On Tuesday, 27 August 2019, five women were inducted into the Soroptimist International of Grenada (SIG) Club at 4:30 pm at the Tower, St Paul’s, St George.
Soroptimist means the “Best of Sisters”, and they were given the hand of friendship by Sue Williams, President of the Federation of Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) of which Soroptimist International Grenada is a member. The current and new members were all energised because it was the first time a president from the federation visited Grenada, and the very first time technology (Zoom) was utilised to induct a new member into the club.
The plans for President Sue Williams and her husband Jason Williams included a celebration of the 48th Anniversary of SIG, a historical tour around Grenada, with a stop at the Victoria School for Special Education, the Programme Action site for SIG, a visit with the Governor General of Grenada, Dame Cecile La Grenade, and the Induction Ceremony at the Tower.
Soroptimist International (SI) is a global volunteer movement with a network of over 80,000 club members in 127 countries. It obtained in 1987, General Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and in 2013 obtained Special Consultative Status. The clubs around the world and Grenada advocate for human rights and gender equality. The mandate is to work at local, national and international levels to Educate, Empower and Enable opportunities for women and girls.
Soroptimist International Grenada was chartered on 23 August 1971; this year marks 48 years of existence. The driving force behind the charter of the Grenada club was Louise Rowley, who was at the time a Permanent Secretary in the Public Service of Grenada.
Achievements to date include a partnership with the Ministry of Social Development, Housing and Community Empowerment (MOSDH&CE), on a programme to reduce sexual violence against the girl child. As a result of this partnership, SIG was awarded in 2015 at the SIGBI Conference in Glasgow for:
- Best Project in the SIGBI Federation for raising awareness of gender-based violence in a rural community, from the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
- Best project for Violence and Conflict Resolution from SIGBI
Current actions at SIG are centred on strengthening the voice of the Grenadian women and girls, in particular, those who are of the marginalised social sectors and groups. An outcome document at a recent strategic planning meeting (February 2019), provides the strategic directions for addressing development issues, which directly impact on the lives and livelihoods of women and girls.
SIG is committed to assist in the revival, relevance and sustainability of the Grenada National Women’s Movement, for women’s empowerment and gender equality.
Soroptimist International Grenada
