The  Zonta Club of Mangawhai, New Zealand, has been holding knitting bees weekly over the last few months in preparation for their “knit-bomb” of a large prominent oak tree located in the center of Mangawhai Village.

On the evening of 25 November, the start of the 16 Days of Activism, members braved the rain and gathered to wrap, stitch, climb, stretch and decorate the tree to the delight and curiosity of local residents. The tree remained wrapped for the 16 days of activism and was featured in the local newspaper.

The following morning, the club hosted an advocacy stall at the village market. Along with their orange dolls, members distributed orange ribbons and Zonta Says No to Violence Against Women bookmarks with all proceeds earmarked for Women’s Refuge.

To continue the 16 Days of Activism, the club’s orange dolls provided static displays in the local library, museum, chemist and op shop, and they posted Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women messages with appropriate statistics on Facebook.

Reaction at the local market on Saturday morning was overwhelmingly positive and members manned an advocacy stall displaying the club’s orange dolls, offering information and support to anyone in the community. The club is delighted with the visibility and impact of their initiative, and the support from their local community.

The Zonta Club Kathmandu, Nepal, organized a series of programs to reach out to the community with information about violence against women. To raise awareness about the issue, the club distributed a badge on 18 November in the presence of elected member at CEDAW and Strategic Director of Saathi Bandana Rana, Miss Nepal 2016 Asmi Shrestha, Chari Maya Tamang and assistant dean and Faculty of law of Tribhuvan University and member of Supreme Court Bar Association Sashi Adhikari. The badges were worn by supporters, including men and women of all ages to show solidarity during the 16 Days of Activism.

Supporters from various organizations wore the badge to show their solidarity to the cause. The organizations ranged from banks, corporate houses, clinics, beauty clinics to other non-government organizations.

On 5 December the club, along with UN Women and National Information Commission, a government body, launched the English booklet “Information Related to Women’s Entitlements” as part of the 16 Days of Activism. The club supported the printing of the English version realizing the significance of it reaching out to a wider network.

From 25 November through 10 December, the Zonta Club Kathmandu has been posting relevant details on the Right to Information based on the booklet.

Members of the Zonta Clubs of Buffalo and Fort Erie Area were joined by members of the Zonta Club of Kenmore to commemorate the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women and 16 Days of Activism with the lighting of the Peace Bridge near Buffalo, New York, USA, and Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada.

The group of Zontians braved cold, blustery winds to advocate against gender-based violence with the bridge, joining the U.S. and Canada, aglow in orange lights in the background.

The Zonta Club of the New Territories, Hong Kong, teamed up with other Hong Kong clubs to distribute thousands of Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women wristbands to high school and college students throughout November and December. The Z Club of Heep Yunn School and Golden Z Club of Sacred Heart Canossian College helped distribute the wristbands.

Additionally, the Zonta Club of the New Territories, along with the Golden Z Club of Chinese University, advocated for the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign after the Legislative Council debate.

The club also organized a project in which it collected 11 hampers for the 11 beds between Daria House and Emma Project, programs of Nia Ending Violence. The hampers include 11 gifts, which will be presented to the women on Christmas Day. Though they will spend the day safe and cared for, they will away from their families.

At its November meeting, the Zonta Club of London II hosted Heather Harvey from Nia Ending Violence, an organization that delivers cutting-edge services to end violence against women and children. Harvey spoke about the history off feminist-centered refuges in the U.K. that started in the 1970s and were the first of their kind in the world.

In addition to the hampers for Nia Ending Violence, the club packed 77 care packs for Hestia Refuge, in cooperation with the Elk Bar and Kiwis in London.

Along with enthusiastic club members who attended the packing party, somw Kiwi and Aussie girls also helped. Each package contained soap, shampoo and conditioner, body wash, toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant.

On 14 Nov, the Zonta Club of Frankfurt II Rhein-Main organized an advocacy event at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management on the topic, “Emancipation within Islam.”

This is also the title of a book by Moroccan-German author Sineb El Masrar, which focuses primarily on the situation of Muslim women in Arab countries, but also in Germany today.

El Masrar presented major arguments from her book which were then taken up by a panel of experts from sociology, politics as well as practical social work. The audience of more than 180 followed a lively and often controversial discussion. The club received enough donations so they could contribute 4000 Euros to educational scholarships for young German-Muslim women.

