Each year, Soroptimist Clubs and Regions are invited to nominate a project for the Best Practice Award.  The projects need to demonstrate their excellence in planning, administering, execution and evaluation of the a project to transform lives for women and girls around the Federation,  This is a prestigious award, showcasing projects which have achieved results.

These are the winners for 2023 for projects undertaken and delivered during 2022.

WINNER - SI Griffith : Moorambilla Magic Evening and Workshop 
Report ID: 20221130011019

SI Griffith invited Moorambilla Voices, a children and  Youth Choir that provides tuition and performance opportunities to young people in rural and remote communities in North Western New South Wales, to come into Griffith and conduct two workshops The attendees were encouraged to ‘think big, dream wildly and connect with Country’ through the power of movement and music. One of the project goals was to provide an opportunity for the students in this regional area to be able to access high quality creative arts education and performance opportunities. There was to be a special emphasis on Indigenous students. This project was also seen as a first step to address some of the negative effects from social isolation and anxiety following COVID lockdowns.

Highly Commended: SI Bangsar - SICB Teenage Survival Kit
ID 202211106095344, 20221107091114, 20221018034414

The Teenage Survival Kit  program aimed  to create awareness and provide knowledge to teenagers  through 4 modules - Teen Sexuality: Teen Health; Teen Safety and Teen Empowerment. The program takes a holistic approach not only to providing the information to teenagers but also to parents, grandparents, caregivers, guardians, teachers and counsellors.  The programme was developed by a group of Soroptimists who were also doctors, lawyers, counsellors, trainers and lecturers and parents of teenage children. This was then enhanced and refined by experts in a number of associated fields.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - SI Brisbane Water: The Aspire Project 
Report ID: 20221114103106
The Aspire program aimed to lift the self- esteem and aspirations of teenage girls, especially those from dysfunctional families and or experiencing relationship difficulties and those girls who maybe disengaged from learning. It focused on areas of mindfulness, confidence building, positive body image, building positive relationships, goal setting and career path planning 

The program was developed as part of a coursework project by third year university students, reviewed by 2 private welfare counsellors and piloted in a school setting. Subsequently through a number of avenues the programme was made available to Central Coast schools.

Image: Brisbane Waters members presenting a cheque to Brisbane Water Secondary College, the seventh school this year to receive funding from SI Brisbane Water to run The Aspire Program when we presented a cheque to Student Support Officer, Alisha

WINNER - SI Brisbane Water - Older Women's Housing
Report ID: 20221201083606

Women over 55 were identified to be the largest growing population of homeless people in NSW. SI Brisbane Water worked in partnership with Zonta Central Coast and Elderslee Foundation and homelessness service providers, Women’s Community Shelters and Pacific Link to provide interim housing for up to 3 years for 14 older homeless women.

The project was well researched, and addressed a real and immediate need in the community. Soroptimist members were involved in fitting out the units with linen, microwaves and gifts as well as fund-raising and purchasing equipment.

WINNER: SI Penang - Period Poverty and Sustainability  
Report ID: 20221013105840

This project addressed the problem of girls missing school each month when they had their period, as they could not afford disposable pads.  A workshop on the usage of Reusable Pads was introduced to first year Secondary Girls  from low income families in a local school.  The workshop also touched on topics such as puberty, personal care and environmental sustainability.  Money was raised to buy the girls the re-useable pads, the workshop held, and 70 girls were helped.

WINNER: SI Brisbane Water - Reducing Our Carbon Footprint
ID 20211215085412

Members were challenged to commit to reducing their carbon footprint in their daily habits. Members shared ways to reduce, repair, reuse and recycle. Speakers were sourced on various topics such as composting, eco friendly cleaning, club members introduced meatless Mondays to their families and the CO2 emission reduction was monitored with over 212 kg reduction for the Month. Recycling of items increased. Awareness and knowledge increased. Members shared their knowledge and experiences with each other. A bonus outcome has been the influence on family and friends as a result of the action taken by our members during the project. We will continue to impart any more ideas and innovations as they come to our notice with club members. Our club passed a motion that "SI Brisbane Water members commit to using eco-friendly utensils and decorations where possible when holding a function"

HIGHLY COMMENDED:  SI Queensland South - Project Lead SI Bayside - Recycling- Advocacy, Awareness, Action
ID 20211231094459

Reducing our Carbon Footprint Project was devised as a response to Climate Change. It was designed to educate all of our members, their families and friends in a project that would encourage all members to reduce their carbon footprint both in the home and at their workplace by engaging in incremental change in their lifestyle and daily habits. Research was done and goals set for 12-month project. The project concentrated on FOOD, TRANSPORT, ENERGY and RECYCLING, identifying realistically attainable goals. We provided a list of 59 suggestions and 30 were actioned by one or more of our members. Members recorded their changes and we measured/evaluated our success. e.g. In one month the members saved 212kg of CO2 emissions by introducing at least one vegetarian meal per week. In addition, we planted 300 trees in our local area. We engaged the members by using videos, guest speakers, and member presentations on their research and action.

WINNER:  SI Nelson- Project Blooming Great Fundraiser
ID 202212280447

This humanitarian relief project undertaken by SI Nelson.  Soroptimist International Krakow was supporting the Ukraine humanitarian relief work.  To raise funds to send to SI Krakow, the club undertook a project to riase funds.  The project was to package, label and sell 1000 tubers of Coral Sunset Poeny. These were sold over a number of week at $20.00 a tuber (bulb), $20,000 NZD was donated to SI Krakow so they could continue to provide practical programmes to assist Ukraine refugees in Poland. 

WINNER:  SI Bangsar - Post Flood Relief Project
ID 20221129023546

SI Bangsar project was to carry out post relief work after the disasterous floods of December 2021.

Phase 1 was to source and work with partner for the storage and distribution of household goods which could be distributed directly to the target communities.

Phase 2 was in collaboration with The Orang Asli (Native) Community Development and the Catholic Church to assist 9 native families rebuild their badly damaged homes.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Region of Malaysia - Flood Risk Reduction in Rural Communities
ID 20221230090948

The clubs in the Region of Malaysia choose to focus on ways to assist flooded communities post December 2021, the floods impacted more than 125,000 people. SIROM conducted a workshop on Flood risk reduction and Mitigation for the villagers of Long Tanyit. The main objective was to educate and empower rural women to become more resilient in the face of disasters and improve food security. Four clubs collaborated in delivering the workshop: SI Damansara, Bangsar, Shah Alam and Kota Kinabalu. They partnered with Heineken Malaysia and its CSR arm SPARK, the Malaysian Water Partnership, Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) of Malaysia and the frangipani Organic Farm. Engineers from DID provided expert advice and training on Flood Risk Reduction and Mitigation and what to do before during and after floods. After the Workshop the women felt they were better equipped to handle further disasters. Funds from Heineken rebuilt greenhouses on higher ground, repaired tanks and irrigation, reinforced the dam, built a culvert with work undertaken by the villagers. The villagers also introduced more hardy plants to their farms, providing a pathway to adding to their income and improve health. The village project coordinator provides regular updates to the club.