About The Zonta Club of New Providence
The Zonta Club of New Providence (ZCNP) was chartered on 23 September 1997 with 32 members. It was the third Zonta club to be formed in The Bahamas, joining the already established Zonta Clubs of Freeport and Nassau.
The club was sponsored by Dr. Madlene Sawyer and Mrs. Winnifred Russell of the Zonta Club of Nassau who saw the need for a second club in New Providence. Dr. Madlene Sawyer led a phenomenal group of professional women as the club’s Charter President. The club members enthusiastically took up the challenge to uphold the objectives and ideals of Zonta and sought to provide service at the local and global level.
Over the past 25 years, the ZCNP has held numerous events and initiatives aimed at uplifting and improving the lives of women in The Bahamas. These included the Living Legends Ball, the Workforce Readiness Programme, the Save-a-Life Campaign, Healthy Relationship Educational series and Gender-based Violence webinars.
In 1999 and 2023, the ZCNP won the prestigious “Governor’s Cup” beating out numerous clubs from throughout the United States, British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico for Zonta District 11’s highest honour. The club was recognized for its outstanding work in the areas of community service, advocacy, education, literacy, fundraising and membership.
The ZCNP’s primary focus has consistently been on service. Since the club was chartered, it has executed numerous major community projects aimed at advocating for and empowering women and girls. Today, the club’s primary projects include:
- Scholarships for adult females to attend the University of The Bahamas and The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute
- A Workforce Readiness programme which prepares unemployed women for the workforce
- Providing gift cards and hygiene kits to underprivileged women
- Providing temporary housing to women who are displaced due to economic and financial challenges, domestic violence or the pandemic
- Training throughout the Family islands on gender-based violence
- Funding for cancer ports and needles to enable underprivileged women to receive their much-needed chemotherapy treatments
- Facilitating and coordinating health workshops
- Donations to The Ranfurly Homes for Children towards construction of their Transitional Pods for young adults who have aged out of the Home but are still in need of housing
- Presentations to high-school students about the importance of healthy relationships, aimed at reducing conflict and violent behaviour
- Leading the annual national Say-No-to-Violence Campaign during the 16 days of Activism
- Continuous outreach within the community through education and social awareness initiatives
Through the success of its fundraising efforts, the ZCNP has made donations to numerous well-deserving local charities and organizations including Sister-Sister Breast Cancer Support Group, The Crisis Centre, Great Commission Ministries, the AIDS Foundation, the Cancer Society, The Heart Foundation, REACH and the Ranfurly Homes for Children. The ZCNP has also partnered with various non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) which has allowed the club to extend its reach, and participate in outstanding projects that have improved the lives of women in The Bahamas.
The ZCNP looks forward to maintaining its strong membership base and utilizing the time and talents of its outstanding club members to carry out Zonta’s mandate to “build a better world for women and girls”. The members of the ZCNP know that by empowering the woman, she will in turn support and empower her family.