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In a bid to raise awareness and help underprivileged widows, The Loomba Foundation, a global non-government organisation (NGO) working for the cause of widows in the country, has organised an annual charity dinner on June 21, to raise funds, ahead of the UN-ratified International Widows Day on June 23.
The theme for this year’s fundraiser is 'Justice for Widows - Corporate Social Responsibility', and aims to encourage corporate India to channelise their mandatory 2 per cent CSR (corporate social responsibility) provision in the Companies Act for the benefit of impoverished widows.
The dinner would be attended by approximately 200 high profile guests, including Kiran Bedi, "who understand the needs and the plight of widows in India and are willing to extend a supporting hand for the cause,'' the organisation said in a statement.
The Loomba Foundation has committed to empower 10,000 widows in India, who would each receive a sewing machine and training to make garments.
Founder and Chairman Trustee, Lord Raj Loomba CBE said, "Out of a total of 245 million worldwide, over 42 million widows are in India alone. Given that over 70 per cent of India’s population lives in rural areas, most of these widows are poor and uneducated and are often abused physically, psychologically and even sexually.''
He added that the Loomba Foundation is committed to helping them reclaim their rightful place in society.
"India is the first country in the world to have legislated a mandatory CSR provision requiring companies to give 2 per cent of their net profits to charity. We are looking to channelise a small portion of this to the cause of widows,'' he added.
The Loomba Foundation has been bringing widows out of abject poverty in different parts of the world including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi, South Africa, Syria, and Guatemala. In India alone, the Foundation has so far funded education scholarships for over 9,000 children, and positively impacted more than 50,000 family members of widows.
The Foundation works at grassroots level by making widows economically self-sufficient by imparting skills for life and instilling confidence.
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