News / Health
IWA rescues Zim's needy, fights period poverty
4 hrs ago | Views
IN accordance with ethos and values of India's traditions, Indian Women Association (IWA) has this Tuesday in Harare extended an assortment of donations to six needy charitable homes including sanitary ware in their quest to fight period poverty.
Speaking during the colourful donations handover ceremony, Mrs Shraddha Prajapati, spouse to Indian Ambassador to Zimbabwe, His Excellency, Bramha Kumar, has commended commitment by 60 IWA ladies in transforming communities through several donations to the less priviledged.
"It is my pleasure and honour to welcome you all at India House today which is the first open session of IWA this year. We are also honoured to have beneficiaries among us today. India has a very strong connection with Zimbabwe, thanks to the members of the Indian community who have made Zimbabwe their home," Shraddha Prajapati said.
"After India’s Independence, India always supported the freedom of Zimbabwe from the colonial rule. Since 1980, India has always been very active in terms of assisting Zimbabwe not only for her overall development but also on humanitarian grounds," Shraddha Prajapati added.
"While this is a brief background of active cooperation between our two countries, I am very happy to note that Indian women are also not behind in extending their valuable support to further deepen and strengthen people-to-people contacts. Indian Women Association, formed in 1995 under the aegis of Embassy of India, Harare, is made of 60 Indian women who meet up regularly for social recreational events and organise charity events such as dinners, dance, musical evenings, movies, among others," Shraddha Prajapati said.
"The amount raised through such events is distributed in-kind to the under privileged members of Zimbabwean society. Indian Women Association, made-up of mothers, has the heart of a mother and therefore it is natural for them to reach out to children, women and aged people. So far, IWA has supported more than 69 houses through grocery items, solar geysers, blankets and many other kinds of essential items," Shraddha Prajapati said.
Shraddha Prajapati commended that the contribution may not be as big in monetary terms as done by governments or government funded agencies, but it is more valuable because IWA make direct and very constructive impact in the lives of some individuals, claiming that they are reasons behind smiles on some faces and remove hardship for some families.
"Today, IWA is supporting six needy homes with groceries, blankets, adult walking frames and also refurbishing a dormitory for the handicapped. This is in accordance with ethos and values of Indian traditions. It is not surprising that all Indian leaders have praised the contributions of our ladies in keeping the Indian traditions alive in far-away lands and it is also not surprising that they are called true ambassadors of Indian culture," Shraddha Prajapati said.
In Shraddha Prajapati's six months stay in Zimbabwe so far, she found that Zimbabwean people are among the most friendly and peace-loving people on earth.
Speaking on the sidelines of the same event, IWA Secretary Nalini Devchand concurred with Shraddha Prajapati that it is within their tradition to help the needy in society.
"We have been helping the needy for quite long in Zimbabwe since 1995 and we did not pause in stretching our hands towards less priviledged. We have identified various areas where assistance is critically needed including amongst elderly, differently able-bodied, rural women and girls who are suffering from period poverty," Nalini Devchand said.
"We will continue with the gesture since it would also complement their basic needs," Nalini Devchand added.
Meanwhile, Sanitary Aid Zimbabwe Trust founder, Theresa Nyava-Machadu has welcomed the IWA gesture especially in her organisation's quest to fight period poverty in Zimbabwe's Mashonaland Central, East and West provinces.
"We appreciate the gesture by IWA which will go a long way in fighting period poverty amongst women and girls in rural areas. We have had incidences where some learners (girls) dropping out of school, withdrawing or missing from routine lessons and suffer menstrual period stereotyping," Nyava-Machadu said.
"This would therefore help in resolving all problems associated with period poverty and related stereotypes," she added.
Amongst the beneficiaries who received the donations include St Giles, Danai Children's Home, Jairos Jiri, Owen Renias Orphans Support, Bumhudzo Old People's Home and Sanitary Aid Zimbabwe.
Speaking during the colourful donations handover ceremony, Mrs Shraddha Prajapati, spouse to Indian Ambassador to Zimbabwe, His Excellency, Bramha Kumar, has commended commitment by 60 IWA ladies in transforming communities through several donations to the less priviledged.
"It is my pleasure and honour to welcome you all at India House today which is the first open session of IWA this year. We are also honoured to have beneficiaries among us today. India has a very strong connection with Zimbabwe, thanks to the members of the Indian community who have made Zimbabwe their home," Shraddha Prajapati said.
"After India’s Independence, India always supported the freedom of Zimbabwe from the colonial rule. Since 1980, India has always been very active in terms of assisting Zimbabwe not only for her overall development but also on humanitarian grounds," Shraddha Prajapati added.
"While this is a brief background of active cooperation between our two countries, I am very happy to note that Indian women are also not behind in extending their valuable support to further deepen and strengthen people-to-people contacts. Indian Women Association, formed in 1995 under the aegis of Embassy of India, Harare, is made of 60 Indian women who meet up regularly for social recreational events and organise charity events such as dinners, dance, musical evenings, movies, among others," Shraddha Prajapati said.
"The amount raised through such events is distributed in-kind to the under privileged members of Zimbabwean society. Indian Women Association, made-up of mothers, has the heart of a mother and therefore it is natural for them to reach out to children, women and aged people. So far, IWA has supported more than 69 houses through grocery items, solar geysers, blankets and many other kinds of essential items," Shraddha Prajapati said.
Shraddha Prajapati commended that the contribution may not be as big in monetary terms as done by governments or government funded agencies, but it is more valuable because IWA make direct and very constructive impact in the lives of some individuals, claiming that they are reasons behind smiles on some faces and remove hardship for some families.
"Today, IWA is supporting six needy homes with groceries, blankets, adult walking frames and also refurbishing a dormitory for the handicapped. This is in accordance with ethos and values of Indian traditions. It is not surprising that all Indian leaders have praised the contributions of our ladies in keeping the Indian traditions alive in far-away lands and it is also not surprising that they are called true ambassadors of Indian culture," Shraddha Prajapati said.
In Shraddha Prajapati's six months stay in Zimbabwe so far, she found that Zimbabwean people are among the most friendly and peace-loving people on earth.
Speaking on the sidelines of the same event, IWA Secretary Nalini Devchand concurred with Shraddha Prajapati that it is within their tradition to help the needy in society.
"We have been helping the needy for quite long in Zimbabwe since 1995 and we did not pause in stretching our hands towards less priviledged. We have identified various areas where assistance is critically needed including amongst elderly, differently able-bodied, rural women and girls who are suffering from period poverty," Nalini Devchand said.
"We will continue with the gesture since it would also complement their basic needs," Nalini Devchand added.
Meanwhile, Sanitary Aid Zimbabwe Trust founder, Theresa Nyava-Machadu has welcomed the IWA gesture especially in her organisation's quest to fight period poverty in Zimbabwe's Mashonaland Central, East and West provinces.
"We appreciate the gesture by IWA which will go a long way in fighting period poverty amongst women and girls in rural areas. We have had incidences where some learners (girls) dropping out of school, withdrawing or missing from routine lessons and suffer menstrual period stereotyping," Nyava-Machadu said.
"This would therefore help in resolving all problems associated with period poverty and related stereotypes," she added.
Amongst the beneficiaries who received the donations include St Giles, Danai Children's Home, Jairos Jiri, Owen Renias Orphans Support, Bumhudzo Old People's Home and Sanitary Aid Zimbabwe.
Source - Byo24News
