SI Danube Meetings – Join the Conversation!

The SI Danube network hosts online sessions every two months, bringing together members from across the region. Active participation comes from Clubs in Bulgaria, Germany, Romania, the Republic of Moldova, and beyond – with each session drawing 15 to 25 participants.

These gatherings offer space for shared learning, collaboration, and inspiration, and all SI sisters are warmly invited to join. Every session is documented, with minutes shared via the SI Danube email list, ensuring transparency and continuity. Contact: carmen.stadelhofer@uni-ulm.de

Save the Date!

May 15, 2025 at 6 pm.

Online Session

Main Topic: Digital Tools and how can we use them

Save the Date!

May 29 - June 2, 2025

🎉  30th Anniversary of the 2nd SI Club founded in Romania - SI Slatina

Click HERE for more information!

Save the Date!

October 1 - 3, 2025

🎉  30th Anniversary Celebration of SI Brașov

Honoring 30 Years of Sisterhood – SI Brașov Celebrates a Milestone

Online-Session March 20, 2025

Strong Women- What does it take to achieve success as a woman?

Stories from along the Danube Delta

Moderated by Felicia Savu with minutes recorded by Rodica Maiuca, both from SI Brașov, this inspiring session on the 20th of March, 2025 focused on personal stories of successful women from the Danube region.

Two guest speakers shared powerful insights into their professional journeys:

🔹 Dr. Madlen Serban
Former Secretary General of the Romanian National Commission for UNESCO, currently a member of SI Bucharest and previously of SI Craiova. (Her profile in the European Parliament)
  Introduced by Prof. Dana Constantinescu (SI Craiova).

🔹 Denitsa Velikova
  CEO of Megachim, a successful company producing paints and polishes; member of SI Ruse.
Introduced by Milena Popova (SI Ruse).

Both speakers gave captivating presentations on their paths to leadership, highlighting the resilience, vision, and courage that have shaped their professional lives. The session concluded with an engaged discussion among participants.

From 13 to 16 March 2025, five members of SI Clubs from Brașov, Craiova, Cluj, and Suceava (Romania) participated in the ViMA on Tour qualification training, held in Cluj.

The training was organized by ILEU e.V. and led by Carmen Stadelhofer, president of ILEU and member of SI Ulm-Donaustadt (Germany). The ViMA programme (vima-ileu.eu) focuses on empowering civic engagement and intergenerational dialogue through innovative methods and collaboration.

On Friday evening, the SI participants were warmly welcomed by Daniela Salagan and fellow sisters from SI Cluj, who hosted an evening gathering filled with hospitality, exchange, and shared inspiration.

Online-Session January 16, 2025

Women in Arts, SI Sisters present their work

The SI Danube network started the new year with a vibrant online session on 16 January 2025, focusing on the theme “Women in Arts.” The meeting was moderated by Tsveta Shenkova, with minutes recorded by Milena Popova – both from SI Ruse.

This special session was dedicated to showcasing the artistic journeys of two exceptional women:
🎨 Brigitte Heintze (SI Augsburg, Germany) -  🔗 Brigitte Heintze – Official Website
🎨 Cristina Bacicu Botez (SI Slatina, Romania) -  🔗 Cristina Bacicu Botez – A World in Itself

Both artists shared their professional paths and presented selections of their powerful and evocative work.

Their contributions sparked admiration and lively engagement from all participants, with many questions and a rich exchange throughout the session.

Two exciting topics were proposed for upcoming sessions:

• "What does it take to achieve success as a woman?" – Personal stories from the Danube region
• Artificial Intelligence – Exploring its potential for empowerment and creative use

Additionally, two key events are on the horizon:

• 🗓 Spring 2026 – In-person meeting in the Danube Delta
• 🥂 1–3 October 2026 – 30th Anniversary Celebration of SI Brașov in Brașov, Romania

Online-Session November 14, 2024

Women and Economy

Women and Payment in different countries

This session focused on the topic of Women and Their Role in the Economy. To kick off the discussion, Tsveta Shenkova from SI Ruse started with a presentation on Women in the Labor Market. She presented insights from Claudia Goldin's Nobel Prize-winning research on the historical inequality in women's salaries.

Members from SI Danube shared their perspectives on the current economic conditions faced by women in Germany, Bulgaria, and Romania. Annette Schmidt, SI Ulm-Donaustadt made reflexions about the unequal payment of women and men in Germany and the reasons why. 

Additionally, Maria Alexe from Bucharest provided updates on the upcoming SI Danube meeting planned for the Danube Delta in autumn 2025. 

Reorganisation of SI Danube - 3rd Meeting - September 19, 2024

The group agreed to establish a regular online session every two months, held on Thursdays. Each session will feature an input from an SI sister, focusing on a key theme selected by the participants. Whenever possible, active contributions from SI sisters across multiple Clubs will be encouraged to foster engagement and exchange.

🗣 Discussion Highlights:

• Expanding the Network – strategies to invite and involve more Clubs and members
• Project Planning – identifying shared goals and potential collaborations
• Growing Together – continued reflection on how to deepen connection and impact within the SI Danube network

A network-wide meeting of SI sisters is planned for 2025 – to be held in the Danube Delta. Details and invitations will follow.

