Soroptimist International South West Slopes Celebrates 40 Years

Soroptimist International South West Slopes (SISWS) celebrated its 40th anniversary on Saturday, November 9 at Temora Golf Club.

International refugee law practitioner and scholar Natasha Yaccoub was the special guest speaker on the night.

Ms Yaccoub worked for the UNHCR for two decades and was posted in conflict and peacetime settings in Egypt, Sudan, Ireland, Myanmar and Pacific Island States.

Soroptimist International Region of NSW awarded Ms Yaccoub with a scholarship to contribute to her current doctoral studies at the Andrew and Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law.

For the past 40 years, SISWS’ mission has remained steadfast - to make a positive difference in the lives of women and girls. SISWS Secretary Sonia Casanova said they made that difference through hands-on project work and advocacy on important issues that affect women.

“We are determined to uphold women’s rights and committed to serving the women and girls of our region,” Ms Casanova said.

“The club was originally chartered as Soroptimist International Cootamundra on 25 August 1984. In 2022, we changed our name to Soroptimist International South West Slopes to better reflect that we now have a region-wide approach. We serve the women of Cootamundra, Harden, Temora and Young, and all the surrounding towns.”

The group is currently focused on helping people, particularly women and their children experiencing homelessness, after consulting with the Young Crisis Accommodation Centre.

They are collecting non-perishable food and personal hygiene items to be distributed as needed.

Soroptimists from across the State attended a meeting in Temora last weekend and donated around $3000 worth of items to assist those in need.

The group’s annual ‘Half the Sky’ Awards aim to recognise the achievements of women in the district because women are under-represented in formal honours, such as Australia Day Awards and Kings Birthday Honours List.

SISWS welcomes new members.

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