CREATING A PLATFORM FOR WOMEN TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES
Our mission is simple — to be a family away from family. Our community aims to support each other and empower women-led businesses.”
Reema Mahajan | Founder and administrator, Indian Women in Dubai
Our goal is providing women and children of the Tamil community in Dubai, a platform to hone their skills. through festivals and competitions.”
Meenakumari Pathmanathan | President, Tamil Ladies Association
Meenakumari Pathmanathan: United for the love of Tamil
Meenakumari, 52, joined the Tamil Ladies Association (TLA) when she came to Dubai in 1994. The non-profit was formed in 1974 by a group of women who wanted to raise awareness about the culture and tradition of Tamilians.
Meenakumari went on to become a board member and later its president. In March 2019, TLA was granted a licence by Dubai’s Community Development Authority to conduct cultural and social activities in the emirate.
“Our goal is providing women and children of the Tamil community in Dubai, a platform to hone their skills. We hold festivals, arts and craft competitions, cooking tournaments, talk shows to create health and cultural awareness, and debates,” Meenakumari said.
When the pandemic struck last year, the group with 61 members changed its focus. It organised distribution of grocery packages to people in need, especially maids, labourers and families suffering without an income.
TLA members also volunteered to participate in the Vande Bharat Mission and help the consulate repatriate Indians in distress
The TLA team comprises 10 founding members, including two Emiratis. “We continue to promote Indian culture among the Tamil community. We also assist the consulate and CDA in social activities,” Meenakumari said.
Reema Mahajan: IWD is Google for Indian women in Dubai
Reema Mahajan, 37, from Chandigarh, runs an online community of more than 21,000 Indian women in Dubai, popularly known as IWD and selfproclaimed as ‘Google for Indian women in Dubai’.
Scroll through their Facebook page and you will see that the group is the go-to source for information that expat women typically want to know about in dealing with their daily lives and jobs.
“Our mission is simple — to be a family away from family. Our community is aimed at making friends, supporting each other, celebrating events together and empowering women-led businesses,” said Mahajan, who founded the group three years ago when she moved to Dubai from London. “To connect with likeminded women, I started a small Facebook group where I added a few girls I had known in Dubai. But over the last year during Covid-19, we have added more than 20,000 women.”
Mahajan’s group has conducted for 1,000 online free events and provided nearly
100 giveaways. IWD works with women entrepreneurs in the group by giving them opportunities to showcase their talent.
“We run free programmes to support women such as fitness support, food groups and book clubs — you tell us your interest and you are more than likely to find some like-minded friends in our community,” Mahajan said.