IFWA Charity Bazaar @ Serena Raises Funds for 2 Schools of Deserving Children

Islamabad; Islamabad Foreign Women’s Association (IFWA) hosted  annual Charity Bazaar on Sunday, 22nd November 2020 at Business Complex Lawn, Islamabad Serena Hotel, with complete observation of Corona SoPs. Embassies and Pakistani artists showcased their exquisite hand crafted products and donated a percentage of their revenue to support the bazaar’s beneficiaries.

In the opening speech, Mrs. Ursula Keller, President of IFWA announced that the proceedings from the Charity Bazaar this year will go towards helping two beneficiaries, The Sunbeams Schools and Al-Firdous Model School.

She appreciated the vendors present at early hours and thanked her team for the arrangements. She recalled Ms Priya Illango for her role in this activity. Ms Priya had to leave for Washington to join her family.

“We are working on the empowerment of under privileged women and girls through education and skills training. The boys are educated to respect girls and women. Lower age marriages are discouraged by our association.” Mrs. Ursula Keller said. 

Mrs. Irena Smetankova, Vice-President of IFWA and Mrs. Faizah Nordahl-Rajpoot accepted their donations on stage and thanked the sponsors for their generosity. IFWA is a charitable organization established in 1995 by women of the diplomatic and expatriate communities living in Islamabad.

CEO of Serena Hotels Islamabad, Mr. Aziz Boolani in his welcome note appreciated the activities of IFWA and assured his cooperation and support to the association in future as well.

Al-Firdous Welfare Association (AFWA) School and vocational center for underprivileged children and youth provides quality education and training in employment skills. Located at Bhara Kahu, Islamabad, AFWA School educates about 450 kids from Playgroup to Grade 10. The Vocational centre provides employment skills to girls such as sewing, cooking, dress designing etc. Elder boys learn electric work, plumbing, mobile phone repairing and computer skills.Sunbeams NGO runs schools for children from low-income families as well as those of refugees at the outskirts of Islamabad.

Sunbeams operate their own schools, adopted government schools and also partner schools with the aim to provide high quality education for all children. In Sunbeams Schools, previously unschooled children are inducted in education, brought up to speed and integrated into regular classes.

Serena Hotels is sponsoring the IFWA Charity Bazaar 2020under their Cultural Diplomacy initiative,which aims to advance the cause of artsand culture with the goal to build the foundations for a better future.The cause of the charity bazaar is also supported by HBL Bank, Gerry’s, Roots Millennium Education and Miradore Productions.

This year IFWA celebrates its 25th anniversary.The Association raises funds through the organisation of social, cultural and charitable programmes which form greater understanding and bonds of friendship between Pakistan and other countries. When first founded, IFWA’s efforts were recognised by then Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, who became its Honorary President. The Association’s principle aims were to raise awareness of the difficulties faced by underprivileged and disadvantaged women and their children, and to raise funds for their benefit.