Daily Times

Dawood Global Foundation held the 12th Anniversary of the LADIESFUND® Women’s Awards for Pakistan 2020 at Sindh Governor House facebook live where dynamic and inspiring women in Pakistan and around the world watched and celebrated and appreciated the strength and empowerment of women, as well as acknowledge the great life-saving contribution of Pakistani women as front-line workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Tara Uzra Dawood, President, Dawood Global Foundation, opened the event and the Governor of Sindh, Imran Ismail Sahib, was the Chief Guest for the event.

The short ceremony honoured 12 front line workers as LADIESFUND 2020 Women of the Year – Adeeba Hafiz (nurse, Indus Hospital), Dr. Aysha Almas (AKU, set up temporary Covid-19 facility), Dr. Baakh Nusrat (helped set up the government field isolation center), Fatima Majeed (food ration distribution to fishery community), Pastor Ghazala Shafique (food ration distribution to marginalized communities), Karima Hirani (ER nurse manager, AKU), Kiran Pulzaib (nurse, Indus Hospital), Dr. Nawal Salahuddin (critical care, NICVD), Dr. Sehrish Batool (helped set up the government field isolation center), Shabana Francis (nurse, SIUT), Dr. Sara Ahmed (Infectious Diseases Consult, Patel Hospital), and Dr. Shobha Luxmi (Dow University Hospital).

Ms. Dawood welcomed the global virtual audience and shared the history of the prestigious LADIEFUND Women’s Awards for Pakistan and their commitment to honour the outstanding women of each year. “This year, it was the front-like workers to whom we as a nation owe so much. They helped keep us alive and safe, always at the risk of their own.”

Each recipient shared a personal story from her front-like work, with Pastor Ghazala Shafique passionately thanking LADIESFUND 5000 Families Food Rations drive #LF5000 that had both a strict zakat fund as well as a sadaqah fund, the latter of which she found as the only NGO who answered her need to feed starving Hindus, Christians and eunuchs. “Hunger knows no religion.”

Dr. Shobha Luxmi spoke of the realization that material things do not matter in face of her treating some of the wealthiest people in Pakistan and they couldn’t take a single breath without assistance.

Governor Sahib’s closing remarks moved all with his recognition and appreciation to these 12 women and LADIEFUND for honouring them at this moment in time, when our nation owes them so much.

Also present at the event with past LADIESFUND Award winners – Sheema Kermani (2008 winner), Simi Kamal (2016), Shabina Mustafa (2018), Angie Marshall (2014) and Ameena Saiyid (2013) – many of whom had played a key role distributing LADIESFUND food rations to the hungriest in our nation including marginalized communities.