Dear Zontians,

Zonta International expresses its sincere concern for the people of Haiti as they struggle to recover from the devastating effects of last week’s earthquake. When natural disasters occur, like the recent earthquake in Haiti, an immediate response from our members is to ask what Zonta can do.

Disaster relief and emergency management involves complex and strategic coordination of effort, which Zonta is not set up to do. These efforts are best left to organizations which have the required expertise and capacity to respond quickly and appropriately. Zonta International’s major role in disaster relief should be to use our advocacy efforts to ensure that the needs of women affected by disasters are not neglected by our respective governments’ responses to any calls for assistance.

As individuals, Zontians can also volunteer and/or donate personally to established relief organizations that have the capacity to respond quickly and effectively to the needs of the Haitian people.

Beryl Sten
Zonta International President