Indian Ladies Association relocates to new facility in Zinj, expand activities, services

TDT | Manama                                                

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com     

Report by Zahra Ayaz

The Indian Ladies Association, a long-standing expat women’s group in the GCC, has relocated to a new facility in Zinj.

According to ILA officials, the move will provide more space for their SNEHA Free Recreation Centre for Children of All Nationalities with Intellectual Disabilities and expand activity options for ILA members.

As part of the relocation, ILA is also hosting a festival called “Anand Bazaar” this Friday, showcasing Bahraini crafts, cuisine, and culture, for which it also invites participation.

Outlining the activities of ILA, Raka Mukhopadhyay, Secretary for Public Relations, said they are providing home-cooked meals, dry rations, and community services, among other activities.

“We run a programme called “Speak Easy” for low-income workers to teach them functional English as well as fundamental advocacy, personality development, and more.

Sarada Ajith, ILA President, announced a line-up of events for the first half of 2023, including the Dandiya festival in October and the Leela Jashanmal Lecture by Dr Tessy Thomas, author of “Missile Women”.

All proceeds from these events will support the SNEHA Recreation Centre, which is coordinated by Nisha Ramgarajan, Deepa Devanarayan, and Anu Sampath.

According to Nisha, all services at SNEHA are provided free of charge, including transportation.

Additionally, the centre has two special educators and a team of volunteers who rotate shifts daily from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

“At present, we have 17 children between the ages of 5 and 13.

We provide them with training in various areas such as cooking, dancing, yoga, and painting, as well as practical skills such as brushing, combing, eating, and mopping, to help them become self-sufficient.”