Empowerment through livelihood training

In a powerful effort to uplift underprivileged women and reduce poverty, the Zonta Club of Antipolo, Philippines, launched one of its most impactful initiatives to date: the Women Empowerment through Livelihood and Skills Training program in Sitio Kasunugan, Barangay San Jose.

The initiative, conducted in partnership with the City Cooperative and Livelihood Office, the City Government of Antipolo, and Barangay San Jose, is part of the club’s Adopt-a-Community campaign, A Better Life for a Better Community. It targets indigent families identified by the City Social Welfare and Development Office, beginning with ten unemployed women who previously had no stable source of income.

Participants underwent skills training in liquid soap and detergent powder making, complemented by entrepreneurship workshops to help them start small home-based businesses. With Zonta’s livelihood assistance and starter kits, these women have since launched micro-enterprises and are now training others in their community—turning personal empowerment into a growing movement for sustainable change.

Key components of the program include:

• Grocery and Rice Support – Quarterly distribution of groceries and at least five kilos of rice per family.

• Free Health Checkups – In collaboration with the City Health Office.

• Livelihood Training – Practical skills development in soap and detergent production with support from the City Cooperative and Livelihood Office.

• Urban Gardening Orientation – Promoting food security and sustainable living through backyard gardening, led by the City Agriculture Office.

• Counseling Sessions – Covering hygiene, women’s rights and population control to promote overall well-being and awareness.

By addressing hunger, health, income generation and education simultaneously, the program exemplifies the club's holistic approach to gender equality and social transformation.