Lord Raj Loomba CBE honored at the Forbes India Philanthropy Awards 2012
Lord Raj Loomba granted an award in the
Distinguished Non-Resident philanthropist category of the prestigious
Forbes India Philanthropy Awards 2012
Lord Raj Loomba CBE,
Founder and Chairman Trustee of The UN accredited Loomba Foundation, has
been recognized at the prestigious Forbes India Philanthropy Awards
2012, and granted
an award in the Distinguished Non-Resident philanthropist category.
The philanthropy awards
were instituted by Forbes India to recognize the efforts of individuals
who have given time, money, skill and expertise to solve some of the
most pressing
societal issues, to create model institutions and to inspire others.
The award was set to
honor a non-resident Indian who has contributed significantly to a
social cause in India, by giving wealth, time and expertise. Lord Loomba
was nominated for
his efforts in promoting the need for educating the kids of poor widows
in India and establishing June 23 as International Widows’ Day by the
United Nations.
The Loomba Foundation had been recently granted
Special Consultative Status by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
during the Council’s July 2012 Substantive Session. “Special
Consultative Status” is conferred upon those non-governmental
organizations that demonstrate a special
competence in a select field of concern. This designation will allow
the Foundation to send official representatives to participate in events
and conferences at the United Nations. Previous to the work of The
Loomba Foundation, no one had ever identified or
addressed more than 700M widows and children who suffer in this way.
A registered charity in
the UK, USA and India, The Loomba Foundation is supported by Britain’s
former first lady, Cherie Blair, as President, and Sir Richard Branson
as Patron-in-Chief.
The Foundation has funded the education of over 6500 children of poor
widows and has supported 27000 family members in 29 states of India.
During the awards
ceremony held in Bangalore recently, Lord Loomba gave a moving speech on
the plight of widows, the necessity of the cause and the major steps
the foundation has
taken to education the children of poor widows. “It is the cause” he
reflected why there is just a good following, “There are 245M widows in
the world, of which 42M are in India, and 500M children of widows around
the world. They suffer in silence, through
no fault of their own and it’s just because they have lost their father
and their mother has lost a husband.”
Lord Loomba also
supports many other social activities, including Barnardos in the UK.
Lord Loomba has received many accolades and honours including the
Priyadarshni Academy Global
Award in 2006 and the NRI Institute of India Achievers Award in 2008,
on behalf of The Loomba Foundation which was presented by the British
High Commissioner. Lord Loomba was also appointed as Ambassador of
Global Partnerships Forum in 2011.
About The Loomba Foundation
The Loomba Foundation
was established by Lord Raj Loomba CBE and his wife Veena in the UK in
1997. It promotes fundamental freedoms and human rights of widows and
their children
around the world, raising awareness of the gross injustices widows face
and seeking to remove stigmas associated with widowhood.
The Loomba Foundation
declared 23rd June as International Widows Day at the House of Lords in
May, 2005. The Foundation also published a comprehensive Research Study
on widows
worldwide and the first edition of was presented to the UN Secretary
General, HE Ban Ki Moon on 22nd June, 2010 followed by presentations to
the President of India and the US Secretary of State. The Foundation
collaborates with UN bodies, other NGOs, government
officials, human rights advocates and prominent leaders to fight for
the over 245 million widows worldwide who suffer prejudice and
discrimination.
The Loomba Foundation
seeks to bring about gender sensitive reform of national laws and
policies, eradicating anti-widow superstitions, traditions, and social
practices. It fosters gender equality and women’s empowerment by
implementing poverty-reduction strategies and educational opportunities
for widow’s and their children.
For more details, or to request a media interaction with Lord Loomba, please contact:
Puneet Khunger (+91.9810191409,
puneet@gutenbergpr.com)
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