PR sent to Daily Facts today:
Redlands 8 November 2007… Today (8 November 2007), members of the Zonta Club of Redlandsare celebrating the 88th birthday of Zonta International. Founded in 1919 in Buffalo, New York, USAthe organization has grown to 33,000 members in more than 1,200 clubs in 67 countries and geographic areas.
Since 1919, Zonta International has been on the front lines of global and local efforts to help women overcome barriers to equal education, health care, legal rights, credit and employment through education, service and advocacy programs funded by Zonta International Foundation.
Here in the Inland Empire, the Zonta Club of Redlandshas been involved in local service projects, scholarships for women and literacy programs. Clubs select, fund and participate in local education, service and advocacy projects that promote women’s equality.
Over the years, Zontians have committed hundreds of thousands of service hours to and raised millions of dollars for a wide range of women-focused community service projects such as:
- Supporting shelters for survivors of domestic violence
- Establishing micro-credit programs to help women start small businesses
- Empowering girls and women through educational assistance
- Informing women, especially those facing cultural and linguistic barriers, about the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
Zontians worldwide have provided more than US$22 million for international programs and projects benefiting more than eight million women in over 60 countries. Zonta International service programs are currently focused on providing educational opportunities and access to healthcare, and the prevention of violence against women and include:
§ The Amelia Earhart Fellowships, providing more than US$7 million for 1,192 Fellowships to women in 57 countries for graduate work in aerospace science and engineering since 1938;
§ The Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarships providing financial support for women pursuing business management careers;
§ The Young Women in Public Affairs Awards to high school women who demonstrate a commitment to service in their schools and communities;
§ Through the International Service Program, two continuing projects begun in 2004, the Mata Masu Dubara project (economic security and health) in Niger, a country where 50% of the people live on US40 cents a day (Zonta’s partner in this project is CARE International), and a continuation of community-based efforts to provide education and healthcare to Afghan women and girls through the Afghan Institute of Learning, are changing the lives of women and girls everyday. Two new projects include efforts to revive and create opportunities for income generation and employment creation among women in post-tsunami Sri Lanka through the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and to provide expanded educational opportunities for girls and young women in Bolivia, a country where 60 percent of the population lives in poverty. (Zonta’s partner in the latter is CARE International.)
§ Through the ZISVAW (Zonta International Strategies to Prevent Violence Against Women) Program, projects are focused on preventing the trafficking of women and girls in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Thailand; preventing and managing the consequences of sexual and gender-based violence in post-tsunami Sri Lanka; creating women-friendly police and judicial procedures in Bhutan; and implementing laws, policies and action plans on violence against women in Niger.
Zonta International President Olivia Ferry asserts: “The active engagement and participation of women in policy making and strategy development, and the creation of gender-sensitive programs are both vital for the full attainment of the goals of gender equality, education, sustainable development and the elimination of all forms of discrimination and harmful practices against them.”
Happy Birthday, Zonta!
Zonta International is a global service organization of executives in business and the professions working together to advance the status of women worldwide through service and advocacy. Zonta International has consultative status with United Nations agencies, the International Labour Organization and the Council of Europe. The Zonta International Foundation is Zonta’s philanthropic partner, supporting the mission and programs of Zonta International through effective fundraising, investment of funds and distribution of proceeds.
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The Zonta Club of Redlands is involved in a variety of community activities including providing scholarships for women to advance their education, supporting literacy programs, and supporting other service organizations. For more information on joining Zonta or contributing to the scholarship programs, write to the Zonta Club of Redlands, P.O. Box 2004, Redlands, CA 92373.
