THE LOOMBA FOUNDATION LEADS MULTI-STAKEHOLDER EFFORT TO EMPOWER WIDOWS & DESTITUTE WOMEN IN MUMBAI

 

www.theloombafoundation.org

 

Shamin and Shiraz Lalji sponsor free sewing machines for 500 widows & destitute women in Mumbai; Sun Foundation sponsors garment stitching training provided by Khair-E-Ummat Trust, Society for Human & Environmental Development, Aga Khan Social Welfare Board for India & Rusi Mehta Welfare Centre

 

Mumbai, March 19, 2015: The Loomba Foundation, the UN accredited global NGO working exclusively for the cause of widows and their children, announced that it has completed the three months training in garment making provided to 500 widows and destitute women in Mumbai. On completion of this training, The Loomba Foundation distributed 500 sewing machines to provide livelihoods to the beneficiary women to be able to reclaim a respectable place in the society and take care of themselves and their dependents. The event was held at Society for Human & Environmental Development (SHED), Kalina Santacruz East, Mumbai. Shri Ashish Chauhan, MD & CEO of BSE Ltd, and a patron of The Loomba Foundation, was the chief guest at the occasion.

 

The Loomba Foundation’s Trustee Mrs. Shamin Lalji and her husband Mr. Shiraz Lalji sponsored the free sewing machines for the project. The cost of training of the beneficiaries was borne by Sun Foundation India, a charitable organization led by Padmashri Vikramjit Singh Sahney, which has joined hands with The Loomba Foundation. Quality training in garment making was provided to widows and poor women in different parts of Mumbai by Khair-E-Ummat Trust, SHED, Aga Khan Social Welfare Board for India & Rusi Mehta Welfare Centre, Mumbai. The beneficiaries who completed the training successfully also received Certificates of Excellence from the respective training centres.

 

Mr. Pratap Singh, Country Head of The Loomba Foundation welcomed the guests at the occasion including Padmashri Begum Bilkees Latif, President, SHED; Ms. Raksha Dhawan, Chief Functionary, Sun Foundation India; and Mr. Jaykumar Parekh, member of the Advisory Council of The Loomba Foundation. Mr. Atul Palta, Operations Manager of The Loomba Foundation, delivered the vote of thanks. Mr. Haroon Mozawala, Mrs. Karuna, Ms. Khadija Manekia, Mrs. Fauzia Khan and Ms. Shazia also extended help and cooperation in making this project successful.

 

Speaking at the event, Raksha Dhawan from Sun Foundation praised the work being done by The Loomba Foundation for the cause of helping poor widows and said that Sun Foundation was proud to be partnering with The Loomba Foundation for this project in Mumbai.

 

 

ABOUT THE LOOMBA FOUNDATION

The Loomba Foundation was established by Raj Loomba CBE and his wife Veena in the UK in 1997, in memory of Raj’s mother, Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba, who became a widow at an early age of 37 in 1954 in Punjab. She succeeded in educating her seven young children singlehandedly.

The Loomba Foundation promotes fundamental freedoms and human rights of widows and their children around the world, raising awareness of the gross injustices widows face and seeking to remove stigmas associated with widowhood.

The Loomba Foundation declared 23^rd June as International Widows Day at the House of Lords in May, 2005, which was adopted by the United Nations in 2010.

The Loomba Foundation published a comprehensive Research Study on widows worldwide, which revealed that over 245 million widows and 500 million children around the world suffer in silence. The first edition of was presented to the UN Secretary General, HE Ban Ki Moon on 22^nd June, 2010 followed by presentations to the President of India and the US Secretary of State. The Loomba Foundation collaborates with UN bodies, other NGOs, government officials, human rights advocates and prominent leaders to fight for the over 245 million widows worldwide who suffer prejudice and discrimination.

The Loomba Foundation seeks to bring about gender sensitive reform of national laws and policies, eradicating anti-widow superstitions, traditions, and social practices.  It fosters gender equality and women’s empowerment by implementing poverty-reduction strategies and educational opportunities for the 42 million widows and their 100 million children in India.

 

ABOUT SUN FOUNDATION

The Sun Foundation provides vocational training for over 3,000 women every year through their project Surya Kiran. The Foundation also has vocational training for the disabled. Besides supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign, it also supports his ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ and has adopted the Shivkar Wadi slum in Mumbai as part of this campaign.