Supporting local women to learn

The latest recipient of the Soroptimist International of Waimea’s education grant is Marise Bainbridge from Richmond.

The 27-year-old single mum applied for the $3000 grant to help her continue studying a Bachelor of Counselling degree at NMIT.

“I chose that course because I was looking for a greater purpose in life and I found that I have a passion for working with women and mothers and giving back to my community.”

Marise left school at 14 with no qualifications, and when she found herself pregnant at 17, decided to go back to school via correspondence.

“My son is now 9 and I’ve been raising him on my own since birth. I do not have family that live locally for support, so I have faced many challenging times over the years. But this has made me a strong, motivated, and empathic individual.”

She says, finding a job as a solo mum was hard, so when she was 19 she completed a diploma in small business management and set up her own business to work flexible hours from home.

“I now find myself in a position to help other women and mothers in my community. This year I have been accepted to complete my placement position for my degree at Perinatal Support Nelson where I will volunteer a minimum of 150 hours as a student counsellor and work with a lot of mothers and children.”

Marise says she can see the increasing need for more counsellors across New Zealand, as the mental health system is overloaded.

“I expect to graduate from my degree in 2024 and I plan to work as a counsellor in the Nelson/Tasman region. I feel privileged to be able to give back to my community in this way.”

Secretary for the SI Waimea Soroptimists, Annette Smith, says the group received 14 applications this year.

“We started the annual grant in 2013. This was to fulfill our international theme of Educate to Lead. It is called a grant rather than scholarship because it is always dependent on us raising the funds each year. Last year’s nurse Jenny Q&A evenings were a blessing as we made our 2023 grant money in those two nights.”

Since 2013, SI Waimea have had 102 applications and awarded the grant to 11 women.

“It is always a difficult decision on who to choose, and we have had comments that we should give more smaller grants annually. However, the feedback from recipients tells us that the larger amount means they can pay childcare, replace laptops, fix cars and so on.”

“Grant recipients report twice a year on their progress. One thing we are very pleased about is that none of our recipients have stopped their study and have all qualified.”

As a student counsellor, Marise says her values and beliefs align with the Soroptimists values as she too hopes to empower women, promote gender equality and facilitate positive changes in people’s lives.

“I believe that all women should have access to education. However, there can be many barriers, including financial hardship. This is why I am grateful for the opportunity to be awarded the grant.”

Soroptimist International of Waimea is an organisation which works towards advancing the welfare and status of women.

For more information on the grant or how to apply, email siwaimea@siswp.org