From SIA Headquarters

Soroptimist International of the Americas joins the world community in expressing shock and concern about the situation in Haiti. The devastation caused by the earthquake—in an already extremely poor country—is horrific. Tens of thousands of people are dead, and more than 1/3 of Haiti’s citizens are now homeless.

Because Haiti is part of Soroptimist’s European federation, Soroptimist International of the Americas has made a donation of $10,000 to Soroptimist International of Europe to support immediate disaster relief efforts for women and girls.

SIA knows from experience that women and girls will be disproportionately vulnerable to the effects because of existing gender inequalities that are magnified during and following any disaster. To that end, Soroptimist International of the Americas maintains a Disaster Recovery Fund to provide for projects ensuring that women and girls have the support and resources necessary to rebuild their lives and their communities. Concerned Soroptimists and other individuals are urged to contribute to the Disaster Recovery Fund to replenish the initial donation and to fund future projects to help women and girls in Haiti recover from this disaster. Read more about Soroptimist Disaster Recovery Grants. Donations can be sent to Soroptimist International of the Americas headquarters, earmarked “disaster recovery.” Members may contribute securely by clicking here. Look for the “disaster recovery” donation line, and indicate "Haiti Disaster Recovery" in the notes section.

Non-members can contribute by clicking here and selecting “general programs” from the drop-down menu. Specify "Haiti Disaster Recovery" in the comments section.

For updates on what is happening from the Soroptimist perspective, visit Soroptimist International of Europe’s website. Updates are being posted regularly. For more information about women and disaster, please read Soroptimist International of the Americas’ white paper: “Reaching Out to Women When Disaster Strikes.”

Yours in Soroptimist Service,
SIA Board of Directors

Improving the lives of women and girls,in local communities and throughout the world.

NWCAT Speakers & Survivors on TV Tonight!

Jane Velez-Mitchell of HLN was a guest speaker at the NWCAT meeting on 1/9/10. Her show, "Issues" was on HLN and addressed the issue: "War on Women:Human Trafficking What We Can Do About It!" SIA President Cathy Standiford was one of her guests. Below is the show, in case you missed it.