Programme Director
February 2010
A month of meetings
FMC meeting 15-17 Jan
Very busy as ever with lots to be decided - luckily we all work well together, maybe we disagree but it is always constructive and with good humour. We completed the business on time. Mindful of our financial constraints we paid for all food and have agreed to trial a shorter meeting next time. Whether we will be able to cover all the business remains to be seen. It is a privilege to be on this committee working together for the good of Soroptimism.
SI Programme Team meeting
Held as a teleconference I was unable to actually partake due to having a holiday! But contributed a paper from our Federation. We will be holding a meeting in New York at the CSW so it will be good to talk face to face.
Meeting with Harriet Harman and other women’s NGOs
This was to discuss our response to the UN initiative to develop what is referred to as the GEAR campaign. The UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon has agreed to form a designated women’s entity at the UN. We are now concerned to both make sure it happens plus that the format adopted will function properly to give women and real voice at the UN table.Soroptimist International has signed up to the GEAR campaign so it is important that we monitor this process.
We will see how this is carried forward at the UN sessions next week at CSW.
Save the Children
Meeting with them on Feb 23rd to discuss action that we can both take around Mothers day, March 14th. A really exciting initiative that we can all join in. It is in PAM, on our website and on a designated section of Save the Children website so do get involved. It is important to prove to our partners that we really do something!
www.savethechildren.org.uk/soroptimists
Hilary Ratcliffe
SIGBI Programme Director
Previous Messages from the Programme Director:
Hilary Ratcliffe
I am married with three children, three grandchildren and a husband who supports me all the way. I work as a freelance London tourist guide working mainly for a company called Original London walks.
I have been a Soroptimist for over 25 years, belonging initially to SI Chesterfield (I was the Club President for the 40th anniversary) later transferring to SI Albans.
I have served as Club and Regional President, Programme Action Representative for the Region and Chair of the UK Programme Action Committee, during which I represented SIGBI at the 6O Group of top women's organisations, working with our partners at UNICEF, UNIFEM and progressing our presentation at the Council of Europe and as a member of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee.
I was APD for Education, and reading about all the work that clubs do in the field of education was interesting, exciting and humbling. We do so much and are unsung. We must be proud of our achievements.
Now it is the challenge of working with you all as Programme Director. I hope to meet many of you, visit your projects, report your work as a vital part of a worldwide organisation working to improve the lives of women and girls.
Hilary Ratcliffe