What is a Zontian?

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What is a Zontian?

Houston, TX (February 27, 2006) — Is it a new action figure for kids? Is it a visitor from the planet Zonta? Is it a rare breed of animal from another continent? Unfortunately for kids, astronomers and zoo enthusiasts, these answers are wrong.

Zontians are the 33,000 women who belong to more than 1,250 clubs in 67 countries dedicated to helping women world-wide with educational scholarships, prevention of abuse and violence, halting human trafficking for sexual exploitation, treatment and education for HIV/AIDS, upholding human rights and more. Established in 1919, Zonta International is one of the nation’s oldest service clubs headquartered in Chicago, IL. One of the most famous Zontians was aviatrix Amelia Earhart, who mysteriously disappeared on a flight en route from Lae, New Guinea to HowlandIsland in 1937.

In 1938, Zonta International established The Amelia Earhart Fellowships in her honor. At the time, few women were active in aeronautics, science or engineering. In fact no qualified applicants were found in the first two years the Fellowship was offered. Since then,Zonta has awarded 1,122 fellowships totaling over $5.7 million (US) to women representing 57 countries.
As aresult, doors have been opened for women to become astronauts, aerospace engineers, astronomers, heads ofcompanies, geologists, business owners, even the Secretary of the US Air Force.

Through the Zonta International Strategies to Prevent Violence Against Women (ZISVAW) program, Zontians prevent violence against women through service, education, awareness and advocacy. Zonta works internationally, nationally and locally to provide resources and therapy for battered women, sexually abused women and at-risk adolescent females.

Trafficking in women has become a pandemic issue. News organizations, television magazine shows and Hollywood have recently shed a spotlight on this egregious activity that is suspected of enslaving thousands of young women all over the world, many as young as 6 years of age. Sexual tourism is now a term that is common in Southeast Asia whereby men from all over the world travel for the purpose of sexual exploitation of minors. In Bosnia alone, it is estimated that more than 10,000 victims of trafficking are in the country at any one time. Zonta International has established the Bosnia and Herzegovina Anti-Trafficking Community Mobilization Project which builds women’s organizations for community mobilization, offers public relations and community education about this pandemic, and helps to establish public policies to support prevention and provide aid to victims.

Women now account for almost half of all cases of HIV/ AIDS. In countries with high prevalence rates, young women are at higher risk of contracting HIV than young men. The West African nation of Niger is the second poorest country in the world, according to UN Human Development Indicators. Through financial support from the Zonta International Foundation, the CARE International Mata Masu Dubara (Women on the Move) project in the Bouza District of Niger will focus on reducing the risk of HIV/AIDS and its physical, social, and economic consequences for at least 3,600 women and their families by the year 2006.

For almost six years, under the Taliban, Afghan women were completely removed from social, economic, and political life, and virtually all of their human rights were violated. Girls had no right to education, and women were not allowed to work outside their homes. Since the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the start of reconstruction, progress has been made in areas such as health, nutrition, water and sanitation, education and the protection of rights for the country’s women and children. However, there is still much to be done. Through financial support from the Zonta International Foundation, the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) is working to improve the health and education of women in Bir Bacha Kot, Afghanistan and UNICEF is working to reduce maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) in the Panjsher and Kapisa provinces of Afghanistan.

Zontians work diligently at bringing human rights issues into collective consciousness such as honor killings (the execution of a female family member for misuse of her sexuality), and dowry murders (the execution of a bride by the groom or his family when the dowry is considered insufficient or is not paid), which are prevalent in Muslim countries such as India and Pakistan. In January, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf signed a bill making honor killing an explicit criminal act punishable by death. Last year the Special Court for Sierra Leone approved a motion to add a new count of “forced marriage” to indictments against six defendants – prosecuting forced marriage as a crime against humanity for the first time. Hundreds of people marched through Berlin in March 2005 to condemn honor killings. Sweden hosted the largest-ever international conference on honor-related violence in 2005. Police in London recently created a special taskforce to combat this form of gender-based violence and they are now re-examining some 100 deaths and disappearances they suspect could be related to honor killings.

Zonta International service has been closely linked with the United Nations since Zonta expressed support for the fledgling UN in 1946. As an international non-governmental organization (NGO), Zonta brings women's concerns to the UN, suggests solutions, draws public attention to issues and encourages its members to participate at the local level. Some of the programs with which Zontians participate are UN Division for the Advancement of Women, United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), United Nations Population Fund, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF). On many of the above described projects, Zonta partners with these various UN agencies.

“Zonta”is derived from a Lakhota (Teton Dakota), a language of the Native-American Sioux peoples, word meaning honest and trustworthy. It was adopted in 1919 to symbolize the combined qualities of honesty and trust, inspiration and the ability to work together for service and world understanding.

The Houston Chapter of Zonta International will host The Glass Slipper BallFeaturing the Best of Chefs on Saturday April 8, 2006, 7 pm at the EdwinHornbergerConferenceCenter, 2151 W. Holcombe Blvd. The $75 per person ticket price will go towards assisting women through Houston Area Women’s Center, Bay Area Turning Point, Casa de Esparanza and Zonta International projects. The Glass Slipper Ball is presented by Tums and Oscal and will feature one of Houston’s top dance bands, The Next Level.

More than 18 chefs will be featured from various restaurants and caterers in the Houston area including: The Hyatt Regency, Joanie’s Cocina, Brennan’s, Maggiano’s, Trevisio, Cindy’s Chocolate Fountain, Kiran’s, Michaeline’s, Daily Review Café, Katz Coffee, Tony’s, Mise en Place, Bistro Lancaster, Rouge and Benjy’s. The black tie optional event will feature a cash bar. The evening will also feature a silent auction with many fabulous items.

The Zonta Club of Houston was chartered in 1988 and currently has 37 members. They meet the third Wednesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. (except July and August) at the Courtyard by Marriot on the West Loop at Richmond Blvd. Meetings include guest speakers that entertain and educate. Becoming a member of Zonta unites business and professional leaders in pursuit of a common goal: to improve the status of women locally and globally. Call Margaret Farmer at 713-627-6645 to attend an upcoming meeting or email . For more information, go to

For more information about the gala, go to

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