Abu Dhabi
As stressed-out children take a heavy toll on their mothers, the Indian Ladies Association (ILA) here plans to help women and children facing study pressure with support measures, the members said.
Apart from organising socio-cultural and charity activities, helping women overcome day-to-day stress will be a priority of the association, said Sunita Wagle, the newly-elected president of the ILA.
A recent meditation programme for women was the first step in that direction. The ILA will organise various awareness programmes to help women deal with such problems, she said.
Annu Chouraria, the general secretary of the ILA, said the ILA would extend support to both mothers and their children to better handle study-related stress. Wagle and Chouraria were elected as leaders of an 11-member managing committee for 2017-2018 in a recently held election.
The ILA is one of the five Indian community organisations in the capital, which are registered with the Ministry of Community Development. Other four organisations are the Indian Social and Cultural Centre (ISC), Indian Islamic Centre, Kerala Social Centre and Abu Dhabi Malayalee Samajam.
The ILA will create common venues where various women’s organisations can interact and share their thoughts and ideas for common good. “It will be a nice platform for multicultural interaction,” Wagle said.
“We have always been working together with several Indian organisations to conduct social events and celebrations. Now we would like to reach out to women’s associations of various other nationalities,” she said.
Chouraria said a recently held Holi [an Indian festival] celebration had such a participation of women of various nationalities. People of other nationalities, including Emiratis, were eager to know more about Holi and related cultural aspects. “Likewise we would like to create venues where Indian women can know more about other cultures,” she said.
The ILA also plans to encourage their members to involve in sports activities, Wagle said. “Our team won a gold medal [in beginners’ category] in a recent volleyball tournament for a charity cause at Paris Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi. It was inspiring for all members,” she said.
Chouraria said the sheer sportsman spirit and enthusiasm of the women were remarkable in the volleyball court. “We plan to further awaken and activate this capability of our ladies and provide them more opportunities,” she said .
Chouraria said: “I think women do not need to be empowered, they already possess superpowers which needs to be supported and galvanised into action.”
The ILA provides ladies a platform to exhibit those hidden talents and establishes a dialogue between them and the society, she said.
As part of the Year-of-Giving initiative, the ILA will visit labour accommodations on May Day and distribute gifts to them. Iftar party for female workers during Ramadan and support for children with special needs are other charity programmes planned. “We will conduct more of such activities,” they said.
