Soroptimist East London (SI East London), part of Soroptimist International, has received the prestigious Best Practice Award in the category “Prosperity” from Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI).
SI East London received the award as recognition of the work they do mentoring vulnerable women into employment, education and a more secure future with Hackney’s Luminary Bakery. The Luminary Bakery exists for women in the UK experiencing poverty, homelessness, violence or criminal activity. They offer skills training, paid employment and a supportive community to help women thrive.
Alison Charles, a member of SI East London, which leads the Luminary mentoring project said, “We chose to mentor women trainees at the Luminary because the organisation was one that all the members felt passionate about. The Luminary makes a real difference to the lives of the women they support. We felt like we could really make a difference, raising hope in those we mentored, and helping them rebuild a new future for themselves.”
The work SI East London do with The Luminary Bakery has been proven to make a difference. Halimot Ogunnaike of Haliberry Cakes and Catering, based in Newham, was a student of the Luminary Bakery and now runs her own business. She says: “my Soroptimist mentor did a wonderful job. She’s like my mum and a mentor at the same time. She’s been one of the pillars of my business helping me along the way”.
Since being a student, Ogunnaike has now herself become a member of SI East London: “I want to give back to the community, to share my skills and offer what I can.”
To learn more about Haliberry Cakes and Catering or attend her online baking classes visit: https://www.haliberrycatering.co.uk/
Soroptimist International, founded in 1921, is a global organisation of women dedicated to serving other women with nearly 80,000 Soroptimists worldwide and has General Consultative Status with the United Nations. SI East London considers itself “a real sisterhood” made up of women from different professional backgrounds and is dedicated to “making friends with like-minded women, having fun and working together to help improve the lives of women and girls locally, nationally and around the world”.
To find out more or how to join Soroptimist East London go to their website https://sigbi.org/east-london/