YB DATIN PADUKA CHEW MEI FUN, PARLIMENTARY SECRETARY FOR WOMEN, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, MISS KIM FONG, PRESIDENT SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL REGION OF MALAYSIA, DATO’ ANUSHA SANTHIRASTHIPAM, PROJECT CHAIRPERSON, THE EXCO MEMBERS OF SIROM, PRESIDENTS OF SI CLUBS WHO ARE HERE THIS MORNING, SOROPTIMIST SISTERS, DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

I AM INDEED SO HAPPY TO BE HERE TO SEE THE ROLL OUT OF ONE OF OUR VERY IMPORTANT WORKSHOPS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE IMPLEMENTED NOT ONLY ONCE, NOT ONLY IN PJ, BUT BY ALL OUR CLUBS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. A LOT OF HARD WORK AND EFFORT HAS BEEN EXPENDED AND I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE, THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE MADE IT HAPPEN.

FIRST AND FOREMOST I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YB DATIN PADUKA CHEW MEI FUN FOR SO GRACIOUSLY TAKING TIME FROM HER BUSY SCHEDULE TO LAUNCH THIS INAUGURAL WORKSHOP FOR YOUTHS. YOUR SUPPORT IS MOST ENCOURAGING FOR US.

TO SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL CLUB OF PETALING JAYA, MY OWN CLUB. PRESIDENT KIM FONG AND MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR HAVING SO SPONTANEOUSLY ADOPTING THE WORKSHOP FOR YOUTHS.

IN PARTICULAR, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK DATO’ ANUSHA SANTHIRASTHIPAM AND HER TEAM FOR SUCH A WELL CRAFTED PROGRAMME, WHICH I KNOW WILL BENEFIT OUR YOUTHS, NOT ONLY THE PARTICIPANTS THIS MORNING, BUT HOPEFULLY THROUGH THEIR INFLUENCE AND IMPACT, OTHER YOUTHS, FAMILIES AND FRIENDS.

INDEED OUR AIM THROUGH THESE WORKSHOPS IS TO CHANGE MINDSETS AND VALUES ON HOW WE DEAL WITH VIOLENCE, SOCIAL ILLS AND THE LIKE. AT WORST, WE HOPE TO CREATE SOME AWARENESS THAT EACH AND EVERYONE OF US, FROM THE YOUNG TO THE OLD, GIRLS AND BOYS, WOMEN AND MEN, CAN ALL PLAY A PART TO CREATE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON OUR CIRCLE OF RELATIONSHIPS, AT HOME, IN THE COMMUNITY AND AT LARGE.

IIT IS THE ASPIRATION OF SI TO BE ONE OF THE AGENTS OF POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE COMMUNITY WE SERVE. SI HAS BEEN IN THE COUNTRY FOR 15 YEARS AND WE HAVE THROUGH OUR MANY CLUBS, DONE OUR BIT THROUGH VARIED PROJECTS AND INFLUENCE, TO BRING ABOUT POSITIVE CHANGE TO THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WE TOUCH.

FOR THIS FIFTEENTH YEAR OF CELEBRATION OF SI’S EXISTENCE IN MALAYSIA, SIROM ADOPTED THE THEME “PREVENTION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN”. ON 1ST APRIL 2006, WE LAUNCHED OUR CAMPAIGN WITH A PEACE FORUM, ENTITLED “PEACE AT HOME, PEACE IN THE COUNTRY AND PEACE IN THE WORLD”. WE ALSO PRINTED A BROCHURE TO SUPPORT THE “KL DECLARATION ON THE CRIMINALISATION OF WAR”, TO BE DISTRIBUTED TO SOROPTIMIST MEMBERS, WORLDWIDE TO DECLARE THAT WE ARE AGAINST THE VIOLENCE OF WARS, BECAUSE IT KILLS MANY INNOCENT WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

THERE IS NOT MUCH, WE AS AN ORGANIZATION, CAN DO TO STOP WARS BUT WE FEEL THAT PERHAPS WE CAN ATTEMPT TO DO MORE TO PREVENT OTHER FORMS OF VIOLENCE, THAT HAPPENS SOMETIMES, LITERALLY, AT OUR OWN DOORSTEPS.

WE RECENTLY CARRIED OUT A SURVEY ON “SAFETY IN MALLS” AS WE WERE CONCERNED BY THE INCREASING INCIDENTS OF VIOLENCE IN NOT ONLY THE MALLS, BUT IN MANY PUBLIC PLACES, PARTICULARLY SNATCH THEFTS, WHERE THE VICTIMS ARE MOSTLY WOMEN AND YOUNG GIRLS.

