Members of Zonta Club Cebu II / contributed photo
The Zonta Club Cebu II is gearing up to speak-out for women’s rights as it starts the term of new officers for years 2018-2020.
Led by club president Marilou Canizares, the new set of officers for 2018-2020 who were installed last May 5 at the Casino Español were Lourdes Jereza, Vice President-Internal; Filna Espina, VP-External; Virginia Capili, recording secretary; Petite Garcia, corresponding secretary; Cita Chan, treasurer; Mayet Malinao, assistant treasurer; Flor Miel, public relations officer; Elena Young, president elect; Vivien Seno, immediate past president; and Elsa Basubas, Lucy Carcel, Mariter Klepp, Margie Sy, Tess Tio, and Edwina Wu, Board directors.
The officers and members gathered for a strategic planning workshop on May 26 at the Betania Retreat House in Nivel Hills, Lahug with Lihok Filipina in Central Visayas Executive Director Tess Fernandez as the resource person.
Declaring intent to become more responsive to the cry of the times, the club outlined key result areas to push its advocacy.
Based on the data provided by Fernandez, Cebu Province has a population of 2,939,982 based on 2015 survey with a ratio of 102 males to 100 females.
“This is the first time that men are beginning to outnumber women,” said Fernandez. She, however, couldn’t provide the reason why. “What is important is concrete data to validate realities because we might fall into stereotyping which we are trying to erase in our gender sensitivity training,” she added.
In its 36 years of existence, the club has launched successful projects in at least 80 barangays of Cebu City such as Dangoyngoy sa Kahilum, and recently in Mandaue City, Abay sa Kahayag.
Under the project, VAWC (Violence Against Women and Children) desks were installed and the GAD (Gender and Development) focal personnel were provided assistance through seminars, counseling and training in handling cases of women and children victims of violence.
Efforts are now being undertaken to forge a partnership with the Mandaue City government to put-up a Pink Center in Mandaue City Hospital.
Another project designed to train mothers of kindergarten children to participate in a reading literacy program in three public schools was launched five years ago.
In partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd), the project called Alimbukad was piloted in Barangay Guadalupe Cebu City, and later expanded to Poo in Olango Island and Luyang in San Remigio, northern Cebu.
The project aims to promote daily reading at home and to empower parents to boost their children’s learning potential.
This year, the club will set up the program in Cabancalan, Mandaue. The beneficiaries will be provided with a bag of books which will be loaned out weekly and replaced with a new set of books after the bag is returned to the teachers.
Reading and story telling sessions for the children are also being held at an area in Cebu City Public Library where books, a smart TV and tables and chairs were put up by Zonta Club Cebu II.