Quadrennial Project 2007–2011
Project SIerra
Project SIerra is a four year partnership between Soroptimist International and Hope and Homes for Children which aims to raise over £1million to transform the lives of some of the most deprived women and children in the world. Launched at the International Convention in Glasgow in 2007, this project was conceived and nominated by the Federation of Great Britain and Ireland and has now been adopted and will be supported by every Club and every member of our international organisation.
Sierra Leone celebrated its first year of peace in over a decade in 2003, but the country still remains devastated by war and faces the challenge of reconstruction. During the country's bloody ten year war, half a million people were murdered, raped or left with horrific injuries and during the conflict over half the population was made homeless. Ranked as the world's poorest country, Sierra Leone has the worst child mortality rate in the world. Nearly a third of all children die before their fifth birthday. For women, life expectancy is just 42 years and the rate of deaths of mothers in childbirth is the highest in the world. Three quarters of the population of Sierra Leone are living on less than a dollar a day – below the UN's agreed poverty line.
Hope and Homes for Children works in Central and Eastern Europe and Africa. They believe that every child deserves to grow up within the love of a family and the security of a home, so they can fulfil their potential. The partnership with Soroptimist International in Project SIerra will:
- Improve the health, self esteem and life chances of thousands of women and children living in abject poverty
- Promote stability in a post conflict society by integrating the most vulnerable children and young women into family and community life
- Provide education, training, small business and life skills support so that families can become self-sufficient and support their children
- Build the capacity of local childcare professionals and create models of excellence
Project SIerra will help some of the world's most deprived women and children. By strengthening families at risk of breakdown, helping young people living on the streets return home and empowering vulnerable young mothers, Project SIerra will enable more children to grow up in a caring family environment – giving them the opportunity to fulfil their potential.
- £10 will provide a family with seeds and tools to grow their own food
- £25 will provide a baby care pack
- £100 will feed two families for a month
- £200 will provide the fees, clothing and equipment for a child to go to secondary school for a year
- £250 will help a mother to start her own small business enterprise
- £500 will renovate a family's home, providing shelter and stability
- £2,500 will pay 30 children's medical costs for a year
The involvement of every Soroptimist member worldwide working together, will help us achieve our goals for Project SIerra: A Family and a Future.
For more information about how you can support this project visit www.projectSIerra.org