Marilou R. Canizares

Term:  1998 – 2000

The greatest challenge in my term was the fact that I was going through the most trying times of my personal life but I wanted to pour out my energy somewhere, stand tall, even with the burden, and just wanted to come out the winner.

It was the Launch of the ZISVAW, the new thrust of the Zonta International. I wanted to make a difference in my term, to go mainstream. I attended women meetings and wrote down every new word I encountered like GAD, VAW etc. Never heard them before, but all I knew was ZISVAW was the thrust I was going to focus in my term.

In a consultation with the General membership, we knew we had to improve the only facility of the government hospital then; — the PINK ROOM.

I went to several Rotary club meetings trying to look for a partner but the search was over when we found the right partner in Zonta 1, to put up the One Stop Women Crisis Center.