On Friday, March 28, 2025, at 12:50 PM local time, a powerful earthquake magnitude of 7.7 struck near the city of Mandalay in Myanmar.  This was followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock just minutes later. 

The Soroptimist International club of Yangon acted immediately. In the days following the disaster, they rapidly assessed the damage and consulted with local support services to define the most critical needs. Once a project plan was established, they reached out to SISEAP President Joanne Yeoh, who swiftly released AUD $3,000 in immediate Disaster Funds from the Federation.

SI Yangon Soroptimists identified that these funds would provide food and essential items to households in the Sagaing District, where many residents had been displaced and were living in tents.

Partnerships

SI Yangon then partnered with the Irrawaddy Development Organization and Glory Empergency Response Team who were already operating in Sagaing District, working alongside their dedicated ground support team, they were able to assist with the logistics of distribution of the essential items. 

The funding from the SISEAP Disaster Relief fund provided immediate assistance to 130 affected household.

SI Yangon also received additional dontions from Hearts of Resilience, which increased the amount of essential supplies they could distribute. 

Food and essential items distributed:
● Rice
● Cooking oil
● Salt
● Seasoning powder
● Noodles
● Tea leaf
● Canned fish
● Mayway snacks

Message from SISEAP President Joanne Yeoh

This October on the Day of the Girl Child, we proudly join the world in celebrating the potential, resilience, and bright future of every girl. This year’s theme, ‘Educate Her, Empower Her’, reminds us that education is the most powerful tool to break cycles of poverty, open doors of opportunity, and create lasting change.

When a girl is educated, she gains confidence, choices, and the ability to shape her community and the world. Let us continue to stand together as Soroptimists to ensure every girl has access to quality education and the empowerment it brings

International Day of the Girl Child is an annual and internationally recognized observance on October 11 it acknowledges the importance, power, and potential of  girls by providing  more opportunities  to empower  them and amplifies their voices. 

It incorporates the Rights of the Child, 2011 recognition of Girls and 75th anniversary of Human Rights Declaration.

At the same time, this day is designated to eliminate gender-based challenges that little girls face around the world, including child marriages, poor learning opportunities, violence, and discrimination.

Link to download the International Day of the Girl Child 2025 tool kit,  use the information to advocate for full participation of girls to education.  Assets to assist you with a social media campaign, speak at events, create awareness.

  pdf  Link to the PDF Toolkit(2.89 MB)

It is a  right for all girls to have access education. Therefore, it is relevant to highlight education, especially as SDG4 refers to Quality Education, which leads to Decent work and Economic Growth (SDG8)  On this years International Day of the Girl Child we specifically target Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as women are under-represented studying and working in this field.

This 2025 campaign aims to:

• Raise awareness about the critical importance of girls' education and the positive outcomes it brings.
   
• Highlights the support Soroptimist Federations (and the Soroptimist International Foundation) are providing to help girls access quality education.
   
• Demonstrates how Soroptimists are addressing and overcoming barriers to education for girls —such as period poverty, including the lack of sanitary products and adequate toilet facilities.

The toolkit has information, graphics and tips on how to promote this day amongst your club members and on social media.  

• Share and like SI content on your social media platforms
• Let a girl speak - we need to listen.
• Share human interest stories, blogs and videos of girl changemakers, and the inspiring networks and organizations that are educating girls, resourcing girls, letting girls lead, and strengthening services for girls. Let’s collectively amplify their leadership, actions, and impact to inspire others.
• Engage government officials, policymakers and stakeholders to make more targeted investments that tackle inequalities experienced by girls, especially while accessing education
• Engage key female influencers across industries to be the face of change we want girls to see as possible. Role models speak a thousand words. Let’s change the global conversation and public perception of girl leaders.
• Amplify your commitment to raising awareness about and addressing factors that hold girls in your country and region back.

Congratulations to the winners of the Programme and Membership Best Practice Awards 2025! Your dedication to excellence and commitment to making a positive impact in our community is truly inspiring. Your hard work and innovative approaches have not gone unnoticed, and we are thrilled to recognize your achievements. We are honored to celebrate your successes and look forward to seeing the continued growth and impact of your clubs and programs.

These are the winners for 2025 for projects undertaken and delivered during 2024.