Meeting of SI Danube Sisters from 11-13 July 2024 in Ulm/Danube-Festival/ Meeting Danube-Networkers

Tsveta Shenkova from SI Ruse, Rodica Maciuca from SI Brasov, Maria Alexe, actual president of the Romanian SI Union and Ana Maria Juc from SI Edinet participated in the partner meeting and conference Strengthening Civil Society in the Danube Region for a joint Europe which was organized by ILEU e.V. and the international educational Networkt Danube-Neworkers and took place in the framework of the international Danube-Festival Ulm/Neu Ulm in July 2024. They had been invited to this international meeting by SI sister Carmen Stadelhofer, head of ILEU e.V. to presented their Clubs in the poster session and to take actively part in the workshops and the cultural events. One evening was dedicated to a very cordially meeting with sisters of SI Ulm-Donaustadt

https://donaufest.tastes-of-danube.eu/

Reorganisation of SI Danube - 2nd Meeting

July 7, 2024

At the most recent meeting, members agreed to establish an interim team tasked with shaping the future direction of SI Danube. This group will explore new structural possibilities—including the development of a future presidency—and draft proposals for content such as potential projects and meetings. It was proposed that each Club appoint one representative (a "sister") to join the interim team, creating a direct link between SI Danube's organizational core and its member Clubs.

In response to the question "How can we grow together better?", participants engaged in a productive exchange, leading to the identification of a shared focus:
🔹 A joint project on “Mentoring for young female migrants” emerged as a central theme for future collaboration.

The topic of the SI Danube website was also discussed, particularly regarding its financing. Carmen provided an update on the current state of the website and acknowledged the substantial efforts made thus far by SI Ulm-Donaustadt to keep it running. On behalf of her Club, she proposed a few cost-sharing models to support the site’s maintenance, estimating annual expenses of approximately 200 euros.

Following a round of input, the group reached consensus:
➡️ Each Club wishing to be part of the network will contribute 20 euros annually toward the website’s upkeep.

Reorganisation of SI Danube - 1st Meeting

May 30, 2024

SI Danube Members met on May 30, 2024 to discuss the reorganisation of the SI Danube Club. Milena Popova from Sofia, Bulgaria, introduced some topics which needed to be discussed.

As the organization looks to reestablish momentum post-pandemic, several key topics have come to the forefront. Discussions are underway regarding the restructuring of the internal framework, including the overdue election of a new board, as the initial term quietly expired during the pandemic period. Additionally, plans are in motion to update the organization's website and digital presence.

In line with its past engagement, the group also intends to issue a statement ahead of the 2024 European elections, following the example set in 2019.

May 20, 2024:  European Elections

SI Danube call for Voting

Sisters from the informal Network SI Danube call for participation: USE YOUR VOTE! 

Link to the Call: SI Danube Call for Voting - European Elections

In June 2023 SI Ruse celebrated 10 years of activity. The tenth anniversary of the SI Club Ruse Charter took place from the 2nd to the 4th of June, 2023. The celebration included a welcome cocktail party, a feminist walk in the center of Ruse, followed by a boat trip on the Danube River, and a Gala dinner. On the third day, the Soroptimists visited

the Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo. This is one of the nine sites in Bulgaria included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine our club has joined efforts with the Red Cross in our town (Ruse). We have done the following activities: 
- raised 500 Euro;

- supplied non-perishable food, tea, coffee and other goods (cell phone chargers), by request from the Red Cross for the two entry posts in Ruse – the Border post at the Danube bridge and the Central railway station;

- supplied bedding (sheets, pillows, pillowcases) for the Red Cross and the Crisis centre Caritas, where Ukrainian families are staying (for 20 people);

- provided clothing, towels, toys and shoes for 2 families from Ukraine, staying at the Crisis centre (5 children and 4 adults)

- volunteered at the two entry posts – 140 hours so far. 

Read more about their work HERE

The members of the SI Club Brasov have established an action plan, with several activities for the period 25 Nov - 10 Dec 2021:

• an official letter was sent to Brasov City Hall with the request to illuminate the City Hall building and the letters BRASOV on Mount Tampa in orange on November 25, 2021
• interviews for the local press and television
• three shop windows were decorated with orange products and with messages to end violence against women
• exhibition, with sale, paintings and icons on glass, organized by the our club at the Brasov county library; the founds raised were donated for the equipment of  the shelter for women in Brasov
• a meeting, on December 7, 2021, at the Sport Hotel in Poiana Brasov, with presentations on violence against women.
• our members wore orange masks, took pictures with them and posted them on social networks together with messages about this movement

The members of Soroptimist Brasov, Romania want to share their traditions related to one of the main and most important cultural treasures of Romania, the Romanian blouse IA. Everybody who is interested in Romanian culture and curious to get to know this cultural treasure is invited. The event will be held in English.

Date: June 24, 2021

Web: http://danect.eu/events/soroptimist-romania-100-years-of-soroptimism-celebrated-in-a-purely-traditional-style/

Download the Presentation HERE

SI Brasov attend two international workshops