Zonta Club of Ilocos Norte continues empower community through service and advocacy

The Zonta Club of Ilocos Norte, Philippines, continues to support its community through service and advocacy. Read below to learn all about the club's activities.

Medical, legal and service program

The club continues its monthly program to offer free legal, medical and counseling services to women and children every second Saturday of the month. 

This month, the club aided many elderly who had high blood pressure, rheumatism and cancer—the team of doctors evaluated them and prescribed free vitamins and medicines. 

The legal and psychological counseling experts serviced patients with depression, a history of abuse and those with land titles issues.

Skills Training

The club partnered with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) to hold a skills training workshop on baking cupcakes. 

Tesda instructors taught 35 Barangay health women workers to bake cupcakes with ovens or a steam method similar to making kakanin, a Filipino dessert. 

The attendees can sell their cupcakes and use the profits as an additional income.

Blood Drive

On 19 February, the club joined the Ilocos Norte Chapter of the Philippines Red Cross to launch a blood drive. The event took place at the Laoag City Auditorium, and it aims to replenish public hospital limited blood supply caused by COVID-19. The donated blood will help the most vulnerable, especially mothers who gave birth with complications.

More than 70 people donated blood. Most of the donors were Philippines National Police (PNP) officers from Laoag City and Ilocos Norte and women in the community.