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Women
LONDON BANGLA = Friday 10 May 2013
Recognition for Asian Women’s achievements
Asian women have, of course, been achieving things for millennia – but it was just before the last millennium that a formal annual celebration of the talents and successes of Asian women in Britain was organised. The annual Asian Women of Achievement Awards were cofounded by Pinky Lilani OBE in 1999, with the aim of celebrating the Asian heroines of British life. These women’s contribution to society was often unsung, but their achievements – in fields as diverse as business, entrepreneurship and social and humanitarian work – get their moment in the spotlight at the annual awards. Past candidates for the awards have shared how the confidence, prestige and connections established through the AWA programme have lifted their aspirations to new levels. In 2011, for example, nominees and winners were invited to Buckingham Palace. The awards have lead to the creation of numerous initiatives and projects designed to help women and improve opportunities for the next generation. Shortlisted candidates are invited to join a Women of the Future Network, which is organised in partnership with J.P. Morgan. There are a number of networking events each year which offer the opportunity for members to meet likeminded women and build business contacts. The 2013 awards will be announced at a ceremony at the London Hilton on 15th May.
Why Wales?
A study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council has compared the lifestyles of a group of Bangladeshi women who live in the Welsh city of Cardiff with those of a group of women who live in Sylhet. The two groups of women both included older and younger women. The study looked in particular at the health of the women in the two groups. Women living in Sylhet generally felt healthier than those living in Wales. In Sylhet, one in four of the older women and just under one in ten of the younger women admitted that they thought their health was poor or very poor. However, one in three of the women living in Wales described their health in this way. One reason for the difference may be weight. Over half of the Welsh women were obese (65% of the older women and 43% of younger women), but the numbers of those suffered from obesity in Bangladesh were much lower (27% of older and 14% of younger women). With half the population below the poverty line and nearly half the country’s children suffering from malnutrition, it is not surprising that obesity rates are lower in Bangladesh. However, another factor in causing the difference is that women in Cardiff are much less active than those in Bangladesh. The research projected was headed up by Professor Janice Thompson, who explained that Bangladeshi women in Cardiff are less physically active than those in their home region. “What’s really critical here is that nobody moves enough,” she said. “For the older generation, their role as a respected elder female means they do very little movement or work, which impacts their health and wellbeing.” Professor Thompson pointed to a second problem for Bangladeshi women living in Wales: the older generation of women quite often feel socially isolated, and the younger women find there are not many culturally appropriate leisure facilities. “Many women don’t want to exercise in mixed groups in front of men. That’s true for many women, but it’s particularly critical if you are Muslim, as there are issues around clothing and the social acceptability of being with unfamiliar men in a confined area,” Professor Thompson explained. The diet of Bangladeshi women living in Wales also contributes to the problems they experience with their weight. Both generations feel under pressure to serve, and therefore also to eat, high calorie foods. Fried foods and meals using lots of oil are a problem, as are traditional sweets. It is well known that economic status is a big factor in determining health, and the Bangladeshi population in the UK is still once of the most economically deprived. Nearly three quarters of Bangladeshi women living in Wales are unemployed. This is an interesting study of the two communities. The precise findings apply only to the communities in the study, but they are interesting enough to suggest that some research should be done on the health of other groups of Bangladeshi women in the UK.
