Empowering women and girls in local communities

The Zonta community is a global network that connects hundreds of clubs, thousands of members and millions of people positively affected by our efforts. In addition to Zonta International’s service projects, our more than 1,100 Zonta clubs and over 400 Z clubs and Golden Z clubs are making an impact in their communities through their own service and advocacy projects.

In the last year, we have seen several themes emerge in our clubs’ activities, including gender-based violence, education and COVID-19 responses.

Ending violence against women

Several clubs in the United States recognized Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April. The University of Jamestown Golden Z Club held a “Wear Teal Day” on 6 April to support gender-based violence survivors. On Denim Day, 28 April, the Zonta Clubs of Hilo and Kauai each partnered with their local governments and other organizations to increase awareness of sexual violence and encouraged Hawaii residents to join them in wearing jeans in solidarity with survivors of gender-based violence. The Zonta Club of Fort Collins also celebrated Denim Day, partnering with organizations to help spread the word.

In Hong Kong, Zonta clubs are partnering to advocate for legal reforms on sexual offenses, as current laws have been in place for more than 60 years and do not reflect the current realities of sexual harassment that takes place online. The clubs submitted their views and considerations of multiple consultation papers, urging their government and justice department to implement necessary legal reforms. In addition to these advocacy efforts, the Zonta Club of Kowloon collaborated with Harmony House Limited, the first non-governmental organization in Hong Kong committed to ending domestic violence. Club members donated care packages for families at women’s

Zonta Club of Redcliffe Inc Zonta Club of Dhaka IV

shelters and household appliance coupons to subsidize the purchase of electrical appliances for these families.

For the sixth year, the Zonta Club of Redcliffe Inc, Australia, partnered with its local rugby team, the Dolphins, during Domestic and Family Violence Awareness Month in May. Club members wore orange Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women shirts and gave away small orange footballs, wristbands and pens with the Zonta Says NO logo and a women’s helpline contact number. During the match, club members form a guard of honor—holding a banner and cutouts of orange ladies—as the players, who wear orange socks, enter the field. The Redcliffe Inc club is hoping to help other clubs in Australia hold similar events next year. District 22 voted to make this initiative Australia-wide at the 2019 conference, but implementation was postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

In early January 2020, the Zonta Club of Kungalv, Sweden took action when a government position to assist victims of domestic violence was eliminated. Seeing that 60-70 women and 150 children would no longer have support, the club contacted the municipal management and the press. Later, club members were invited to a discussion with the local authorities which resulted in the position being filled. While this action took patience and diligence, it is a great example of how local advocacy can lead to success.

Education and awareness

The Zonta Club of Coos Bay Area, USA, recently hosted Girls Rock it Tools and Trade, which aimed to teach 8 to 12-year-old girls how to use tools to make their own projects. During the weeklong camp, participants received hands-on lessons from mostly female experts and made toolboxes, bat houses and birdhouses.

Members of the Zonta Club of Central Tuguegarao, Philippines, collected and donated hundreds of books to multiple local schools in need. Girls were prioritized in the book distribution, as education is a key way to empower girls and achieve gender equality.

The Zonta Club of Kaohsiung Yu-Hisuian, Taiwan, and the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) Golden Z Club collaborated with the Sheng Gong Welfare Fund to host a youth service event at the NPUST Animal Farm. Nearly 40 single-parent children took a tour around the NPUST campus to learn about the physiological and ecological behaviors of the domestic cow. Additionally, a game played at the farm assisted the students in understanding anti-violence elements and promoted violence awareness through teamwork.

Bangladesh is currently lacking skilled labor in the ready-made garment sector. To empower women in obtaining the skills needed for these jobs, the Zonta Club of Dhaka IV organized a skills development and vocational

Zonta Club of Dhaka IV Zonta Club of Central Tuguegarao

training for 25 women garment workers. The club also organized an advocacy program with the factory workers on gender equality and economic empowerment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 support and education

Because people in prison are often at a higher risk of getting infected by COVID-19, the Zonta Club of Cebu II, Philippines, delivered hygiene and dignity kits to 200 women at the Mandaue City Jail to assist the government in supporting vulnerable women. The kits contained essential hygiene supplies such as bath and laundry soap, shampoo, towels, slippers and face masks.

As of May 2021, about 200,000 new immigrants in Taiwan had not yet obtained identity cards because of delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because immigrants without these cards cannot receive financial aid from the country, District 31 launched a project with Taiwan’s National Immigration Coalition to give 10,000 New Taiwan (NT) dollars (US$357) to immigrant women who are single parents. Through the generous donations of 23 Zonta clubs in Taiwan, NT$1.4 million (US$50,000) was raised in just five days, and a total of 140 families were helped.

The Zonta Club of Dresden, Germany, partnered with the Zonta Club of Bombay I, India, to provide support to women and girls during the pandemic. The Dresden club donated 1,000 euros (US$1,169) to Light of Life Trust, a non-governmental organization in Mumbai, for its Project Jagruti. Volunteers taught women and girls about safety measures and the importance of washing hands with soap, using masks and social distancing. There were also face shields, sanitary kits and health guard kits distributed at the event.

The Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder Co, USA, and the PantherZ Z Club hosted a community education program to inform students, parents and friends about the importance of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Members of the clubs spent two months researching the vaccine and community issues surrounding it. They put together an hour-long virtual training and bilingual handouts to be distributed in the community and posted on social media.

This is just a sampling of the wonderful work our members are doing to empower women and girls. If your club or district has a story, please share it at www.zonta. org/shareyourstory. n