THE LOOMBA FOUNDATION AND PUNJAB GOVERNMENT LAUNCH PATH-BREAKING PROJECT TO EMPOWER 5000 WIDOWS IN EIGHT DISTRICTS
The Loomba Foundation, the UN accredited global NGO working exclusively for the cause of widows and their children, has launched a unique project together with the Punjab Government to empower 5000 widows in the state. Hon’ble Chief Minister of Punjab, Sardar Parkash Singh Badal, was the chief guest for the launch function held at Guru Nanak Dev Bhawan in Ludhiana. He, together with Lord Raj Loomba, the Founder and Chairman Trustee of The Loomba Foundation and Lady Loomba distributed sewing machines to some of the beneficiaries to formally kick-start the ‘Punjab Project for Empowerment of Widows.’ Renowned British philanthropists Mr. Graham and Mrs. Susan Tobbell as well as Mrs. Aruna Oswal, the India Trustee and Padamshri Vikramjit Singh, Patron of The Loomba Foundation were also present at the occasion to express their solidarity for the cause. Over 1000 people participated in the event, including senior ministers, elected representatives, senior bureaucrats, industrialists, media persons, beneficiaries and the general public.
Lord Raj Loomba said, “Having been born in Dhilwan, District Kapurthala and studying at the D.A.V. College in Jallandhar, I have always been connected to the soil of Punjab, no matter where my destiny has taken me. Even though I am a parliamentarian in the UK, and my Foundation works actively to bring 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, nothing gives me more joy than to see my own homeland joining hands for this cause so seriously. We celebrated India’s 68thIndependence Day last week, but we are yet to ensure financial independence for millions of our widows. I hope that this partnership with the Punjab Government proves to be just the beginning of a long relationship that aims to completely eradicate the stigma and the hardships associated with widowhood across Punjab and the entire Bharat. I therefore hope that other states in India will also come forward and join hands with The Loomba Foundation to empower widows with livelihoods.”
The first phase of ‘Punjab Project for Empowerment of Widows’ will cover 2000 poor widows in and around Ludhiana. Well-qualified trainers have already been identified across 19 different centres so that the project can take-off immediately. Upon successful completion of the training course for garment-making, each widow beneficiary will also be given a sewing machine. The purchase of sewing machines has already been completed through tender process and these will be supplied within a time frame of one month. The Punjab Government and The Loomba Foundation will also explore possibilities to provide employment opportunities for widows in the garment making industries in and around Ludhiana.
The second phase will aim to empower 3000 widows in the districts of Amritsar, Jalandhar, Mansa, Muktsar, Firozpur, Sangrur and Kapurthala. Five more districts are likely to be covered under the project later. The project also envisions to set-up a Rapid Advisory Group (RAG) amongst the local bodies which will seek to address the problems faced by widows and provide counsel and assistance to approach law enforcement agencies on a case to case basis.
‘The Punjab Project for Empowerment of Widows’ is a unique model which will be a milestone in the history of ‘Private-Public-Partnerships’. Such programs help empower the widows by making them financially-reliant and enable them to educate their children, support family members and lead a dignified life. The impact of this project is expected to be ten-fold, as each widow will be able educate three children on average, and in turn support six family members. Therefore, 50,000 people stand to benefit directly or indirectly from this project. Under the partnership, The Loomba Foundation and the Punjab Government have agreed to pool in a matching grant in their effort to make widows and their children economically independent and self-reliant.
The Loomba Foundation was instrumental in getting official recognition for 23rd June as International Widows Day from the United Nations General Assembly in 2010, five years after the Day was launched by the Foundation at the House of Lords in UK.
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