RIYADH, 10 October 2004 — Malaysian ambassador’s wife Puan Sri Aishantun Suhaimi and the wife of Sri Lankan Ambassador Nissa Ansar jointly inaugurated the Charity Fair held at the open air grounds of the Indian Embassy on Thursday.
The event was sponsored by the Oriental Ladies Group which has a composition of over 100 members who are wives of diplomats from the SAARC and ASEAN countries. The four-hour show drew more than 3,000 families from the expatriate communities in the capital.
“ The charity fair which is being held for three consecutive years has drawn an unprecedented crowd this year,” Nissa Ansar, wife of the Sri Lankan Ambassador Ibrahim Sahib Ansar told Arab News after inaugurating the fair dedicated to help the poor in member countries of the OLG.
“It is fitting to see a large number of expatriates gather under one umbrella not only to help the deserving people but also to see the products and services that could be offered by their friendly countries,” Nissa added.
The president of the group, Vanita Singh said the massive crowd at the fair was mainly due to the people’s interest in helping charity work.
“The proceeds from last year’s fair was diverted to a school for special children in Pakistan and to a tuberculosis (TB) center in Manila,” Singh said adding that the group will decide this year’s beneficiaries at the next meeting of the OLG.
The evening was spiced with cultural programs where the participating countries presented various programs to depict their culture through folklore.
Children from China, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Philippines, India and Kazakhstan took part in the cultural show.
Handicraft, garments, food products, beverages, tea and even footwear were sold at prices lower than the market price.
The fair also gave the visitors a wide choice of tasting a variety of cuisine from SAARC and ASEAN countries.
In addition to charity, OLG regularly organizes activities of cultural and recreational interests to its members.
“Field visits to places of historical importance in the host country are also arranged to give first hand information to the diplomats’ wives,” OLG’s patron Zaiba Aziz, the wife of the Ambassador of Pakistan retired Adm.Abdul Aziz Mirza told Arab News.
