Written by: Ramlah Tariq
Posted on: August 29, 2016 | 
| 中文
Various stalls at the IFWA Charity Bazaar
The IFWA Charity Bazaar was held on August 28th, 2016 at Serena Hotel, Islamabad to raise funds for the “Pink Ribbon Charity Hospital”. The Bazaar featured various food and handicraft stalls representing different countries including Pakistan, China, Turkey, Thailand, Hungary, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sudan, India, Maldives, and many more. Several well-reputed Chinese companies took part in the Bazaar, such as ZTE, Zong, IBC and Huawei. The World Food Programme (WFP) also participated in the event, showing their support for the pink ribbon cause. Providing technical assistance and helping out with security management, the Chinese Embassy played a key role in organizing the Charity Bazaar, where Madam Bao Ji Qing, wife of the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, actively participated.
Speaking to the Youlin team, Madam Bao expressed her concern for the victims of breast cancer. She said that as one of the committee members of IFWA, the Chinese Embassy wants to play an active role for this cause. She further added that the embassy wants to convey the message that Chinese companies have not come to Pakistan simply to build the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), but also intend to share the social responsibility.
The event officially kicked off with a welcome speech by Madam Jasmina Makarevic, President of Islamabad Foreign Women Association (IFWA), followed by an address by Mr. Omer Aftab, CEO of Pink Ribbon. After giving an overview of the programmes and projects undertaken by Pink Ribbon, Mr. Aftab shed some light on the construction of Pakistan’s first dedicated breast cancer hospital, which will commence in October (also known as Pink-tober, since October is distinguished as the breast cancer awareness month).
The Charity Bazaar featured a number of invigorating musical performances by talented musicians from various countries. One of the highlights among these was the Pak-China Fusion Band, which seamlessly fused Pakistani and Chinese compositions spanning different genres of music. Judging by their immense skill and ingenuity, the band is all set to make a mark as the first-ever flagship musical group of China-Pakistan friendship.
At the conclusion of the event, Madam Jasmina thanked the Serena Hotel management, as well as the IFWA committee members, without whom the event wouldn’t have been possible. She especially acknowledged the efforts of the wives of the ambassadors of Belgium, Thailand, Maldives and Palestine, who each played an important role in executing the event. Speaking to Youlin, Madam Jasmina mentioned how in the beginning she had been anxious about the outcome of the event, but by the end was really happy with how it turned out. She further added that Pink Ribbon is just one of the many noble causes that IFWA supports.
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