The nation turns purple every Tuesday of the month of March for the celebration of Women’s Month.

People of all genders dawned on anything purple, shirts or accessories, as a show of support and appreciation to women.

With the theme “We Make Change Work for Women,” the month-long observance has yielded numerous programs and activities centered towards women development and empowerment.

The Zonta Club of Ilocos Norte, a women’s organization of executives and professionals working together to advance the status of women through service and advocacy, took the extra mile to provide services to women for the month.

To educate solo parents in the province, the Zonta Club partnered with the City Government of Laoag to conduct a forum focused on the Magna Carta for Women.  

According to the Philippine Commission on Women, Republic Act 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women is a comprehensive women’s human rights law that seeks to eliminate discrimination through the recognition, protection, fulfillment, and promotion of the rights of Filipino women, especially those belonging in the marginalized sectors of society.

The Zonta Club also launched a free medical, legal, and counseling services on the second Saturday of the month that accommodated all genders.

This a recurring program that is done every Tuesday of the month.

The club president, Ms. Helen Pascual, lives by the mantra to “start them young.”

"By empowering and teaching women at a young age of their capabilities and rights, we can create a generation of empowered women," she said.

This vision of the club is visible through their expanding reach in some schools in the province.

The Ilocos Norte National High School has established the ‘Z Club’ and the Golden Z Club of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) College of Teacher Education (CTE) are student organizations under the Zonta Club.

“It's important for us to recognize and remember the contributions of women in every field as this has been historically overlooked by society and this treatment of invalidating women and their achievements continues today.

As the month comes to an end, and Purple Tuesdays becomes a thing in the past, Ms. Pascual is hopeful that by pushing for gender development, we can enjoy a more “women-accomodating” community.

“By honoring women of today and yesterday, we are able to empower a new generation that recognizes their worth and their ability to take space in a world where the odds are stacked against them. Women's rights are human rights and the issues and challenges continue to be something we must fight for,” she shared. (JCR/AMB/EJFG, PIA Ilocos Norte)