President introduction for 2005/06

Dear Friends,

My name is Sylvia Bwalya Mwansa from Zambia in Central Africa (Zambia Tourism). I am the President of Ladies’ Circle International (LCI), and I warmly welcome you to our website.

Some of you may be wondering what Ladies’ Circle International is all about. It is an international service organization with a total membership of about 16000, and present in 36 countries and four continents (Africa, Asia, Europe and North America). Our membership comprises of young and like-minded professional ladies who have come together to make a difference in the lives of the needy through community service and project support. We also make a difference to our own lives through the discovery of unlimited friendship at local, national and international level. Our wonderful and exciting organization is well above matters of politics, colour or creed. A rich diversity of professions, occupations, nationalities and personal characters coupled with desire to work for charity and make new friends at every opportunity makes Ladies’ Circle International a unique global service club. We work with Round Table International (RTI) (Round Table International) through what is fast becoming a successful ‘Side-by-Side’ cooperation in membership building and projects. This is at club, national and international level and involves all members of both LCI and RTI.

Just where did LCI stem from? Our great organization has its roots in England where the wives of Round Table members founded the first Circle in Bournemouth over 70 years ago. As earlier stated, membership is about 16000 and spread over 36 countries worldwide. Membership is by invitation, and is open to ladies in the 18-45 age group. You may ask why the age limit; it was aimed at ensuring that there were fresh ideas brought into the organization by allowing new members and relieving members who may have suffered ‘burn out’ during their service period so that they do not appear to lose interest. This policy is under research with regard to its relevance in present day and future LCI. The smallest unit of membership is called a Circle or Circle Club. This club is affiliated to an Area and on to a country Association. Application for membership is to a Circle (club) and all one needs is time to serve, love in order to make friends and a big heart in order to accommodate different views and opinions. Individual Circles hold their Annual General Meetings every year at which new office bearers are elected and financial reports presented, among other business. The national Association will hold its AGM after each Circle has had its own, but before 10 June every year. The climax of each Circle year is the LCI Conference which is held in a chosen country in the last week of August or first week of September (Click here for more details). The LCI Conference elects new office bearers (known as the LCI Board), reviews activities of the previous year, receives the LCI financial report, elects a charity project to be supported by all member countries (normally for two years) and charts the way forward for this great organization.
At the LCI conference, new friendships are made and old ones renewed, and the event is a big social and business extravaganza! This year’s Conference is set for 7-10 September 2006 in Alkmaar, The Netherlands. It’s ‘Say Cheese’ in Alkmaar ! (Click here to register to Alkmaar, LCI AGM 2006).

As a service organization, we are engaged in the mooting and management of community service projects at Club, Area, Association (national) and LCI (international) levels. Armed with our youth, integrity and total transparency, we are an effective conduit through which resources are channeled to areas of need. Our projects encompass effects of natural (eg The Tsumani of East Asia in 2004) and man-made (eg mitigating effects of poverty and human displacement) problems or disasters (click here for more details about our charity project). We have always strived and succeeded in making a difference to the disadvantaged in many countries across continents. As a vibrant and dynamic organization with age restriction, we are always looking at adding to our numbers to ensure continued delivery of service and friendship. In this regards, we ask you to approach your nearest Circle in your town or city for expression of interest to join, and you may just be the person that will make the difference in the life of some unfortunate being out there in the world. You may be the person that would further brighten up my life as a new friend, adding to the rich pot of friendship from which we all draw our inspiration. A membership pamphlet (Pamphlet info about Ladies Circle) can be downloaded from this website.

from left to right:
Isabelle Séguinot, France, LCI WebLady 2004/06
Kirsten Pressl, Germany, LCI Treasurer 2005/07
Kristel Viilver, Estonia, LCI Secretary 2005/07
Sylvia Mwansa, Zambia, LCI President 2005/06
Anke-Thea Dijkman, The Netherland, LCI Vice President 2005/06
Elena Charalambidou, Cyprus, LCI Immediate Past President 2005/06

I thank you very much for visiting our website, and hope that you will reflect on and positively digest the contents of this message.

In friendship and service,

Sylvia B Mwansa
Ladies' Circle International President 2005-2006

Nkani Yawama "Life can be good"