In 2008, Zonta began to support UNFPA’s Campaign to End Obstetric Fistula in Liberia – committing over $3.5 million since then to efforts to improve maternal health in the country. In 2016, Zonta joined UNFPA’s ‘Safe Birth, Even Here’ partnership, which works to end preventable maternal deaths in countries affected by humanitarian crises and fragile situations.
Continuing its long-term partnership with UNFPA to advance the rights of women and girls, Zonta International became the first private sector donor to the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage. The programme has been working in 12 countries with high rates of child marriage, across three regions, to deliver health, education, protection and support services for adolescent girls who are at risk of child marriage or already married. The programme puts a great emphasis on engaging communities to change social norms that perpetuate the practice, while ensuring that systems, laws and policies protect and promote girls’ rights.