SISVG: Caribbean Network Conference hailed a success

25.JAN.08

The year 2007 was one of excitement and activity for Soroptimist clubs in the Caribbean, and especially so for SISVG, which was the host country for the Caribbean Network Conference held in August.{{more}}

Following this in October, representatives of clubs attended the Federation Conference of SI Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) under whose umbrella the Caribbean clubs fall.

Three Soroptimists from SISVG attended. Norma Knights as chairman of Programme Action, Annelle Thomas as Federation Executive Councillor and Kathryn Cyrus , voting delegate for the club and Immediate Past President of the Caribbean Network who handed over the chain of office to the incoming President Gloria Payne-Banfield of Grenada.

At the conference after the various sub-committee meetings and Annual General Meeting, delegates were informed of the various decisions taken and the relevant Programme Action work to be focused on in the six Programme areas of – Economic and Social Development, Education, Environment, Health, Human Rights and the Status of Women and International Goodwill and Understanding.

Most importantly, at that conference for the first time, a Soroptimist from the Caribbean, Marguerite Woodstock-Riley from the Barbados club was installed as President of the Federation of Great Britain and Ireland. To climax this chain of events the Federation conference in 2008 will be held in Barbados under the chairmanship of President Marguerite. It is anticipated that members throughout the Caribbean will attend in their numbers.

Members of SISVG on Sunday, 20th January 16, 2008, will attend a church service at the Kingstown Methodist Church. This will be in recognition of Caribbean Soroptimist Day, which is on 16th January. On this day, the first club in the Caribbean was chartered in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1959, and all clubs undertake an activity to mark the occasion. SISVG will also send greetings to their sister clubs in the Caribbean.

Look forward to more news from SISVG as the year progresses.