WE WISH WE COULD DO MORE THAN JUST SURVEY MALLS BUT BEING PRACTICAL, WE FEEL MALLS AS A SCENE OF VIOLENT CRIMES WAS AN AREA WE COULD SURVEY, RATHER THAN THE STREETS AND PARKS. WE ARE GRATIFIED THAT THE MALLS HAVE RESPONDED POSITIVELY BY ASKING FOR THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY TO ENABLE THEM TO TAKE POSITIVE ACTION TO IMPROVE AND ENHANCE STANDARDS OF SAFETY IN THEIR MALLS. WE HOPE THAT WITH SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS AND GREATER AWARENESS AMONG THE USERS, LIVES LOST THROUGH VIOLENT INCIDENTS IN MALLS WILL BE GREATLY REDUCED.

ANOTHER PROGRAMME IN OUR CAMPAIGN ARE WORKSHOPS TARGETED AT WOMEN, CHILDREN AND YOUTHS, THE PILOT PROGRAMMES FOR WHICH ARE BEING HANDLED BY OUR KLANG VALLEY CLUBS.

THESE WORKSHOPS FOCUS ON THE THEME OF REDUCING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN AND INCULCATE STRONG VALUES AMONG YOUTHS AND FAMILY UNITS.

OUR PILOT PROJECT WORKSHOP ON “PERSONAL SAFETY” FOR CHILDREN AGED 10 TO 12 WAS SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED AT SK TAMAN SEA BY SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL CLUB OF BANGSAR. WE HAVE HAD VERY GOOD FEEDBACK FROM THE CHILDREN AND TEACHERS WHO OBSERVED THE SESSION. ONE MORE SESSION ON THE SAME TOPIC WILL BE CARRIED OUT BY SI CLUB OF BANGSAR FOR CHILDREN AGED 6 TO 8 UNDER THE PILOT SCHEME. A PILOT WORKSHOP FOR YOUNG MOTHERS ON PARENTING AND INCULCATING SOUND FAMILY VALUES WILL BE CARRIED OUT BY OUR SI CLUB OF KUALA LUMPUR. THE LAST OF THE PILOT PROJECTS IS A “PERSONAL SAFETY AWARENESS DAY” FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS TO BE LED BY SI CLUB OF AMPANG WITH SUPPORT FROM SI SHAH ALAM. THANK YOU

WE ARE EXTREMELY GRATEFUL TO THE NANYANG FOUNDATION FOR PROVIDING US THE INITIAL FUNDING TO DO THE PILOT PROGRAMMES AS THE FOUNDATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE OF HELPING SINGLE MOTHERS, YOUTHS AND UNDERPRIVILEGED CHILDREN.

IT IS OUR HOPE THAT THE WORKSHOPS, WILL NOT BE STUCK AT THE PILOT STAGE BUT TAKEN BEYOND TO OTHER PARTS OF MALAYSIA, AT LEAST TO STATES WHERE WE HAVE SI CLUBS EG SARAWAK, SABAH, PENANG, PAHANG AND JOHOR BAHRU. FOR THIS WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN, FAMILY & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND OTHER DONORS.

THE LAST OF OUR PROJECT FOR THE CAMPAIGN WHICH IS IN THE PIPELINE, IS A PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE CAMPAIGN ON “WOMEN AGAINST VIOLENCE”.

SIROM HAS TO DEPEND ON THE CLUBS AND THEIR MEMBERS TO HELP US RUN THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CAMPAIGN. COULD I TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK ALL THE CLUBS AND MEMEBRS WHO HAVE GIVEN ME AND THE EXCO YOUR SUPPORT, TIME AND EFFORT TO CARRY OUT THE SURVEY ON MALLS AND THE WORKSHOP THAT I MENTIONED. THANK YOU SISTER SOROPTIMIST OF MALAYSIA I SAY THANK YOU TO ALL THE CLUBS WHO ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE WORKSHOP PROGRAMME.

ON BEHALF OF SIROM, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK ALL OUR CORPORATE DONORS WHO HAVE SUPPORTED ALL THE PROJECTS OF OUR 15TH ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN. AS I SAID EARLIER, WE HOPE FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR THE WORKSHOPS TO BE CARRIED OUT IN OTHER PARTS OF MALAYSIA.

I TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO WISH THE WORKSHOP EVERY SUCCESS AND THAT ALL THE YOUTHS WILL BE EMPOWERED TO BE STRONG AND ETHICAL AND TO REACH OUT TO HELP OTHERS WHO FIND THEMSELVES IN BAD SITUATIONS.

THANK YOU YB DATIN PADUKA CHEW MEI FUN, ONCE AGAIN, FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP AND SUPPORT OF SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL.



PUAN SRI SIEW YONG GNANALINGAM
President, SIROM

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