International Women’s Day

On International Women’s Day, we have been reflecting on how far we have come or perhaps how far we have still to go in ensuring equality for women.

International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the many achievements and milestones in the ongoing struggle for gender equality. It is also an occasion to think about how far we still have to go, and how we can work together to deliver on the promise of empowerment for women worldwide.


The theme this year is, DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality.


Innovation and technology have the potential to drive gender equality forward by breaking down barriers and creating opportunities for women. When harnessed effectively, technology can enhance access to education, healthcare, finance, and political participation for women, helping to bridge the gender gap in these areas.


It is essential that we all work together to promote equitable representation in leadership positions, provide access to training and education in STEM fields, and create safe and supportive spaces for women to express their ideas and concerns.


This week people are meeting in New York from the 6th to the 17th March at the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67).


The theme for CSW67 this year is "innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls." #EmbraceEquity


We have several colleagues attending in person and online and we hope they can facilitate change, as we know from our work that when women support each other incredible things happen.


We are pleased to be represented at the event by Helen Porter, SSF Ambassador, who is attending through a delegation of Soroptimists from the U.K. and our colleague from the Gambia Teachers Union (GTU), Marie Antoinette Corr, is Speaking at an online webinar: Innovative Solutions in Education Delivery to Empower Women and Girls to share the benefits of our partnership work.


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The disparity is very real today as for participating in CSW67; some of our colleagues are privileged to attend in person whilst some of our colleagues in the global South can only attend on-line due to the inaccessibility of visas and the high cost of travel and accommodation.


So, we are not surprised to hear that "Gender equality is growing more distant. It’s still ‘300 years away’, says UN secretary general @antonioguterres during his opening speech of #CSW67. Read the article here.


Our work has been focussed on #EducationForAll and #DigitalEquity. Through our Learning Resource Centres and Digital Classrooms we are ensuring that students and their teachers have resources to improve access to learning, training and research and connection across the globe.


Working with our partners in Haiti, Sierra Leone, Nepal and The Gambia we have developed Learning Resource Centres and two digital classrooms in The Gambia, one in Nema Kuta Basic Cycle School and the other in St Martin’s Basic Cycle School Kartong; providing technology services for students, educators and local communities.


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Steve Sinnott • March 8, 2023

An Education Revolution

By Ann Beatty • April 6, 2025
This week while out and about in Hertfordshire and we visited the British Schools Museum. We discovered the first school opened by Joseph Lancaster, was known as the ‘Poor Childs Friend”, was in 1810. It was his lifelong mission that all children regardless of their circumstances, should benefit from an education. Apparently, Joseph heard a small girl say, “Oh that I could read!” and this inspired him to create a simple education system that eventually would benefit children across the world. Joseph was the tenth son of a poor man himself from South London. His aim was to offer free education for everyone. However, it would be 93 years before the U.K. government finally made education free for all. There are still many countries today where education is still not free to access and it is certainly not compulsory for primary and secondary age pupils. Joseph’s mission really resonates with that of the Foundation, to support access to education for all. We enjoyed our visit and appreciated the tour given by two of the Museum’s volunteers, Angela and Clare. They described some of the challenges faced in the early years of formal education and shared some of the rules that teachers and students had to abide by with us. 

Sparks Bristol

By Ann Beatty • April 4, 2025
Sparks Bristol is a collaborative community project initially envisioned by The Global Goals Centre, (GGC) more of which below. A few years ago, GGC took over an empty Marks and Spencer store and that’s how Sparks was born. Sparks is a department store with a difference, co-created by Global Goals Centre and Artspace Lifespace. On the ground floor is a huge range of shops, installations, events and more. Upstairs is a hub for local artists, it offers affordable studios as well as rehearsal and performance space. The Global Goals Centre is a Bristol-based educational charity inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals. (SDGs). GGC believe the SDG’s or Global Goals as they are sometimes known, can be reached, with imaginative solutions and widespread education and engagement. They work with partners to promote creative solutions and deliver ground breaking projects that work towards these ambitious goals. The Steve Sinnott Foundation supported the Global Goals Centre with seed funding when it first started over 5 years ago. This month we went to visit them to see how they are getting on and we were taken aback by the volume of work they have achieved since they started. It is amazing to see how though working together with other local community groups it has grown into the vibrant centre it is today. All of the creative projects they host are linked to the SDGs. They cover topics that tackle poverty, education, climate change, fashion recycling and upcycling, to name a few.

Spring is Here! Looking Ahead!

By Ann Beatty • March 28, 2025
Spring is definitely here, daffodils, blossom and crocuses are all basking in the bright sunshine. There is still a chill in the air in the shade but it's happening and all the seeds that were sown over the last few months are coming to fruition. At the Foundation, we have been planning the year ahead and our Positive Periods and Prevention of Gender Based Violence programmes got underway this weekend in Haiti and Ghana. These projects will have a long-lasting effect on the lives of the women and girls who take part: tackling the root causes of gender-based violence and enabling girls to attend school every day when they have their period, to feel safe at school and know how to take action when they are faced with violence. These are the first of many projects planned for the year ahead as we continue to work towards Education for All children everywhere.