Each year, Soroptimist Clubs and Regions are invited to nominate a project for the Best Practice Award. The projects need to demonstrate their excellence in planning, administering and evaluating a project to transform lives for women and girls around the Federation, This is a prestigious award, showcasing projects which have achieved results.
Best Practice Awards for 2018, included in these awards are two special biennium awards, announced by President Theresa Lyford at the beginning of her Biennium, these awards were created to as part of Theresa's vision for clubs to partnership with other clubs on projects.
These two special awards are Soroptimists: Be the Changemakers and The Overall Excellence Award.
Education
SI Petaling Jaya - SPOT PFR#T2
Soroptimist Puberty Organizing Toolkit (SPOT). The SPOT project fulfills the gaps in Malaysia's sexual health and education for young people, especially young girls on the cusp of poverty. Malaysia data from 2012 states that there are more than 18,600 cases of underage pregancis per year and 50.4% of respondents admitted to having sex before the age of 14, this has also resulted in an increase in baby dumping and unsafe abortions. SI Petaling Jaya deveopmed the SPOT PuberTeen Talk and SPOT Workshops. SPOT is now recoginised by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia, supported by the Ministry of Health and the National Population and Family Develoment Board (LPPKN) as well as the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development of Malayia.
The project endeavours to answer the question:What do I wish I knew back then? By providing modules in a correct and age appropriate manner, through workshops, videos, social media and diaries it seeks to fill the gap between what children should know and their actual knowledge
Elimination of Violence
SI Brisbane - Answer the Call PFR#42365
This project is based on advocacy and awareness and began as project to ensure that the need for a new Women's Legal Service Helpline that would enable Women's Legal Service Queensland to give a more extensive telephone advice helpline service, particularly to migrant women and women in rural areas. This would enable them to give free legal advice and counselling to more of the 16,000 women whose calls for assistance were currently unmet.
A fund-raising breakfast grew into an extensive advocacy project that involved community awareness and help, submissions on laws before federal and state parliaments and continued partnerships to assist women experiencing violence.The need for greater awareness of the serious consequences for the community of Violence against Women, and highlight the strong support that these women need.
Economic Empowerment
SI Damansara - Life Skills4 Youth PFR#42110
This project aimed to bridge the gap between disadvantaged young women and their more advantaged peers. This was achieved by providing them with soft skills to improve their work readiness, work based learning opportunities and mentoring girls into technical opportunities,
Since the commencement of the program in 2013, 1000 underprivileged and at-risk youths across 5 vocational centers have received: Work Ready Now (WRN) provides training in basic employability skills, knowledge and work ethics needed to prepare youth to successfully transition into the workforce Work-based learning opportunities that expose students to real-life professional environments where they can apply their skills.
Ths project has placed more than 70% of trainees in full-time jobs within 3 months of graduation
Food Security
SI Lautoka - Food Security PFR# T12
Whilst brainstorming a Saturday of Service Project, members identified that the Jasper Girl's Hostel would benefit from a more indepth project, with further research the Food Security Project was launched. The Jasper Girls Hostel housed 150 girls from all over Fiji and some of the Regional Countries of the Pacifc. SI Lautoka identified that the bulk of the funding from the Methodist Church of Fiji and the Ministry of Education is just for food. The club further identified that Cassava (a root crop) is a major staple food and is used is most of the 3 meals provided to the girls at the hostel. The supply of Cassava was costing around $300(Fiji) per month. The Food Security project, set about establishing a garden at the Hostel to grow Cassava plants which when grown would supplement the supply of Cassava required by the hostel, money saved in supplying Cassava would be channeled towards other essentials for the students. The project is sustainable and ongoing, the club receives updates from the Hostel handyman on the condition of the garden as well as maintaining weekly checks by members on the gardens condition. Due to the success of this project the grounds keeper has shown interest in further Cassava plantings and establishing new vegetable planting.
Healthcare
SI Gold Coast - Mother's Journey PFR #42224
This project, in conjunction with the NGO University of the Nations in Cambodia, as part of it’s Women at Risk Program. The Women at Risk Program provides pre natal or post partum care to at risk mothers. The club sought to ensure effective free medical care, midwifery care and counselling to women in poverty or trauma. The club was able to identiy how much it would cost to provide one year of free midwifery, medical care, counselling and other needs as required. Contact with the Midwife from the Women at Risk Program identified a mother Sryeda who was expecting twins and required emergency intervention. The clubs provided funds to support Sryeda, involving blood transfusion surgery for twin pregnancy which saved her life and one surviving twin and continued into appropriate post partum care.
A club member travelled to the visit the Women at Risk Programm and was able to visit and monitor needs while formal communication was established. Regular updates from the midwife provide progress updates on both the mother and surviving twin.
Soroptimist be the Changemaker
A United Project by SI Damanasara, SI Singapore, SI Phnom Penh, SI Melba - Cycle for Cycles
This project, a joint effort between Damansara, Melba, Singapore and Phnom Penh, acted through fundraising to provide cycles to facilitate the work of Village Malaria Workers who are the front line in the fight against the disease in Cambodia.
Their fundraising and purchase and oversight by the Cambodian club provide success that has led to a request for expansion of the project.
Overall Excellence
SI Petaling Jaya - SPOT Community Program
This project seeks to offset the tremendous gaps in Malaysia’s sexual health and education for young people, especially girls on the cusp of puberty.
It endeavours to answer the question: What do I wish I knew back then? By providing modules in a correct and age appropriate manner, through workshops, videos, social media and diaries it seeks to fill the gap between what children should know and their actual knowledge.
SISEAP Membership
Soroptimist International is a global movement of women, with members belonging to more than 3,000 clubs in 126 countries/territories, spread over 5 Federations