Zonta Club of Southern Ocean County President Debbie Casale and member Diane Gorgy receive a proclamation of Domestic Violence Awareness from Tuckerton Mayor Sue Marshall (right). (Photo: The SandPaper)

In October, the Zonta Club of of Southern Ocean County, New Jersey, received proclamations from two local towns, Tuckerton and Little Egg Harbor, at their respective Township Committee Meetings recognizing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Tuckerton Mayor Sue Marshall, who presented the proclamation to Club President Debbie Casale, is also a  Zontian and club board member.

Lisa Stevens, the Township Committee member who presented the Little Egg Harbor proclamation to Debbie, is a former Zontian and is now the vice president of the non-profit organization, HEAAT (Help Educate & Advocate Against Human Trafficking).

At the club’s  November meeting, the members assembled “first night kits,” for donation to the Atlantic City Rescue Mission.  These kits contain a variety of personal care items, including toothpaste, a toothbrush, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, a comb, ear swabs and feminine care products. Many of the women staying at the rescue mission are victims of domestic violence, and the kits are greatly appreciated.

Additionally, on 29 November 13 “cuddle kits” were assembled for children of families staying at the mission. Each cuddle kit contains a hand-crocheted or handmade blanket, age-appropriate books, stuffed animals and mittens/hats.

The final activity, “An Evening of Fun With Friends,” was a fundraiser held on 9 December at a local restaurant called Calloway’s. Money raised from this event benefits HEAAT, which  does everything from lobbying for stricter laws against human trafficking to reuniting young victims with their families. Zonta and HEAAT literature was provided for the guests of the fundraiser, and many potential new Zonta recruits were identified.

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The Zonta Club of Warwick Inc, Australia, partnered with the Rosewool Redbacks, a cricket team, to promote the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign on the last day of the 16 Days of Activism.

During its game on Saturday, 10 December, the team wore specially designed orange shirts and helped raised funds to end violence against women.

Captain Tyhe Clarkson told the Warwick Daily News it was a cause the team really wanted to get behind.

“Jacinta Fromm is my boss at work and also the president of the Zonta Club of Warwick, who have just held their 16 Days of Activism for domestic violence,” he said.

“She asked if the Redbacks would like to get involved as she wanted to reach a whole different audience. And we jumped at the chance to be a part of it.”

The Zonta Club of Warwick Inc also worked with Warwick Safe Haven to co-host a walk in support of ending violence against women.

According to Warwick Daily News, the peace march and candle lighting ceremony coincided with the end of Zonta International’s 16 days of activism.

Psychologist Mark Cary addressed the crowd, saying how important it was for men and women to work together to end all forms of violence.

The Zonta Club of Nimes-Romaines, France, partnered with its local rugby club to celebrate 25 November, the International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women and the start to the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.

The club’s goal was to involve well-known men in the city to stand up against violence in front of their supporters. All players wore orange shirts upon entering the stadium. Zontians also handed out 350 of the shirts to women in the stadium, along with aZonta flier.

Before the match started, the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign was explained. Afterwards, the Zonta Club of Nimes joined the two rugby teams and supporters at a party.

The event was covered by multiple media outlets before and after.

The Zonta Club of Jefferson City, MO, USA, kicked off the 16 Days of Activism and Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women with a proclamation from Jefferson City’s Mayor, Carrie Tergin.  The 25th of November was declared Jefferson City’s Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women.

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For 16 days, The club’s Facebook page featured a photo of a community member with a  Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women sign.  Included in the post was a quote from the member or a statistic about domestic abuse and violence. In one week, the posts reached more than 5,000 people.

The Zonta Club of Jefferson City also partnered with the Lincoln University Women’s Resource Center. Silhouettes of abused women and their stories were displayed around campus with the “Zonta Says No” emblem and contact information for the local Rape and Abuse Crisis Service.  Four sets of silhouettes have moved periodically around the campus will remain on display until December 20^th, which is the end of classes before Christmas break.

As a result of these projects, the local television station, KRCG Channel 13, produced a news segment featuring a local survivor of domestic abuse, Megan Sappington.  During the segment, Zonta member Ramona Huckstep was featured along with the displays at Lincoln University.

This was the club’s first major advocacy project in a few years and they are grateful for the positive response they received from the community.