About Zonta

Our Mission:
Advancing the Status of Women

WHAT IS ZONTA

Zonta International is a worldwide service organization of executives in business and the professions working together to improve the status of women. There are approximately 33,000 members in 68 countries. Membership is classified according to occupation.

• Founded in 1919 in Buffalo, New York, Zonta takes its name from a Sioux Indian word meaning "honest and trustworthy". Zontians volunteer their time, talents, skills, and energy to local and international service projects designed to advance the status of women.
• As one of the premier Non-Governmental Organizations(NGOs), Zonta International maintains consultative status with the following United Nations agencies: United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO); the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); the International Labour Organisation (ILO); and the Council of Europe.
• Every two years Zonta holds an International Convention in a country where Zonta clubs are active. The 56th Zonta International Convention was held in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2002. The 2004 Convention was in New York City, and the Convention in 2006 was in Melbourne, Australia. The 59th Zonta International Convention was in 2008 in Rotterdam. Please join us for the 60th Zonta International Convention in 2010 in San Antonio, Texas.
  

MEMBERSHIP IN ZONTA MEANS:

• M aking a difference in the world today.
• Opening doors to friendships and associations with other executives. As an international organization Zonta provides the opportunity for cultivating relationships and networking with executives around the world.
• Belonging to an international network of executives and professionals representing a diversity of occupations and affording you a global perspective on women's issues.
• Sharing a commitment to enhance the status of women worldwide.
• Providing service to individuals and their families.
• Fundraising to support important service projects on the local and international level.
• Enriching your life personally as we pool talents to make the world a better place.
  

ZONTA INTERNATIONAL SERVICE PROJECTS

• Zonta International selects service projects in various countries to benefit the legal, political, economic, educational, health and professional status of women around the world.  Since 1923, Zonta has provided more than US$9.8 million to projects benefiting more than 2 million women in 34 countries.
  The following International Service Porjects were adopted at the 2010 Convention:

Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV and Gender-Based Violence in Rwanda
Power Point Presentation / Script / United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and HIV/AIDS project

Towards Elimination of Obstetric Fistula and the Reduciton of Maternal and Newborn Mortality and Morbidity in Liberia
Power Point Presentation / Script / United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Obsetric Fistula Project

Safe Cities for Women in Guatemala City, Guatemala and in San Salvador, El Salvador
Power Point Presentation / Script / UN Women and Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women

• Zonta International supports women's education through its Amelia Earhart Fellowship Awards for graduate study in aerospace-related sciences and engineering.
• The Young Women in Public Affairs Award, created to encourage young women to seek leadership positions in public policy.
• The Jane Klausman Women in Business Scholarships was established to encourage undergraduate women to enter careers and to seek leadership positions in business- related fields.
• For more than 50 years, Zonta International, in conjunction with various United Nations agencies, has provided financial support and technical assistance to women and children in developing countries.
• The Zonta International Strategies to Eradicate Violence Against Women and Children (ZISVAW) focuses on prevention, awareness and education, and develops innovative solutions to eliminate abuse against women and children. 
  The following ZISVAW projects were adopted at the 2010 Convention:

Prevention of Burns Violence Against Women and Girls in Cambodia, Nepal and Uganda  
Power Point Presentation / Script

Security and Empowerment for Women and their families: Ensuring a Gender-Responsive Humanitarianism and Early Recovery Response in Haiti
Power Point Presentation / Script

SCHOLARSHIPS, AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS

Zonta International and its local clubs support the following opportunities for women:

Amelia Earhart Fellowships
We support women's education through Ameilia Earhart Fellowship Awards for women pursuing Ph.D./doctoral degrees in aerospace-related sciences and engineering. |  LEARN MORE

Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarships
We encourage undergraduate women to enter careers and to seek leadership positions in business-related fields with the Jane M. Klausman Women In Business Scholarship for women pursuing undergraduate and Master's degrees in business management. | LEARN MORE

Young Women in Public Affairs (YWPA) Award
This award was established to encourage more young women to participate in public and political life by recognizing them for their volunteer leadership and dedication to the advancement of the status of women. | LEARN MORE

The individual Zonta Club is the basic organizational unit of Zonta International. Clubs exist to promote the objectives of Zonta International, and to initiate, adopt, and implement policies and procedures to attain these ends in their own communities, and throughout the world. Zonta Clubs in District 1.

To learn about Zonta International, past and current Zonta International Service Projects, The Zonta Code, the International Convention, and more, visit the Zonta International web page.