A voice for women

THE CHALLENGE of change...is perhaps what spurs the business executives and professionals who are members of the service organisation, ZONTA International, to launch projects aimed at improving the status of women, the world over.

The organisation consists of 30 districts, and district 25 comprises Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India. District 25 is to hold its sixth conference on October 12 and 13 at the Taj Connemara in the city. An important feature will be a workshop on October 13 on the `eradication of violence against women through legislation advocacy and action'. Besides the country papers presented by the members of the ZONTA clubs of the district, eminent speakers have been invited to participate.

Mary Ellen Bittner, vice-president, ZONTA International, will be the organisation's international representative at the conference. Mala Sabaratnam of Colombo, governor of district 25, will preside. The biennium (2000-2002) has seen the involvement of the organisation in two service projects on the sub-continent. In collaboration with UNICEF, it is involved in the elimination of maternal and neo-natal tetanus in Nepal and has committed as much as $350,000 million to this project. ``Re-inventing India", a project in which ZONTA is collaborating with the UNIFEM, holds special significance for India, as the objective is to provide a solid foundation for women's rights through action-oriented networking, legal literacy training and media advocacy.

ZONTA International is contributing $ 395,000 million to this effort. For more details about the conference contact Sheila Sriprakash at 4414584/ 4419387 or Janaki Krishnan at 8277196/8272680/8270450.

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