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.
This is the 2016 Best Practice Award winners.
Education
SI Penang - Education Fund
This project, aimed at low income single women households, sought to provide women and girls with the opportunity to pursue higher education or to give them a skill to gain better access to employment. It involved fundraising, the establishment of a committee to select and interview people who met the criteria and ensured wide publicity about the scholarships. It ensured monitoring of the project and mentoring of students where required
Elimination of Violence
SI Petaling Jaya - Seeed Jobs for Life
Soroptimists Educate, Empower and Enable, Dream Jobs for life addressed an urgent need to enable young at risk women aged 18 to 26 years, these women were from highly vulnerable areas.
to take a well-planned programme which addressed weak points in their education. Over a 9 week modular high impact
transformation programme addressing job skills, career placement and economic empowerment these girls were able to transform their economic employment opportunities. Careful monitoring, ongoing assessment and independent evaluation were all part of this successful and nationally acclaimed programme.
Environmental Sustainability
SI Penang - Winds of Change PFR#42367
This project addressed the needs of a Women’s Welfare Council that assisted unwed mothers, single mothers and underprivileged children.
SI Penang set up an Environment Project Team, which identified that the Women's Welfare Council building, built in The building built in 1980 had poor air ventilation resulting in hot and stagnant air of very poor quality, this issue could create on going health issue for its residents, especially babies and young children. The project team researched and installed installed 10 wind-powered turbine ventilators an energy efficient and effective system. this action has greatly improved the air ventilation.
Economic Empowerment
SI Region of South QLD - Photo Voice Focus on Domestic Violence
This project, undertaken in partnership with Photo Voice Australia, Domestic Violence organisations and the state Women's Legal Services, sought to convey the feelings of being in a violent relationship and the difference when free of violence. Each week the women photographed an image to reflect the topic of weekly discussions with a psychologist and then were aided in writing a caption to link their experiences to the image. At the end of the workshops there was a collection of 36 images. Facilitated by the Region of South Queensland, the clubs of the region then used the collection for a travelling exhibition. The travelling exhibition demonstrated the impact of violence on all aspects of their life and feedback at each exhibition highlighted the emotional impact domestic violence has on whole communities.
Food Security
SI South Perth - Collaboration for Capacity Building
SI South Perth in partnership with Family Foundation Service for homeless families and the Uniting Care Wesley. The club co-designed a response to meet the needs of women and girls who were homeless through circumstances other than domestic violence.
A centre was used to cook meals, do homework and access services to end homelessness. The project had streams all of which were to support access to social and emotional learning. Much attention was given to providing resources to improve self-esteem, encourage emotional resilience and resources to develop behavioural and emotional competency. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation ensured that the process was adaptable to meet changing needs and that the project has continued successfully since its commencement and trial.
Healthcare
SI Bayside & SI Lae - Soroptimists Lighting the Way to Climate Justice
This joint project by SI Bayside and SI Lae, aimed to provide alternative energy devices to women and children in village communities lacking easy access to electricity and with very limited traditional means of access.
This section of the plan involved solar lantern distribution after an exhaustive research and distribution process a suitable solar lantern was identified for distribution to villages. Full acquittals and reports were provided to funding bodies. The second part of the project involved education on the environment and a personal ecological footprint. A web site to do this was established and provides information and the ability to donate to the project. Women and girls in remote Papua New Guinean villages were enabled to study, work at night and be safe while learning about climate issues trial.
Education
SI Lautoka - Assisting Victims Cyclone Winston
Immediately after Cyclone Winston had devastated large areas of Fiji. SI Lautoka swung into action. After investigating the area, they determined by personal surveys, where the greatest need was and what emergency supplies were needes .
Members of SI Lautoka consulted with advisory counsellors to identify families in distress, with support from SI members and local businesses they organised and distributed food parcels and lighting. They also undertook to get students back into school as soon as possible to reduce trauma and with support from a variety of donors, organised and distributed school packs and uniforms. The project constantly investigated needs, organised distribution, consulted experts and adjusted their work to meet unfolding needs. Feedback was positive and Soroptimist International gained valuable publicity and recognition for the valuable disaster relief provided.