Yatisha Ramdarie

Yatisha Ramdarie

SISA President
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Yatisha Ramdarie has been a Soroptimist since 2011 and was the President of SI Durban from 2014-2017. She is a committed Soroptimist who serves on many committees in her club, national association and in the Soroptimist International Africa Federation.
Yatisha is an entrepreneur who runs her own Travel Agency. She has a passion for globe-trotting and chronically suffers from wanderlust. She has exceptional organisational skills and loves event planning.
Yatisha’s passion for the community started at a very young age when she joined the Child Welfare Society at 14. She is a strong believer in Feminism and equal rights for all.
She became a Soroptimist because of her innate desire to help women and girls find their voice while impacting the World and Soroptimist International provides the perfect platform due to its global outreach and its consultative status at the United Nations.
This year (2021) Yatisha will be inducted as the next President of Soroptimist International South Africa. At 35, this makes her the young serving President in the organisations 56-year history.
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Susan Hill

SISA Extension and Vice President
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With an education background in the Arts and Business and years of community development service, Susan has put her diverse experience to good use in her position as Director for iKhaya le Themba Project. She leads an incredibly passionate team from the local community of Imizamo Yethu, an informal settlement in Hout Bay.   The team provide Quality Educational and Holistic Support to orphaned and vulnerable children and their extended families.  They see After School Centres as safe and nurturing spaces offering child-friendly educational support  as Inequality Intervention in the SA Education system, as stated in a recent article by The Learning Trust.

 

Susan joined SICGH in 2017, after a monthly meeting where she was the guest speaker.    “There was such a profound sense of sisterhood and support, I knew I wanted to be part of such an organization.”  She won the Regional Business Woman of the Year Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2018.  As Director of an educational and community development NPO, the SDGs are daily on her mind.  iKhaya’s mission is that every child would have hope and a future.  Collectively the team are sincere in their belief that they are raising up the future leaders of South Africa and collaborate with Schools, Teachers, Parents, Corporates and Volunteers.  A Parent Resource Centre provided food security during the COVID pandemic, teaching mothers gardening skills, and in 2022 will forge forward with new hospitality skills training and opportunities to learn isiXhosa, how to prepare traditional meals and/or help prepare the food for the after-school facility daily.  iKhaya has enjoyed a successful working relationship with Volunteer agencies for many years through their Homework and Mobile Math Labs run by local and global volunteers.

Susan believes in the hopes and dreams of orphaned and vulnerable children and their mothers and is passionate about helping them rebuild their lives.  She has been a member of SICGH since 2017, accepting the nomination for Vice-President with the responsibility for Membership in 2018.  She will step into the role of President of SICGH in February, 2022.

Sally Currin

Sally Currin

Immediate past president
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Sally Currin has served as a Soroptimist for more than 25 years with her club SI Pretoria-Twshane. This is her second term of office as SISA President.
She has a background in teaching high as well as retail business
During a break from teaching while she raised her children Sally founded a nursery school which provided all day care for the children of farm labourers and domestic workers in her area. It was and unusual facility in its time which continues to operate and prepare children for their feeder primary schools.
Sally’s interest then shifted to Adult Education and Community Development when she returned to university as a senior student. This led to a career in development facilitation in township schools where she supported school leaders on their improvement journeys. During that time Sally also led the turnaround process (as principal) of a failing private high school.
The last phase of her paid working life was taken up with working as part of a University of South Africa’s research team which set up libraries in township schools, developed teachers in the teaching of reading and researched the outcomes on learner performance so as to inform education policy.
Since then her life has been filled with voluntary work. Sally led a student leadership organisation which drew candidates from five local universities and provided internship opportunities in Washington DC. She currently serves on the Mapula Embroidery Trust and on an education trust which oversees eleven primary and high schools in Gauteng.
Sallys Soroptimist involvement includes both project work and leadership responsibilities. She currently works on 2 Club Programme Action project teams which work to support the development of young women.
Her National President’s Project for her term has focused on encouraging Club Members to commit to a more environmentally sustainable life-style and adopt behaviours which are planet-friendly.
Sally says …. “I love the ongoing contact with global Soroptimists both through our Club’s Friendship Links and through friendships that have been built over more than 25 years of my Soroptimist life.
 
Being a Soroptimist has enriched my life immeasurably and I have developed in every possible way. The network of like-minded women who share common values and goals are a community which feels like home.”
Saijal Bandulal

Saijal Bandulal

SISA Programme Officer, President Elect and Communications Officer
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Saijal Bandulal joined Soroptimist International Durban in 2012. After a career in broadcasting, training and Research she took a break to raise her 2 boys after which she was looking for a way to give back to the community.
It is at this stage that she was introduced to the world of Soroptimist International.
She was elected as Membership Officer in 2014. The position was fast tracked to Program Action officer the same year and she was inaugurated as SI Durban president in 2016.
She lists as some highlights of her time as President initiating SI Durban’s Movie premieres which contributed to significant fundraising for their beneficiaries.
Another highlight was Incorporating more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals into the clubs program action. Her President’s project targeted Gender Based Violence which resulted in a partnership with Victim Empowerment Centre at the Aryan Benevolent Home (ABH). This also saw the “birth” of the SI Thanda Bear – a skills development and empowerment project for the ABH.
She has engaged significantly in developing protocol and procedures in relation to Club management for SI Durban as well as SISA.
Saijal served a 3 year term as president and was elected as the SISA Communications Officer 2020.
Saijal also holds the office of the Vice President of the Southern Region for the newly charted Soroptimist International Africa Federation (SIAF) July 2020 – 2022. She has also been co opted onto the SIAF Programme Action Committee as well as the SIAF Extension Committee.
Saijal says she continues to be passionate in exacting change on those that need it and holds dear to her heart the direct impact her work as a Soroptimist has made to the lives of so many women, children and their families in the Durban and surrounding areas.
Glenda Oosterhuizen

Glenda Oosthuizen

SISA Treasurer
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Avasha Singh

Avasha Singh

Secretary
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Avasha is a commercially astute, meticulous and highly professional Executive Assistant within a state owned enterprise with vast experience within client-facing roles.  She offers advanced stakeholder engagement skills as well as expertise in managing administration processes, implementing strategies, optimising processes and ensuring an enhanced public image.

Avasha describes herself as being committed to ensuring organisational excellence and consistently improving performance, as well as providing a full capability offering in the motivation and management of high-performing teams to deliver on organisational objectives. She has a strong interest in and passion for Communications, Philanthropy, International Diplomacy and Protocol.

Why am I a Soroptimist?
Avasha says …. “I am a Soroptimist because of the “Sisterhood”, built on trust, that is shared amongst members.  When we phenomenal women, “my tribe”, stand together, work together in sharing our skills and talents, we are able to change the lives of girls and women in our community.  We are able to realise not just the vision that we have for ourselves, but for our sisters, daughters and mothers.