$20,000 GRANTED TO WOMEN AFFECTED BY TYPHOONS

December 10, 2008
Contact: Kamali Brooks, Public Relations Manager
215-893-9000 x130, kamali@soroptimist.org 

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Soroptimist International of the Americas, an international volunteer organization of business and professional women dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls, presented a $20,000 disaster recovery grant to its Soroptimist club in Kalibo, Philippines, to help meet the needs of women displaced by a recent typhoon. With the grant, Kalibo Soroptimists will provide women and girls the assistance and resources needed to rebuild their lives.

Typhoon Frank struck the Philippines coast bringing death and destruction to many communities in the country. Soroptimist International of Kalibo will use part of the $20,000 grant to help women in two livelihood centers in the province of Aklan that provide women with a source of income. The Women Ecology and Livelihood Center, which was destroyed by floods, teaches women to grow food in areas with few human, mechanical and natural resources. The club plans to rebuild this center and provide additional training to enable women to care for their families more effectively.

The club will use the remaining funds to provide skills-training seminars at the Kabuhi-an Livelihood Skills Training and Exhibition Center on making products out of abaca, a species of banana native to the Philippines. By learning the age-old tradition of fiber weaving, women can provide financial support and tend to the needs of their family. SI/Kalibo will help these women market their finished abaca products by linking them to the loom-weaving firms in Aklan that need these materials.

The grant money will go a long way toward helping women to get back on their feet. Says Soroptimist Philippines Region Governor Carmen Flor, “Women and children are more vulnerable after these types of traumatic experiences unless given a chance to help in rebuilding their lives.”

Added Soroptimist’s president, Alice Wells of Phoenix, Arizona: “We are pleased to be able to provide assistance to women in the Philippines. Their talent and energy will be invaluable in helping to rebuild areas destroyed by the typhoon.” 

Soroptimist’s disaster recovery grants, which range from $1,000 to $20,000, assist women who have been victims of natural disasters or acts of war. Soroptimist has long been concerned about the disproportionate effects of disasters on women and girls. In addition to providing the Disaster Recovery Grants, Soroptimist recently funded a research study conducted by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), titled “Women in the Wake of the Storm: Examining the Post-Katrina Realities of the Women of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast,” which is available at: <http://www.soroptimist.org/whatwedo/programs.html#DisasterReliefFund>. The study found that women faced and continue to confront special challenges to their health, safety, and economic wellbeing in the lingering aftermath of hurricane Katrina; that women were at an increased risk of exposure to sexual assault and domestic violence; and that they encounter greater economic hurdles when rebuilding their lives.

Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pa., Soroptimist is an international volunteer women’s organization offering programs that improve social and economic conditions for women and girls. Its major program, the Soroptimist Women’s Opportunity Awards, provides cash grants for women seeking to improve their lives with the help of additional education and training. Each year, more than $1 million is disbursed to deserving women through this award-winning program. Soroptimist, a 501(c)(3) organization that relies on charitable donations to support its programs, also sponsors the Live Your Dream campaign in recognition of the power of women and their dreams. Visit the campaign's online home at: <LiveYourDreamCampaign.org>. For more information on how Soroptimist improves the lives of women and girls, visit <Soroptimist.org>.

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