SI Middlesbrough

Today is the WHO's World Health Day starting a 1-year campaign celebrating the power of scientific collaboration to protect the health of people, animals, plants and the planet. Yes, they are linked. How little health can there be when so much of the world is at war?

We had excellent, very entertaining, speakers yesterday, Sheelagh and Judy, describing their training as nurses and midwives some years ago, and the differences in training and practice today. Here they are with Club chair, Carol.

We are grateful to Morrison's, Berwick Hills, Middlesbrough for allowing us an information stand in their store yesterday. Many people appreciated the free toothpastes and brushes together with information about head and neck cancers. Many told us of their experience with cancer in their family. We gave helpful information to smokers, smoking being one of the main causes of these cancers.

Wishing all our followers a happy IWD today.

In readiness for International Women's Day today, on Friday last we joined forces with Teesside Archives to present a display of the work of Middlesbrough Soroptimists over the last 80 years in supporting women locally and further afield. The work goes on !
www.sigbi.org/middlesbrough.

Today is HIV awareness day. Some forms of this virus can cause various cancers in both men and women. Vaccination is now available in schools at certain times for year 8 pupils and should be taken up. It is also available for at-risk adults at sexual health clinics.

Only 2 days to our little exhibition at Teesside Archives on Friday, 11am – 2pm. Visit if you can!

A happy evening with guests from Afghanistan.

We had a fabulous evening yesterday with our Afghani guests. We learned so much of the history of Afghanistan and the lives of women there today.

Two thirds of women journalists, rights defenders and activists have reported violence online, with over 40% saying they have faced real world attacks linked to digital abuse. The “Tipping Point” report by the UN focusses on an escalation in violence alongside social media.

Gender- based violence is now tech-facilitated as AI is used to turn photos of girls and women into deepfake sexualised images. This is so horrendous to the victims.

It is good that the Government’s Plan for Change mission is to reduce VAWG by 50%. That still leaves an awful lot of victims.