District 31 and Zonta Club of Kathmandu partner for a cross-cultural and boundary service project

District 31, Taiwan and Mongolia, partnered with the Zonta Club of Kathmandu, Nepal, to launch a joint service project to empower women and girls in Masine, a village outside the Nepalese capital, later this month.

This partnership was realized on 16 April, the last day of the second Asian Inter-District Meeting (AIDM) in Taiwan. Zonta International President Ute Scholz witnessed a memorandum signing between Governor Li-Chin Lin of District 31 and Governor Shreejana Rana of District 25. The signing included Lily Chien, the district's service committee chair, and Club President Ava Shah.

In the cooperation project, District 31 will inject a fund of US$30,000 to build toilets and hygiene facilities in a Masine elementary school and other select locations, to benefit women and girls. A health center would also be set up to provide health information and medical assistance following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The club will then arrange for shelters in the police stations in the village to accommodate abused women and vulnerable girls and offer skill training programs to help women become financially independent. The Zontians plan to hold student exchanges between Nepal and Taiwan.