2010-01-14 08:12:46 - New Delhi, January 13 2010: The Loomba Trust, a global charity that supports widows and their children around the world, today announced leading award-winning Bollywood actress Ms. Preity Zinta, as its brand ambassador.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Cherie Blair, President The Loomba Trust, said, “Single women, especially widows, who head households require a support structure and assistance in discharging their domestic responsibilities and in gaining access to education, training and employment. Governments have a role to play in ensuring sufficient resources and priority is given to these most vulnerable members of society. United Nation's specific Millennium Development Goals to reduce extreme poverty, to provide universal primary education and reduce child mortality and improve maternal health will not be met if the world continues to ignore the increasing numbers of widows and their children in the world.”

The world over, millions of widows, young girls and orphans are victims of widespread social discrimination, financial

instability, human trafficking, physical and mental abuse. To address these concerns and help disadvantaged and marginalized widows empower themselves with better economic opportunities, the Loomba Trust and its sister charity, The Loomba Foundation have been jointly running various projects globally. In India, the trust educates over 3,000 children across all the 29 states. It also supports 1,500 HIV orphans in South Africa in partnership with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Unite. Other initiatives include entrepreneurship programs for widows in Kenya, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka coordinated with Youth Business International, the charity of The Prince of Wales. Ms. Preity Zinta, as the brand ambassador of the Loomba Trust, will actively promote and voice the cause of widows at the global fora.

On her association with the trust, Ms. Preity Zinta, Brand Ambassador The Loomba Trust said, “I am honored to be associated with a prestigious charity like The Loomba Trust. I fully understand and empathize with the problems faced by widows; my mother was widowed when I was only thirteen. Global focus on widow is long overdue. Development programs with specific focus on widows and their children are vital for the improvement of women’s status in society, and of their protection against the worst cases of exploitation and abuse. I look forward to working with The Loomba Trust, as its international brand ambassador, to ease the plight of widows in India and other countries.”

The Loomba Trust, incorporated more than 10 years ago, intends to increase the number of children educated by the Trust from 100 children per state to 1,000 per state. Welcoming Ms. Zinta onboard, said Mr. Raj Loomba CBE, Founder & Chairman of The Loomba Trust, “We are pleased to announce Ms. Preity Zinta as our brand ambassador. We are strongly supporting the creation of the ‘International Widows Day’ to be officially by the United Nations. The recognition would be instrumental in encouraging emancipation of widows and also draw the attention of governments to their challenges. Ms. Zinta will closely work with us to drive this objective and other missions of the Loomba Trust.”


About The Loomba Trust and Foundation
The Loomba Trust seeks to educate the children of poor widows throughout India. Established by Raj and Veena Loomba, The Trust was founded in memory of Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba, Raj Loomba's late mother, who became a widow at age 37 and successfully educated seven children. The Loomba Trust and its sister charity, The Loomba Foundation, currently educate over 3,000 children in all 29 states of India and support 1,500 HIV orphans in South Africa in partnership with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Unite. Other initiatives include entrepreneurship programs for widows in Kenya, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka coordinated with Youth Business International, the charity of The Prince of Wales. The Trust was officially launched in presence of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife, Cherie Blair in 1998, who is now President of The Trust.

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