How 3 women are enriching lives in the Indian community
Social groups run by volunteers played a stellar role in helping expats during Covid
They come from different parts of India and represent different generations of Indian expats in the UAE. But what unites these three women heading women’s community groups in Dubai is the determination to transform the lives of their compatriots in diverse ways.
On International Women’s Day, Gulf News speaks to Kusum Dutta, founder of Community and Social Work Group; Meenakumari Pathmanathan, president of Tamil Ladies Association and Reema Mahajan, founder and administrator of Indian Women in Dubai.
Kusum Dutta: Age is no barrier to helping needy
Kusum Dutta, 71, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, is one of the oldest Indian community workers in Dubai.
When she moved to Dubai from Kuwait in the early 1990s, Chandini Dayal, wife of then consul general Prabhu Dayal introduced her to the now-defunct Indian Ladies Association (ILA) in Dubai.
“My 13-14 years of experience with ILA was an eyeopener. Many women would approach us for monetary help — for a child’s tuition fee or medication of a family member or something else.”
In 2008, with the support of the wives of two consul generals formed the Community and Social Work (CAS) group with 10 members. It has since been working closely with the Indian consulate and its help centre Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendran (PBSK).
“We help blue-collar workers in distress by providing them with food, shelter and even resolving differences with their employers, sometimes offering legal counselling or helping with resolution of family issues,” Dutta said.
During the pandemic, CAS distributed around 20,000 ration kits to the needy and also provided toiletries, sanitisers and masks. “Around 300 flight tickets were given away to send stranded people back home,” said Dutta, who is also a member of the Prerna group under the consulate which offers support to children of determination.