Meet some of Bendigo’s busiest women

WHILE the issues facing women at home and abroad have changed throughout history, the Zonta Club of Bendigo’s commitment to solving them hasn’t faltered.

For almost half a century the club has made it their mission to champion women in all parts of life and support those in need.

“In that time it’s grown not only in its membership but in the number of things that it gets involved with,” said club president Janet Cobden.

Closer to home the Zonta Club assembles toiletry and emergency tote bags for women fleeing domestic violence or other unsafe situations with the help of non-member volunteers, while they also put together birthing kits for women in developing countries.

The kits allow pregnant women to give birth safely in the absence of medical professionals, and the club has distributed 40,000 units in their 40-year history. With the help of sponsorships, the kits now cost $5 to produce.

“That’s something we’ve made very community orientated,” Ms Cobden said. “We invite community members every year to come and help assemble them.

“We save about one in 10 mothers from dying from birth.”

The club also offer five different scholarships for young Bendigo women, and they’re moving towards supporting young girls in STEM specifically.

“At a local level what we’re going to focus on is reaching out to primary school children,” Ms Cobden said.

“So far we’ve managed to raise $3600 for girls who are in primary school to be supported by the Bendigo Discovery Centre.”

The money raised will go towards Discovery memberships, which Ms Cobden said will give young girls the opportunity to pursue their interests in the science and technology areas.

The club has raised and distributed over $379,000 to the community in their 40 years, and Ms Cobden attributes the effort to the dedication of Zontians past and present.

“We’re very much a hands-on group, we have lots of fun, but there’s a certain amount of business that we have to get through,” she said. “Ask a busy woman and she gets it done.”

More information on the Zonta Club of Bendigo can be found at zontabendigo.org.