By: Jasmine G. Sarmiento
Cagayan de Oro City – Christmas is brightest when it’s shared – and Home Care for Girls and Balay Paglaum in Macanhan, this city is the perfect place to make those moments count.
Celebrating the holidays feels special when you are with more than 50 children and teens in an open space where everyone can slow down, breathe, and enjoy the music, games, the lights, and the food along the way.
This is exactly what Zonta Club of Cagayan de Oro (ZCCDO) hopes to inspire for a day of fun and entertainment today for its Christmas party. creating simple gatherings that turn into memories the children carry long after the season ends. With the theme, A Christmas of Hope and Joy, it highlights how the season shines brightest when they come together, grounded in love and togetherness.
Zonta Club is a global organization of professional women who advocate for women’s rights and empower women and girls through service and advocacy.
Organized by ZCCDO in partnership with Councilor Imee Rose Moreno, the children and staffs were treated to a day filled with love and joy. Scores of anxious and excited children received their Christmas gifts of hygiene kits that included oral and body care, hair/face and other essentials.
Adding fun to the event was the magician who created magic and mesmerizes the audience. But it is a pantomime, and the audience knows that it’s a ruse.
Meanwhile, while the magician performed its magic trick, all the spectators savoring the simple pleasure of a perfectly swirled ice cream cone and indulged in every scoop, one flavor at a time.
The festivities today conclude Zonta International’s 16 Days of Activism that runs from Nov 25 – Dec 10 is part of the global campaign against gender-based violence (GBV), championed through “Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women” initiative, where members advocate for policy change, raise awareness, and take local action to end violence and shift harmful attitudes, culminating on Human Rights Day. Zontians participate by pledging the following:
My Pledge
I will:
• Say NO to violence against women and girls
• Say NO to violence in any form, whether physical, psychological or via the internet
• Support or host a program on gender-based violence
• Learn more about gender-based violence on Zonta Says NO website
• I will reflect on what I learned during the 16-days and speak up via social media and with family and friends throughout the year
• Invite the men and boys in my family and community to take the pledge, speak up and take action to prevent gender-based violence.
The party provided an opportunity for the children as well as caretakers to socialize and interact with each other for after all the true magic of Christmas lies not just in celebration—but in compassion, connection, and community spirit.
