Zonta International is a worldwide service organization of executives in business and the professions working together to advance the legal, political, economic, educational, health and professional status of women. There are more than 33,000 members in more than 1,200 clubs in 68 countries.

Founded in 1919 in Buffalo, New York, USA, Zonta takes its name from the Lakota Sioux Indian word meaning "honest and trustworthy." Zontians volunteer their time, talents and energy to local and international service projects that are designed to advance the status of women.

Zonta supports women's education and leadership through several programs. The Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship Awards support graduate study by women in aerospace-related sciences and engineering. Since 1938, more than US $4 million has been raised to support more than 800 scholarships.

Zonta is committed to women's development and has supported a series of international service projects in more than 20 countries primarily in cooperation with United Nations agencies. The International Service Projects for the 2006-2008 Biennium focus on urgent issues in four parts of the world:

• NIGER: Through financial support from the Zonta International Foundation, the CARE project in the Bouza District of Niger will focus on reducing the risk of HIV/AIDS and its physical, social, and economic consequences for at least 5,100 women and their families in the Bouza District of Niger by the year 2008. The project will provide HIV/AIDS education, self-esteem and negotiation skills training, and support networks of female peers, centered on the establishment of all-female savings groups.
  
• AFGHANISTAN: Through financial support from the Zonta International Foundation, the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) is working to improve the health and education of women in Mir Bacha Kot Afghanistan. AIL provides birth attendant training and health programs through a newly constructed clinic. It also offers teacher training and human rights classes to women.
  
• BOLIVIA: To improve the Bolivian government’s existing night courses to better meet the needs of working children, CARE formally launched a partnership with the Government of Bolivia’s Alternative Youth Education Program (known locally as Educación Juvenil Alternativa) in 2000. Since that time, the Bolivian Alternative Youth Education Program and CARE have been providing learning opportunities to vulnerable youth who otherwise would be denied their basic right to a quality education. With funding from the Zonta International Foundation, CARE, in partnership with the local El Carmen Foundation, will build on the success of this effort by specifically serving working girls and young women, and addressing the barriers they face in their everyday lives. The project will help empower working girls and young women, enabling them to take control over their futures.
  
• SRI LANKA: Through financial support from the Zonta International Foundation, The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) will provide hands-on assistance to the women and women’s groups affected by the Tsunami and by the war in the North and East Regions, increasing the agricultural productivity and promoting community-based entrepreneurship to revive their socio-economic livelihood. The project will focus mainly on two major districts of the East Region, Batticaloa and Trincomalee, where the impact of both hardships on women has been prominent.

Individual Zonta clubs extend membership invitations to local leaders in business and the professions. Find out how to become a member.

Zonta International Fund

The Zonta International Foundation raises and oversees funds used to support and promote the following global service programs of Zonta International:

• The Rose Fund enables leadership to expand programs and projects as needed and respond to immediate needs that may arise. Supports the general operations and administration of Zonta service programs and other activities.

• The Amelia Earhart Fellowship Fund supports the Amelia Earhart Fellowship Awards for women graduate students in aerospace-related sciences and engineering.

• Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship Fund offers financial aid to women undergraduate students preparing for careers in business and business management. This fund was established by a generous bequest from former Zonta International Parliamentarian Jane Klausman.
  
  
• The Young Women in Public Affairs Fund (YWPA) supports awards designed to encourage young women to pursue careers and seek leadership positions in public policy, government and volunteer organizations.
  
  
• The International Service Fund supports different projects each biennium that improve the quality of life for women through developing women's leadership and economic skills. The International Service projects for the 2002-2004 Biennium focus on urgent issues in three parts of the world: India, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Afghanistan.
  
  
• The Zonta International Strategies to Eradicate Violence Against Women and Children Fund (ZISVAW) focuses on prevention, awareness and education to eliminate violence against women and children.
  
  
• The World Headquarters Property Preservation and Improvement Fund (WHPPI) ensures the preservation and improvement of the Zonta International World Headquarters Building.
  
  
• The Endowment Fund is a permanent fund that maintains the donor's principal gift but provides annual revenue from investment earnings for general use, or if so designated by the donor, for specific purposes. A gift to the Zonta International Foundation Endowment Fund is a lasting legacy to Zonta's future service.