Dawood
Global Foundation held the 11th Anniversary of the LADIESFUND®
Women’s Awards for Pakistan 2019 at Sindh Governor House where over four
hundred of the most dynamic and inspiring women in Pakistan gathered to
celebrate the strength and empowerment of women, as well as acknowledge the
great economic contribution of Pakistani women who are not only job creators
but all finalists in Trailblazer and Momentum categories. The First Lady of
Pakistan Samina Alvi sent a special message for the occasion. The Governor of Sindh, Imran Ismail Sahib, was
the Chief Guest for the event and State Bank Governor Dr. Reza Baqir was Guest
of Honour.
LADIESFUND
Lifetime Achievement Award winners, Ava Cowasjee & Dr. Sania Nishtar graced
the occasion. Cowasjee is well known in the shipping industry and for her
philanthropy, while Dr. Nishtar is Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on
poverty alleviation and flew in from Islamabad for the event. National Anthem
was sung by pop single Jana Nazabeth and a special classical dance performance
was by Anjaleen Maryam Agrawalla. Pomme
Gohar compered.
Governor
Sindh Presented LADIESFUND® Idol Award to winner Sameena
Kumari Pirbho from Tharparkar. Other
winners included People’s Choice winners organic beautypreneur Myra Qureshi (Trailblazer),
event planner Anisa Rashid Kha (Momentum) and child abuse prevention activist
Frieha Altaf (Women of the Year), all of whom are great contributors to the
economy. This year’s judges who finalized theslate of nominees included past
LADIESFUND winners Yasmeen Lari (2016), Ameena Saiyid (2012), Simi Kamal (2016)
& Noorjehan Bilgrami (2015). Voting was viral via online, radio and
television reaching over 100 million homes.
Other pre-announced awards included Pakistani Hoor (Pioneer)
– a beggar turned entrepreneur who is training other female beggars in her
hometown of Makli to become entrepreneurs, Uzma Noorani (Angel) and
craftpreneur Bushra Imran (Entrepreneur in the Spotlight).
Dr. Abida Sattar gave a short presentation on breast
cancer awareness.
There was an introduction of Educate a girl by deserving scholars
with special thanks on stage to French Consul General Didier Talpain and
Fundraising Chair Nazneen Tariq Khan.
An International Fellowship was awarded to Tooba Rashid to
travel to Germany for World Business Dialogue and presented on stage by German
Consul General Eugen Wollsforth. She was joined on stage by past international
fellows Rabia Khamani, Sonia Kamnani, Alina Makhani, Rabiya Hafeez, Syeda
Humaira Anwaar, Konmal Gopi, Sindhiya Kirshan & Naina Rani, as well as
British Deputy Head of Mission Mark Rakestraw.
This year’s Bachelors Scholarship to Iqra University
were awarded for Maica Mary (Governor House Nurse’s Daughter), with tuition
cheque presented on stage to IU representative Asad Hussain.
Spotted at the event were Begum Governor Reema Imran, Senator
Khushbakht Shujaat, Senator Nasreen Jalil, Amin Gulgee, Khalid Mirza, Deepak
Perwani, Mina Hasan, Ali Rashid, as well as various diplomats, socialites and
dynamic women achievers.