Soroptimists provide support through friendship

Former Clare Champion journalist, Ger Colleran will be the guest speaker at a national friendship event hosted by the Soroptimists International Ennis and District Club.
Saturday’s event at The Old Ground Hotel will be attended by Soroptimists from over 20 clubs in the Republic and Northern Ireland and the theme will be ‘Supporting through Friendship’ which is the ethos of soroptimism.
Now editor of The Irish Daily Star and a part-time broadcaster, Quin native Ger Colleran has a strong family link with the Ennis Soroptimists as his sister, Claire is a past president. Ennis was accorded the honour of hosting the event following the selection of their member Rosalie Byrne-Muir as national president.
The Ennis and District Club has had five presidents elected to the national forum over its 47 year history. 
Through many generations, the club’s all female membership has enjoyed and benefited from enduring friendships and the mutual support of each other which in turn, has generated support from the wider community for the many worthy causes promoted by the club over the years including Caring for Carers and 65 Roses, in aid of cystic fibrosis.
At international level, the ethos of ‘Supporting Through Friendship’ is also much in evidence in the activism of soroptimists who have been tenacious advocates at the United Nations in the relentless pursuit of the goal to improve the lives and defend the rights of women and girls through the provision of refuge as well as education and work programmes with the objective of offering women and girls a viable alternative to the sex trade and other such sub-human existence.
Soroptimists also lobby and work with organisations such as GAPS (Gender Action for Peace & Security) to involve women in peace negotiations and the rebuilding of their communities in regions devastated by conflict or natural disasters.
In Sri Lanka, after the devastating Tsunami, the national association was involved in the Le Cheile project to rebuild a school in one of the more remote areas under Tamil control.