2013 Shortlist
Patrons “It is a privilege to be patron of these wonderful and important awards. They are a fantastic showcase of the phenomenally talented Asian women in the UK today and I encourage you to get involved in this year’s campaign. Each year I am humbled by the wealth of talent showcased at the awards and the stories of achievement across British life.” Cherie Blair “I am delighted to be involved with these wonderful awards. The awards are a great way to celebrate the broad range of achievements of Asian women in Britain, and to encourage future successes. Winning and indeed being shortlisted for one of these accolades is a valuable credential.” HRH Princess Badiya bint El Hassan “RBS is delighted to support the Asian Women of Achievement Awards, one of the most important programmes recognising Britain’s fantastic diversity of talent. It is great news for Britain that Asian women now occupy some of the most influential positions in finance, business and public life.” Chris Sullivan, Chief Executive Corporate Banking Division, RBS (headline sponsor)
Asian Women of Achievement Awards
15th May, London Hilton on Park Lane 7.00pm Champagne reception 7.40pm Welcome speeches 8.00pm Dinner 9.30pm The Asian Women of Achievement Awards 11.00pm Cash bar 1am Carriages The programme may change due to unforeseen circumstances Dress code: Black Tie/traditional dress
Women rescue themselves from poverty
The Food Security for the Ultra Poor (FSUP) project, funded by the EU, ran for four years, concluding at the end of 2012. The project calculated that it had helped 30,000 women improve their incomes and, therefore, improve their food security and that of their families. Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, the Minister of Women and Children Affairs, asked the UN World Food Programme to continue to help Bangladeshi women make these improvements. “With assistance from WFP, we’ll formulate a new long-term strategy for pro-active poverty reduction, using experiences from promotional safety net projects, such as FSUP to assist in improving sustainability in graduation out of extreme poverty,” she said. Dr Sharmin highlighted the work of the Vulnerable Group Development Programme, which targets women living in extreme poverty and is therefore one of the most important social safety nets in Bangladesh. “You see a great deal of self-confidence which comes from people having self-respect, having some resources, and being respected by their communities,” said William Hanna, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the EU to Bangladesh.
AWA in Arts & Culture Shalini Bhalla, creative director and founder, Just Jhoom! Lolita Chakrabarti, actress & writer Parvinder Kaur, manager and founder, Eternal Taal Nileeka Gunawardene, artistic director, Bollywood Dance London Divya Mathur, senior programme officer, High Commission of India Sukki Singapora, burlesque artist, The Singapore Burlesque Club AWA in Business Yonca Brunini, VP marketing, Google Viney Jung, Solicitor, notary public and tribunal judge, Jung & Co Solicitors Sue Kukadia, director - global immigration, Ernst & Young Shahin Virani, group COO, Bonhams 1793 Ltd Grace Wang, managing director, J.P. Morgan AWA – Entrepreneur Shaheen Bhatia, pharmacist owner, P&S Chemist Jaya Chakrabarti, CEO, Nameless Media Group Sipra Deb, director, The Play Arena Helen Dhaliwal, director, Red Hot World Buffet Shalini Khemka, chief executive and board director, E2Exchange Lisa Tse, founder, Sweet Mandarin Sauces AWA in the Media Rahila Bano, North West & Northern Ireland Reporter, BBC Asian Network Ravinder Bhogal, broadcaster & writer Reeta Chakrabarti, education and social affairs correspondant, BBC Dina Medland, independent writer/ editor/ consultant Sandeep Sidhu, UK producer, ITV News Kalpna Woolf, head of production, BBC AWA in the Professions Ishrat Bano, postdoctoral researcher, University of Cambridge Farah Bhatti, consultant cardiothoracic Surgeon,NHS Sadi Khan, head of training, Noble Khan Usha Menon, professor of gynaecological cancer/ consultant gynaecologist, head of gynaecological cancer research centre, University College London Payal Vasudeva, managing director, Accenture Audrey Williams, partner, human resources group, Eversheds LLP AWA in Public Service Dr Husna Ahmad, CEO, Faith Regen Foundation Tab Ahmad, founder and managing director, EmployAbility Dr Bela Arora, academic, University of Wales Newport Raj Bhamber, director of workforce and organisational development, Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Karenjit Clare, junior research fellow, Green Templeton College, University of Oxford Zehra Zaidi, national programme lead, UpRising Leadership Programme, The Young Foundation The Social & Humanitarian Award Samsunear Ali, deputy chief executive, Bawso Puja Handa, art of living teacher, Art of Living Foundation Polly Harrar, founder, The Sharan Project Hani Law Malini Mehra, founder, Centre for Social Markets Ahmereen Reza, honorary chairperson, Developments in Literacy Trust AWA - Young Achiever Roma Agrawal, associate Structural Engineer, WSP Group Megha Goel, fuel oil trader, Trafigura Pte Angela Jhanji, sustainability consultant, Accenture Romana Karim, management consultant, PwC Vidhyalakshmi Karthikeyan, senior researcher, BT Group Sanju Pal, founder, RISE and management consultant, Accenture AWA in Sport Aisha Ahmad, CEO, All Sports Women Rimla Akhtar, chair, Muslim Women’s Sport Foundation Manisha Tailor, football coach/ sports journalist Monica Thandi, chairperson and founder, Netball Development Trust Community Award Accenture The Home Office Muslim Women’s Sport Foundation Shell