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ZONTA International
ZONTA Loudoun
By Nancy Taylor
Honest and trustworthy. These are the goals we establish for our
children and ourselves. The word zonta, translated from Lakhota
Sioux Indian means just that. And the Zonta Club of Loudon aims to
further the women of world with support, scholarships and community
outreach programs.
Zonta was founded in 1919 in Buffalo, New York by Marian DeForest, a
single woman with a vision of equality and empowerment for women.
Her organization has grown to an international foundation with
nearly 33,000 members; furthering the needs of women and fostering
economic self-sufficiency, legal equality, access to education and
health care, and eradication of violence against women. This
powerful group has taken an international stand against the
trafficking of women and gender inequality and has provided
countless jobs and scholarships for women worldwide. Members of
Zonta Club are women executives in businesses and organizations in a
decision-making capacity. They are willing to put their influence to
work, and it shows.
Zonta International says; “If poverty, HIV/AIDS, illiteracy,
violence and trafficking had a face, it would be female.” The facts
speak for themselves: 70 percent of the world’s 1.3 billion poor are
women. Two-thirds of illiterate adults are women, and two-thirds of
children not in school are girls. 60 million women are ‘missing’
because of gender-based violence and an estimated four million women
and girls are bought and sold worldwide each year. The numbers are
shocking, and awareness is important. The Zonta Organization is
willing to do more, though. They are committed to help change these
statistics. Zonta International is on the ‘front lines,’ helping
women all over the world establish organizations of their own,
organizing outreach programs to combat these sobering statistics,
and doing their part to change the plight of these women and
children in the world today.
The local organization, Zonta of Loudoun, has taken the creed of
their parent organization seriously. This group has maintained the
mission of “Advancing the Status of Women Worldwide.” The group
currently supports organizations such as the Loudoun Abused Woman’s
Shelter, Loudoun Interfaith Relief and the Loudoun Holiday
Coalition. They don’t make the local scene their only point of
interest, though. They work tirelessly across political and social
lines to advance the status of women worldwide as well. The Loudoun
Chapter supports a sister club in Burkino Faso, Africa as well as a
project supporting microeconomic growth in a small village in Haiti.
The group was chartered in 1997 and has continued their focus on
providing direct benefit to women and children nationally and
internationally. They are always in need of energetic professional
women who are willing to get involved in their community as well as
to support the efforts of international service projects. If you are
a professional woman who is looking for a way to make the world a
better place to live in for other women, consider spending some time
with the Zonta Club of Loudoun. You will be glad you did.
Monthly meetings are held at the National Conference Center in
Landsdowne on the second Monday of every month. Social time begins
at 6:30 PM, and the meetings begin at 7:00 PM. For more information
about the club or to attend a meeting, contact Nancy C. Ramsay,
Membership Chair, at 703-423-4849 or at
nramsay@steelcitytelecom.net. For more information about
Zonta of Loudoun County, visit their website at
www.zontaloudoun.org.
Statistics and source information can be found at
www.zonta.org.
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