Adopted by the Zonta International Board, February 2004

Over the past year, the Zonta International Board of Directors, Zonta International Foundation Board of Directors and the International Status of Women Service Committee undertook a comprehensive and strategically constructed review of all Zonta international service programs. This was done to evaluate each program’s effectiveness in the context of the programs’ goals and objectives, achieving Zonta’s mission, and overall impact on the issue addressed by the program.

For the ZISVAW program, this review process included an analysis of the current environment and available programs for preventing violence against women, the outcomes and results of the local projects funded by the Foundation’s ZISVAW Fund, and Zonta’s cost to implement the ZISVAW program. The Status of Women Service Committee sought input from all District Governors. The results of the review process culminated at the February 2004 Zonta International Board of Directors meeting with the approval of specific Goals and Objectives for each Zonta International program.

The review of the ZISVAW program yielded the following results:

• Many of the school-based conflict resolution programs applying for funding were based on wide-ranging curricula, including topics such as bullying, drugs and suicide. Since these broad programs were not designed specifically to prevent violence against women, we could not expect this outcome. Therefore, we could not measure progress toward our programmatic goal of preventing violence against women, or the achievement of Zonta’s mission to advance the status of women worldwide. Consequently, changes to the program were considered that would provide more focus on prevention of violence against women.
• Many more funded conflict resolution programs exist today than did in 1999.
• Applications from Zonta Clubs had declined significantly over the years and were increasingly limited geographically.
• The amounts of the current ZISVAW grants are disproportional to the expense of administering them.

It is the belief of the Zonta International Board of Directors, the Zonta International Foundation Board of Directors, the International Status of Women Service Committee and the ZISVAW Subcommittee that the changes outlined below will provide tangible outcomes that will enable clear measurement of progress toward our program goal and achievement of our organizational mission.

Zonta International Strategies to Prevent Violence Against Women (ZISVAW) 2004-2006

PROGRAM NAME

• The name has been shortened to focus on Zonta’s mission to improve conditions for women.

PROGRAM GOAL

• Reduce the incidence of violence against women and girls by supporting prevention and advocacy strategies locally and internationally.

  Objective: Reduce the incidence of violence against women and girls by awarding grants to United Nations agencies or recognized NGOs for projects that seek to change personal and/or political knowledge, attitudes and behavior contributing to gender-based violence.

  Objective: Increase Zontians’ awareness and actions related to preventing violence against women by encouraging Zonta club involvement in local and national advocacy initiatives and service project.

GRANT RECIPIENTS

• Zonta International Foundation will provide grants directly to UN agencies or recognized non-governmental organizations for projects that seek to change personal and/or political knowledge, attitudes and behavior contributing to gender-based violence.
• Grant recipients will report directly to Zonta International.

GRANT PROJECTS

• Zonta International will support projects that take an innovative approach to preventing violence against women. This could include but not be limited to advocacy, awareness raising, education, and involvement of men or men’s organizations.
• Grants will be placed in different parts of the world over time.
• One or more ZISVAW grants will be awarded each biennium.

FUNDING

• The program will continue to be funded by the Zonta International Foundation’s ZISVAW Fund.

CLUB INVOLVEMENT

• Clubs will be encouraged to choose locally relevant service projects and advocacy initiatives based on Zonta International goals.