The Friends Cultural Centre (FCC), a Qatar Charity (QC) Community Development Centre celebrated the International Women’s Day on Thursday 7th March 2019. As a part of the celebrations, several exciting events were organised such as Craft Installation Contest, Quiz and Table Talk for the women of Asian communities including India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. A free Medical Check Up on Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar and BMI monitoring was also conducted in association with Asian Medical Centre on the same day.
The craft installation contest was a huge success which uncovered the hidden talent amongst the women of Asian communities. The contest aimed to promote the value of recycling through the creation of artwork from waste material such as newspapers, wires and plastic bottles. Exquisite pieces of artwork including handbags, jewellery, flower vase and sandals were made by the contestants using the waste materials. Amongst the participants, Mrs Jaseela Jisad, Mrs Sheeba Ashokan and Mrs Rusna bagged the First, Second and Third prizes respectively. Mrs Harshita and Mrs Vineetha also received consolation prizes for their marvellous works.
The quiz competition was conducted on the UN International Women’s Day Theme for 2019 ‘Balance For Better’. Questions relating to the stories of inspirational women, women right activism, women empowerment and present opportunities where sought. Among the 40 participants, Mrs Siby Joseph won the first prize. The second prize was shared among Mrs Bincy Biju and Mrs Sajiha Abdul Ikram. Mrs Saritha Joyes bagged the third prize.
The table talk on the theme ‘balance for better’ witnessed diversified and valuable viewpoints, experiences and suggestions from fifteen active orators from the contestants as well as the audiences. Walking through various phases of women empowerment, the events celebrated the economic, social and political achievements of the women worldwide. The audiences were enthralled by the motivational and inspiring stories shared by the participants.
Understanding the biological and physiological differences between the men and the women, the discussion highlighted on the importance of shared rights and responsibility amongst either sex for the success of a family, society, and world as a whole. A need to notice the absence of gender balance and to initiate a drive for continuous collective action to achieve this goal was addressed. The view that the change should begin from oneself, one’s family and one’s society for a better balance world was commonly agreed upon among all participants. Further discussion ended with a reminder by Dr Aliya, Asian Medical Center on the importance of taking care of one’s health as a woman take cares of her family.
The Table Talk was moderated by Mrs Simi Shameer and Dr Shamna Jaseem. Bincy Biju, Usha Kumari, Muneera Abdulla, Shamna Asmi, Vinitha Dannie, Dr Aliya, Ambarin Anwar, Shamina Hisham, Rasiya and Liji Abdulla were the active participants of the event. The welcome speech was given by Mrs Saleela Majed followed by Presidential address by Aparna Ranish. Mrs Siby Joseph enthralled the audience with her introductory speech. The program ended with the Vote of Thanks by Mrs Sunila Abdul Jabbar with a reminder that the celebration doesn’t end on this day but runs year long.
The program was a huge success and was widely accepted by the women of the Asian communities. The mouthwatering homemade delicacies made by the members of the organising committees was yet another attraction of the event. The participants informed that they eagerly look forward to similar events conducted by the organisation.
FCC Vanita Vedi 