Zontians from Taiwan and Nepal collaborate to build a better world for women and girls

District 31's, Taiwan, Governor Li-Chin Lin led a 10-member delegation to Nepal for a joint service project with the Zonta Club of Kathmandu to build a better world for women and girls.

In a site visit on 9 October, Li-Chin and District 25's Governor Shreejana Rana unveiled the newly-built toilet and hygiene facilities for the Shree Champa Shikhar Adharbhut Vidhyalaya School, which is about 2,000 meters above sea level in the village of Masine. Other notable Zontians witness the event, such as Treasurer/Secretary Souella Cumming, who was in town for District 25's conference. Club President Ava Shah and Chair Soni Joshi led the club's service team. District 31's team included Service Chair Lily Chien, Hsin-hsin Yang, a past international board director, PR Chair Ching-Hui Yen, past governor May Wen, and Foundation Ambassador Chen-Ling Lien.

Students welcomed the guests with fresh flower leis and performed songs and dances on the hill-top school.

In the cooperation project inked in April, Taiwanese Zontians will inject US$30,000 to build toilet and hygiene facilities in the school of 55 students and other select locations to benefit women and girls. A health post would soon be set up near the school to provide health information and medical assistance in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kathmandu Zontians will also arrange for shelters at police stations in the village to accommodate abused women and vulnerable girls and offer more skill training programs to help women become financially independent.

During nine days of travel, Taiwanese Zontians donated cloth-made sanitary napkins to nuns at a local Tibetan Buddhist Temple. They discussed with the manufacturing workshop a plan to deliver sanitary items and provide health assistance to women and girls in the Dolpo region in Nepal next year. The project collaborates with Dr. Amchi Urken Puti Gurung of Snow Region Welfare Clinic, artist Dolpo Pasang and Claire Lin, who runs the workshop Dhartimata in Kathmandu.

Zonta members from Taiwan also took the opportunity to join dinners at the district conference to exchange experiences with fellow Zontians from Nepal and India.