𝐙𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝟏𝟕 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝟑 𝐙𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛𝐬 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

𝐙𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝟏𝟕 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝟑 𝐙𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛𝐬 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

Ceremonial Opening of Zonta District 17 Area 3 Meeting held at NUSTAR Resort led by Area 3 Director Zn. Ma. Teresa Chan

Zonta District 17 Area 3 Zonta clubs identify top needs and come up with proposed projects to attain its goal of women empowerment following three simultaneous workshops tackling three topics – Education, Entrepreneurship, and Equitable Access.

The workshop on Education focused on the top needs of Literacy and Numeracy; Health and Nutrition of Mother and Child; Learning Loss and Remedial Tutorial. Suggested projects for education include Zonta-Department of Education Partnership; Responsible Parenthood, Adopt-a-School project in the locality of the clubs; and conduct of assessment, design program, and training of tutors.

The Zontians attending the Area 3 Meeting

Five top needs have to be prioritized to encourage or promote entrepreneurship.. These are Training, Instilling Values and Motivation, Funding, Marketing, and Opportunities. To address these, five projects were suggested during the workshop – Handy Women Training; Seminars; Collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Science and Technology; Trade fairs/bazaars; and support from Social Media/industrial organizations.

The delegates from Zonta Club of Cebu II during the Fellowship Dinner

To achieve Equitable Access, there’s a need to prioritize the improvement of women’s economic empowerment and capacity building on laws protecting and promoting rights. This can be done through livelihood training based on gender analysis of identified needs and evaluation of impact on women leaders as well as leadership training for grassroots women.

At the end of two-year implementation for Equitable Access projects, Zonta Club Area 3 aims to address the concern of poverty among women by undertaking several projects. These include livelihood based on identified needs of target stakeholders; capacity building of grassroots women leaders; increased awareness of women’s human rights; and education through continuing literacy programs.

Mass and Memorial Service officiated by Rev. Fr. Jesu Amalraj from  Missionaries of the Poor

Zonta also has to undertake participative consultation, conducting gender analysis in designing Programs, Projects, and Activities. The implementation of the project also requires the crafting of monitoring and evaluation to determine the positive impacts of their projects for empowering women.

The workshops were conducted in the afternoon on January 27, 2024. The opening ceremony held in the morning of the same day featured the Parade of Clubs, the Entry of Colors, and dance numbers.

Area 3 Director Zn. Ma. Teresa Chan, who delivered the welcome address, explains that the Area Meeting aims to foster camaraderie and fellowship among Area 3 members of the clubs and enhance their skills and respective capabilities to help serve our communities.

Area 3 Director Zn. Ma. Teresa Chan

“That’s why we have workshops so we can listen to insights of people. We listen to speakers who can give us new perspectives. We can look for other beneficiaries, improve what we are doing now and maybe even look for other types of projects,” Zn. Chan explains.

Vice Area 3 Director Evelyn D. Clarin conducted the roll call of clubs. The Clubs include Zonta Club of Cebu I, Zonta Club of Cebu II, Zonta Club Davao I, Zonta Club Davao II, Zonta Club Metro Iloilo, Zonta Club Bacolod, Zonta Club Iloilo, Zonta Club Cagayan de Oro, Zonta Club Cagayan II, Zonta Club Zamboanga, Zonta Club Tacloban, and Zonta Club General Santos.

The delegation from Zonta Club of Cebu I attending the Area 3 Meeting

District 17 Governor Zn. Ophelia C. Bautista congratulates Zn. Chan and Zn. Petite Garcia, chairman of the Area 3 Meeting Organizing Committee for the success of the activity, thanked the various clubs for the overwhelming attendance of the meeting. There were 165 delegates from the different clubs in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Zn. Bautista also stressed the need for Zontians to empower themselves to empower women. “The more we understand Zonta, the more we get enabled; the more we want to engaged. Let us engage to empower women through education, through entrepreneurship, and equitable access.

In her keynote speech, Myrish Cadapan-Antonio, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Philippine Living Heritage Initiative talks about the Area 3 Meeting's theme "Women + Education + Entrepreneurship + Equitable Access EmpowerHer." She emphasized the pivotal role of education in the efforts to empower women.

“Education is the cornerstone of progress. Entrepreneurship is the catalyst that turns knowledge into action. Equitable access acts as the bridge,” Atty. Cadapan-Antonio said.

Atty. Cadapan-Antonio also served as Deputy Legal Counsel, Faculty of Law, and Director of the Dr. Jovito R. Salonga Center for Law and Development at Silliman University in the Philippines for over a decade before she and her family moved to the United States. She also serves on the boards of the Harvard Club of the Philippines Global, Save One Life (Interim President; an international non-profit serving children with bleeding disorders worldwide), and Khan Academy Philippines.

Meanwhile, the Club Presidents delivered reports on various projects and best practices in their respective communities.

IPP Petite Garcia, Zonta Club of Cebu II President Atty. Elaine Bathan, District 17 Governor Zn. Ophelia C. Bautista, Area 3 Director Zn. Ma. Teresa Chan, Atty. Myrish Cadapan-Antonio, Vice Area 3 Director Evelyn D. Clarin and Zonta Club of Cebu I President Jane Panganiban

Zn. Dr. Vivien Seno also briefed delegates on the three simultaneous workshops that will discuss Education, Entrepreneurship, and Equitable Access.

These concerns are vital to the empowerment of women. The workshop speakers are Atty. Joan S. Largo, Vice President for Administration of the University of San Carlos for education; Ms. Laurie Boquiren, Marketing and R&D Director, Castilex Industrial Corp. and CEO/Founder Jamaica Markets Corp. for Entrepreneurship and Atty. Mylen Gonzales-Esquivel, Executive Director at Child Justice League Inc. for Equitable Access.

In the afternoon, Motivational Speaker Mader Perci Cendaňa, former Commissioner of the Philippine National Youth Commission, delivered an inspirational message. He discussed the topic “Celebrating Differences...Towards a more Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive Zonta.”

He cited the need to embrace diversity but should be combined with inclusion so there would be equity in the end.

Cendaňa holds the distinction of being the first openly gay Chairperson of the UP Diliman University Student Council and is currently a consultant of the Quezon City GAD Council and QC Pride Council. He is also the immediate past president of Babaylanes Inc., an NGO working on building capacities of young LGBTs.

The day ended with a fun-filled evening during the Fellowship Dinner held at NUSTAR Resort. It was the second social gathering of the delegates who were first treated to a Welcome Dinner also at NUSTAR Resort the previous day, on January 26, 2024.

Ms. Laurie Boquiren, Marketing and R&D Director, Castilex Industrial Corp. and CEO/Founder Jamaica Markets Corp. facilitated the workshop for Entrepreneurship

On the third day of the Zonta District 17 Area 3 Meeting, a Mass and Memorial Service was also offered at NUSTAR Resort function room as tribute to the Zontians who had passed away.

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