SI Inverness and Nairn Projects
Each Soroptimist International club identifies the needs of its community, then establishes specific projects to address these needs. All our projects relate to one or more of the six Programme Focus Areas: Economic and Social Development, Education, Environment, Health, Human Rights and the Status of Women, and International Goodwill and Understanding.
More information is available in the Our Work pages, where you can read more about the current Programme Focus aims and the Quadrennial Project, supported by all clubs in the Federation.
The projects listed below include some of the local and international issues we research and support in SI Inverness and Nairn:
Our President's Charities
President Janet has chosen 2 charities this year - Marie Curie Cancer Care and Highland Disability Sport.
Marie Curie Cancer Care provides high quality, totally free nursing to terminally ill patients, thus giving them the opportunity to stay at home supported and surrounded by their families.
Highland Disability Sport was formed 25 years ago in 1982. President Janet was appointed Vice-Chairman, becoming Chairman in 1984. HDS is a branch member of Scottish Disability Sport and its main role is to promote, foster and develop sport and leisure activities in the Highlands of Scotland for people with disability encouraging them to participate and where possible integrate with able-bodied clubs. HDS organise various local annual sports events and co-ordinates participation in National Competitions. In 2005 a team from the Highlands attended the Special Olympics and came home with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. Team Highland is looking forward to taking part in the 2009 Special Olympics.
Links with Women Prisoners
We are working with women prisoners in Porterfield Prison, Inverness on a project for Womens' Aid. We hope that this will raise awareness amongst the prisoners, and also give them opportunities for creative activities for others.
Last year, we provided the women prisoners with boxes and wrapping paper; they covered and decorated these boxes, which were then filled by Club members with a selection of toiletries to be presented to the mothers in Women's Aid for Christmas. The women prisoners also created Christmas Cards to accompany the boxes.
We understand that the children in Women's Aid get Christmas presents, and our Club wants to ensure that the mothers are not forgotten.
The photo shows Regional President Pat in the centre accepting the decorated shoeboxes and Trauma Teddies from three of the female prisoners last year. Also in the photo is one of the prison education tutors.
Club members supplied wool, and the women prisoners learned to knit by producing "Trauma Teddies" which we have donated to Blytheswood, a local charity.
This year prisoners in Porterfield Prison have made a "Suncatchers" which will be distributed to all delegates attend the Glasgow Convention in July 2007. A kit was provided to each of the 7 Scotland North clubs and the prisoners made the 181 Suncatchers in our kit on behalf of our club.
Porterfield Prison is anxious to continue working with SI Inverness & Nairn. Indeed Regional President Pat is now so often there that they tell her she's out on bail!
International Action
This year, the Inverness and Nairn group are concentrating their efforts for Africa.
Buy a goat for £27.00!
This initiative helps to give poor people in Africa the chance to feed and educate their children.
£27.00 can transform the life of a very poor family in Ethiopia with a loan of a goat. The animal's milk will immediately give the children vital nutrition and can be sold to buy essentials like food and seed to grow vegetables. Before long the animal will breed. Once the family has repaid the original loan, they'll begin to build a small herd - which will allow them to fund a future that's free from poverty.
To get to £27.00, members are collecting their small change in Smartie tubes!
Tools for Africa
Ron Swanson will be speaking to members in November about collecting Tools for Africa. We already have promises of tools including a sewing machine.
Recycling
Various initiatives are running at the moment:
We are collecting plastic caps from milk bottles. The tops are made into plastic pellets and recycled into wellington boots.
We are collecting tools and spectacles for the Blytheswood Charity.
We are collecting audio tapes for the blind and partially sighted.
We are collecting mobile phones which the Crime Prevention Department then distribute to women who may suffer abuse.