HAPPINESS can be a lot of things—even something as sweet and simple as chocolate. It’s a well-loved food for many reasons—for its richness in flavor, health benefits or even its way of mending broken hearts. Being there for all intents and purposes, what can chocolate not do?
With this in mind, Zonta Club of Cebu 1 takes chocolate’s abilities up a notch through its partnership with Tabléa Chocolate. Together, they aim to spread awareness on women’s rights through messages on chocolate bars. This is part of Zonta’s continued efforts to empower women through service and advocacy.
This fundraising project, started last year and spearheaded by one the club’s board members Linda Binghay, is in line with the club’s participation in the “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.” The campaign is an annual international event that starts on Nov. 25, coordinated by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership, as a way to prevent and eradicate violence against women.
In collaboration with homegrown brand Tabléa Chocolate, chocolate bars are packaged with customized designs inspired by the 2019 theme, “Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands against Rape,” a theme created by the United Nations’ “UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women” campaign.
“I was inspired by how easy it was. and at the same time fun, combining a fundraising campaign while promoting our club’s ongoing ‘Violence Against Women’ initiative,” shared Binghay, project chairperson of Zonta’s chocolate advocacy.
Sharing the same belief is Tabléa Chocolate as it also stands firm in promoting corporate values that embrace inclusivity and upholding women’s rights hence, its collaboration with Zonta Club of Cebu 1.
“This partnership with Zonta reminds me that along with spreading the message of love, care and tradition, we must promote a peaceful community where there is no room for violence,” shared Tabléa Chocolate’s chief executive officer, honorary consul to Russia Armi Lopez Garcia, who also expressed women entrepreneurs’ key role when it comes to issues like these.
“This is a marketing tool to help build awareness on the pressing issues that affect women —exactly the issues that Zonta is helping solve: The problem of violence against women and all sorts of injustices that disempower women and prevent them from being their best selves. Through our product, we hope to be part of the discussion and be an instrument of positive change.”
Zonta aims to continue this collaboration with more themes in store. It is also reaching out to establishments like hotels and restaurants to help spread its advocacy further. A percentage of the sales will benefit the Women and Children Friendly Center (Pink Center) located at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, while the rest will be for the club’s numerous projects, all of which focus on helping improve women’s lives in all aspects from legal and economical to health and educational, to name a few.
With a popular product like chocolate—affordable and easily accessible by consumers—Zonta’s advocacy will surely reach the hearts of many.