Soroptimists International of Truckee Meadows (SITM) is an organization with goals that focus on improving the lives of women and girls. But some may ask, “Why focus on helping women? Where is the support for others?” In a country where women make 72 cents for every dollar a man makes, it seems deserving to offer assistance in women’s lives and provide support and opportunities for girls.
Among the women across the globe, 50 percent have jobs outside the home compared to men with around 80 percent. And although it is becoming more common to see women in a male dominated occupation, women are still rarely employed in jobs with status, power and authority. The professional women of Soroptimists see the struggle and have created programs to assist women in achieving their goals. In 2008, SITM created an annual daylong seminar called, “Making a Difference for Women.” During this event women are provided with the job skill coaching and are able to participate in workshops that teach them about finding a job, interviewing, and creating resumes. The participants are also encouraged to take home interview clothes which are donated by the members of SITM.
There are 774 million illiterate adults in the world and 500 million of those adults are women. Education is very important worldwide but not everyone is able to take advantage of this valued opportunity. Youth literacy rates have been accompanied by declining gender disparities which means there is hope for girls in the future. SITM recognizes that by supporting girls and helping them achieve their education goals they can become successful women in the future.
SITM offers thousands of dollars in education scholarships to women and girls every year but another way that they improve education around the world is by helping young women attend school in Nepal. Soroptimists have helped many girls in Thulipokhari, Nepal by building dormitories close to the school’s campus. Before these dormitories, girls were forced to walk two to four hours in order to make it to class daily.
SITM provides the tools to help these young women succeed so that they can overcome the oppressions and obstacles that they face on a daily basis. The goal is to improve the lives of women and girls which is exactly what Sortoptimists of Truckee Meadows is going to do.
Jackie Joiner's Journalism Jackpot 