at the Town Hall Meeting

SI New York celebration

On the way home I stopped in to New Zealand to meet up with New Zealand National President Deborah Wood and attend the Association of New Zealand conference. Another 2 days of purpose and companionship. It was a well thought out conference, with workshops intermingled between business sessions. On the Sunday there was a moving ceremony where the chains of office for the North and South Regions were blessed and recognition of the past immense work undertaken by Soroptimists region presidents and the members. Blessing of the new chain of office ready for a new generation of future leaders.

The Commission on the Status of Women principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. The theme for this year was Innovation and Technological change, and Education in the Digital Age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”. At the opening ceremony. Sima Bahous, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, spoke about Digital Rights being Women Rights, that A new kind of poverty now confronts the world, one that excludes women and girls in devastating ways—that of digital poverty. The data was sobering. Women are 18 per cent less likely than men to own a smartphone and far less likely to access or use the Internet. This past year alone, 259 million more men than women were online, this fundamentally influences whether a woman completes her education, owns her own bank account, makes informed decisions about her body, feeds her family, or gains productive employment, or can run her own business. Research has shown that 80 per cent of children in 25 countries reported feeling in danger of sexual abuse and exploitation when online, with adolescent girls the most vulnerable.

At the Town Hall Meeting which is an opportunity for civil society to engage with the Secretary-General on topics pertaining to gender equality and the work of the UN. These notes from the Secretary General Antonio Guterres opening remarks at the Town Hall meeting “In Afghanistan, women and girls have been erased from public life and are virtually imprisoned in their homes. From Myanmar to Sudan, autocratic regimes and violent extremist groups persecute and harass women for speaking out and going about their daily lives. Parties to conflict perpetrate horrific crimes of gender-based violence. Police even in some of the richest countries in the world attack and abuse the women they are supposed to protect. The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over for women who lost their jobs, and girls who lost their chance of education. The cost-of-living crisis is hitting women and girls first and worst. Halfway to the SDG deadline of 2030, the truth is that half of humanity is largely being left behind. In every Region, women are worse off than men, earning less – and doing up to ten times more unpaid care work. The food crisis has a disproportionate impact on women and girls, who are often last to eat and first to go hungry and women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive rights are under siege as many governments undermine their autonomy over their bodies and their lives. Many of the challenges we face today – from conflicts to climate chaos and the cost-of-living crisis – are the result of what is a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture, taking the key decisions that guide our world.”

I attended several sessions where the majority of conversation was around the lack of global laws and regulations which leaves vulnerable groups exposed to privacy violations. In some countries, the police and or perpetrators and others act in disguise to expose religious and gender preferences and then either threated them with extortion that they will openly expose them, of in the case of the police, take them into custody. This action is a violation of their privacy rights. Another area of concern was the availability of reliable internet, women even spoke about the speed and reliability of the internet being used to control their rights to information, economic empowerment and education.

Other sessions I attended looked at how the delivery of health care has improved due to the rise of digital technologies and tele health, although these conversations were not without civil society raising the issue around data protection. This statement from a young Jamaican Women Clea Douglas, “Life doesn’t stop, get used to change, you have to continue to grow, to make the story yourself. Love, learn, grow, accept” And from young Indian women Chineye, “How do Civil Societies make themselves visible. Governments are making decisions. “ How do we as Soroptimists take the conclusions from CSW and action at our Club or Regional level?

Online bullying was a major concern by civil society groups, how about finding out if your police force has a dedicated team which will receive reports and take action? Does your country have an E commissioner? A commission which take action or you can make a complaint to. Many women have difficulties using smart phones or devices to complete online forms for access to health, education, financial assistance, consider setting up a booth at your local shopping centre 4 hours a month, advertise that you will be there to offer assistance for women to log onto services. There are many similar actions members can do to ensure equity and equality for women to achieve equality.

Let’s be the voice for Clea and Chineye, Soroptimists are visible, amplify your voice at all levels of government to ensure that by 2030 we reach the goals.

Christine Johnstone
President 2022 - 2024
Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific
swppresident2022@siswp.org

Members Area

Main Menu

Presidents Message 2022-2024

Presidents Message 2022-2024

SISEAP Membership

Headquarters Office:

Soroptimist Websites