Last week I was in Sydney and attended a meeting at the SI Randwick Club. The speaker was Millie Weaver, the 2026 NSW Young Woman of the Year. At 27, Millie is a solicitor and the founder of the Australian Endometriosis Foundation (AEF). What began in 2023 as a peer‑support initiative has grown into a national charity of more than 1,600 members. Under Millie’s leadership the AEF launched Australia’s first Endometriosis Youth Summit and a hospital care‑pack program. “Young women deserve more than just a pamphlet; they need a community that validates their pain,” she said. Her advocacy comes at a critical time, with endometriosis now affecting one in seven Australian women."

Unsurprisingly, NSW Soroptimists are focusing their efforts on a health campaign that combines digital stories of lived experience and petitioning the NSW Government to include an Endometriosis education program in for all of the state’s public schools. I wish them every success — and this leads neatly into our forthcoming biennium campaign, “Her Health, Our Wealth,” which launches in September 2026. The Federation‑wide campaign will strengthen gender‑equitable health and wellbeing across SISEAP communities by improving access, prevention, protection and resilience through community‑led, evidence‑based interventions over a 3–5 year horizon.

Across our region women and girls face overlapping barriers to health: geographic and socioeconomic exclusion, restrictive gender norms, workforce shortages, rising NCDs, gaps in sexual and reproductive health, limited mental‑health and GBV services, immunisation and menstrual‑health challenges, and weak legal protections. Data gaps also limit targeted action.

What SISEAP can do:

• Advocate for better data, HPV vaccination, contraception and GBV protections.
• Pilot community programmes (screening drives, MHH kits, mobile outreach) with clear KPIs.
• Build regional peer networks (mentors, website champions, youth ambassadors) to share tools and evidence.
• Partner with local NGOs, health services and donors to scale proven interventions.
• Support survivors with confidential referral pathways and trauma‑informed volunteer training.
• Campaign and fundraise to resource initiatives  that support “Her Health, Our Wealth.”

I look forward to working with you to make a real difference in the lives of the women and girls in our Federation.

Anthea Penny

SISEAP President, 2026-2028

president.anthea@siseap.org