DECEMBER 10th PRESIDENT'S APPEAL 2006

Donations for Project Punjab will be received at SIA Headquarters between September 1, 2006 through August 31, 2007. Please mark your donations: "December 10th Appeal 2006."

Project Punjab: Helping Girls Into School

by Catherine Standiford, SI Public Relations, The International Soroptimist

Each year the President of Soroptimist International selects a project that provides direct assistance to women and girls in extreme need. Soroptimist members around the world are asked to contribute to this project in celebration of International Human Rights Day, which falls on December 10th of each year.

For 2006, S.I. President Lynn Dunning has selected a project in partnership with Oxfam GB, a charitable, British development, relief and campaigning organization that works with others to find lasting solutions to poverty and suffering around the world. Project Punjab: Helping Girls Into School will increase girls' attendance and improve the quality of education at six primary schools in rural, impoverished areas of Punjab Province, Pakistan.

Pakistan is one of the poorest countries in the world. Consequently, there are limited funds available from the government to provide quality education. Governmental support to primary schools mainly covers the cost of textbooks and school uniforms. School infrastructure is inadequate. About 16 percent of public schools have no buildings or shelter. More than 75 percent have no electricity, almost 50 percent have no water, and 60 percent are without toilet facilities. There is a lack of well-trained teachers, and most do not have access to modern learning resources of teaching techniques.

Girls in Pakistan do not have equal access to education. Parents who can't afford to send all of their children to school usually send the boys and keep the girls at home, since boys are seen as the future breadwinners for the family. For cultural reasons, parents often don't want to send their daughters to schools lacking separate toilet facilities, separate water sources for hand washing, and "boundary walls" to provide adequate security and protection. As a result, literacy rates for women in some areas are as low as nine percent.

Project Punjab will provide assistance in the districts of Rajanpur and Muzaffargarb, areas that are prone to droughts and flooding and represent two of the three poorest areas in Punjab. Literacy rates among girls are low, and crimes related to violence against women and "honour killings" are high.

Funds raised for Project Punjab will be used in three ways:

• Train 40 teachers in women's issues and child-friendly teaching techniques. Training will be provided on women's rights, behavioural change, children's rights and sensitive issues such as child sexual abuse, violence against women and honour killings. Teachers will also receive refresher training on modern teaching techniques and materials through the establishment of a new local Resource Centre.
• Rehabilitate classrooms and the physical environment of schools to encourage learning and attendance by girls. This includes construction of new classrooms, gender specific toilet and washing facilities, and boundary walls to help reassure parents that their daughters will be secure and well protected at school.
• Raise awareness among educational organizations and local community about the importance of equal access to education for boys and girls. Awareness building within the community will lead to a more supportive environment for girls to receive an education, both now and in the future.

Working with Oxfam GB, Soroptimists can help improve educational access and opportunity for more than 1,000 girls. With access to an education, girls will have greater opportunities to earn a decent living and realize their rights.

To help Soroptimists promote Project Punjab within their communities, a December 10th Appeal Publicity Kit is available from the Soroptimist International Website. The publicity kit includes a PDF of the official Project Punjab leaflet, a press release template, and templates and instructions for creating Project Punjab Placeholders (bookmarks). Clubs are encouraged to be creative in engaging their communities in supporting this important project.

Donations to Project Punjab should be sent to your Federation headquarters marked "December 10th President's Appear 2006".

For more information, visit the Soroptimist International website at www.soroptimistinternational.org.

Revised September 10, 2006