Participants of the Walk 4 Women with messages to end violence against women while completing their chosen distance. | Contributed Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines—The Zonta Club of Cebu II successfully staged its “Walk For Women” from November 25 to December 12, 2021.
A total of 600 participants, mostly women, joined the four-category non-competitive walkathon aimed at raising funds and awareness on violence against women and children.
“The Walk for Women is part of our 18 Days of Activism to end violence against women and girls. We at Zonta believe that if we all work together, we can affect real and lasting positive change,” said Petite Garcia, the President of Zonta Club of Cebu 2.
According to their statistics, there are around 243 million women and children who experience different kinds of abuse around the world.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, the abuses, according to Zonta, increased while most support services were limited.
What made the walkathon unique from other footraces happening in Cebu this year were its categories which have different themes all relevant to Zonta’s cause.
The 3k distance aims to raise awareness on teenage pregnancy while the 5k distance is to raise awareness to end children marriage. The 15k category was to raise awareness against trafficking of women and children, and the 21k was to raise awareness to end violence against women.
Atty. Michelle Palmares, one of the participants, said the event didn’t disappoint.
“The Walk for Women was a seamless experience coupled with a great sense of fulfillment for being part of an activity that promotes women empowerment and advocates an end to violence against women,” she said.
/bmjo
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