Nepali businesswomen make efforts to get Zonta International membership

KATHMANDU, JUN 09 -

A group of Nepali business and professional women has initiated efforts to set up a Nepal chapter of Zonta International (ZI), a global organisation that works on promoting the status of professional women through service and advocacy.

If approved at ZI’s 61st convention to be held on July 1-3 in Italy, Zonta Club in Nepal will be ZI’s 69th member.

Dilruba Ahmed, a member and parliamentarian of ZI’s Classification and Membership Committee, said a ZI board meeting is likely to approve the Nepal club’s membership soon. The US-based global forum has been accompanying more than 30,000 women members from 1,200 Zonta Clubs in 68 countries. The organisation has been providing financial support, among others, to women entrepreneurs from its member clubs. ZI mainly seeks to empower women in areas such as economic, education, health care and youth development. “The main aim of the organisation is to promote the professional status of women in global and local level,” said Ahmed.

With a target get ZI membership, 25 Nepali women have formed Zonta Club in Nepal. Pramila Acharya Rijal, Swastika Sirohiya, Shreejana Rana, Arzu Rana Deuba, Yankila Sherpa and Shanti Chaddha are among the founder members of the to be established Zonta Club-Nepal.

The membership is expected to promote the status of Nepali women who have been working diligently in their respective areas. “It will uplift the status of Nepali women who are contributing to social, economic and political sectors,” said Pramila Acharya Rijal, facilitator of the club.

The Nepali alliance, if approved, will be included in Area 2 of District 25 of ZI. The Area 2 of the organisation includes similar clubs from Bangladesh, while those from Sri Lanka and India are the members under ZI’s Area 1, according to ZI.

Source: The Kathmandu Post