{"id":406495,"date":"2024-03-08T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-08T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=406495"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Soroptimists-Empowering-women-for-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Soroptimists-Empowering-women-for-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Soroptimists: Empowering women for success"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe will put forth our best efforts to improve the lives of women and girls through programs leading to social and economic empowerment.\u201d That is the pledge Soroptimists have lived up to for over a century now that still rings true today.<\/p>\n

With human rights and gender equality as its main advocacy, the Soroptimist International of the Americas works on grassroots projects that directly help women and girls access their human rights across the world.<\/p>\n

Its strong network of 66,000 members and supporters spread across North America, Latin America, and the Pacific, which includes Guam and the Northern Marianas, offers more than $2 million in education grants to about 1,500 women all over the world.<\/p>\n

Most of those who have benefitted from the program are women and families who have overcome life\u2019s obstacles, including domestic and sexual abuse, poverty, teen pregnancy and drug or alcohol addiction.<\/p>\n

Aligned with the goals and mission of the Soroptimist International of the Americas, the Northern Marianas chapter also offers the former\u2019s key project known as \u201cLive Your Dream\u201d since its founding in 2013.<\/p>\n

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The awardees of Soroptimist International-NMI Chapter\u2019s Live Your Dream Awards are presented their grants at the Pacific Islands Club Saipan last February.<\/p>\n

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As a nationwide Soroptimist program, the Live Your Dream initiative assists women who provide the primary source of financial support for their families by giving them the resources they need to improve their education, skills, and employment prospects.<\/p>\n

Live Your Dream Award recipients may use the cash award to offset any costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education, such as books, childcare, tuition, and transportation.<\/p>\n

Over the past 10 years, the Northern Marianas Chapter has already received over 150 applicants, according to chapter president Maureen Sebangiol, with 20 women successfully winning the grant money.<\/p>\n

For this year, a record number of 23 women applied for the grant and the Northern Marianas chapter awarded a total of $3,500 to four recipients who were honored in a February 10 celebration.<\/p>\n

For those who have been awarded the Live Your Dream grant, the impact on their individual lives has been life-altering.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne hundred percent of the winners of a \u2018Live Your Dream\u2019 award have stated that it made a difference in their lives. If the monetary award did not change their lives, feeling seen and heard is what they have accomplished. As a woman and as a girl, gaining self-confidence and the assurance that your voice matters are life-changing. In fact, Leah Murphy, who is our 2014 winner, went on to achieve her doctorate degree,\u201d said Sebangiol.<\/p>\n

To qualify for the grant, applicants must be able to show that they are a woman who is pursuing her undergraduate or trades degree and that they are also the financial head of the household. The eligible applicant must be enrolled in, or have been accepted to, a vocational\/skills training program or an undergraduate degree program and must demonstrate financial need.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBaby Laundry Baskets” provide baby starter kits for eligible families identified by social workers at the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. who need resources upon the infant and mother\u2019s discharge from the hospital.<\/p>\n

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The Northern Marianas chapter has also begun a new service program called \u201cBaby Laundry Baskets,\u201d which provides baby starter kits for eligible families identified by social workers at the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. who need resources upon the infant and mother\u2019s discharge from the hospital.<\/p>\n

In partnership with D&Q International, the \u201cBaby Laundry Baskets\u201d contain essentials for the newborn, which include disposable diapers and wipes, baby clothes, and a baby bath towel as well as laundry detergent, bleach and laundry softener and, a roll of quarters for the laundromat.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were able to raise $337 from a raffle during our awarding ceremony [in February] and this will serve as the seed money for the \u2018Baby Laundry Baskets\u2019 project,\u201d said Sebangiol.<\/p>\n

Throughout its century-old history, the Soroptimists have been known to leave a far-reaching and positive influence in their communities. In fact, the impact of the Soroptimists\u2019 positive influence on society is the basis of three of the five initiatives laid down by the United Nations for the 2024 International Women\u2019s Day theme of \u201cInvest in Women, Accelerate Progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Live Your Dream Awards is a direct response to the first two UN IWD initiatives, which are investing in women and ending poverty. Through training and education provided by the Live Your Dream Awards, women get substantial resources to allow them to gain education and realize their career goals, thus helping bridge the financial gap resulting from the inattention given to gender equality measures.<\/p>\n

The Soroptimists\u2019 mission also supports the third UN IWD initiative of implementing gender-responsive financing through the creation of a financial landscape that is responsive to the unique needs and challenges women face.<\/p>\n

Sebangiol says it is critical for women to get paid and be given benefits equal to what is being given to men so that they can provide for themselves and their families.<\/p>\n

\u201cA woman is more likely to become a single parent and head of household post-divorce or separation. Her single income should be sufficient to allow a decent quality of life for her and her children without having to rely on food stamps, Medicaid, and other government subsidies. When a woman achieves success either academically or professionally, it is her family, her village, and the island community that benefits as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Baby Laundry Basket assembly team of the Soroptimist International-NMI Chapter.<\/p>\n

-CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
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<\/p>\n

Group photo of the Ladies Paint Night of Soroptimist International-NMI Chapter.<\/p>\n

-CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
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\u201cWe will put forth our best efforts to improve the lives of women and girls…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-406495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=406495"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406495\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=406495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=406495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=406495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}