Each year, The Asia Foundation’s Lotus Circle nominates a handful of outstanding individuals and organizations that have made major contributions to the wellbeing of women and society in Asia for their Lotus Leadership Awards. It is with great pride that we announce that this year, The Fifth Annual Lotus Leadership Award will be given to our director, Dr. Ranjana Kumari. The award serves as recognition of her tireless promotion of women’s political participation, combating of domestic violence, and advocacy for gender equality as a leader on the forefront of the women’s movement in India.
“I am happy to receive this Award. Such awards inspire you to do more for women’s equal rights. They also serve as a reminder that more work needs to be done towards reducing crime and discrimination against women,” said Dr Kumari.
The award will be handed over to Dr. Kumari on the 3rd June 2015 at the Lotus Circle’s annual gala dinner event. At the gala, The Asia Foundation will also honour Sheryl WuDunn, Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and co-author of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, a New York Times best-seller about the struggles women face, particularly in developing countries.
Past Honorees of the Lotus Leadership Awards include Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, Ms. Nani Zulminarni (National Coordinator of PEKKA or “Women-Headed Household Empowerment), The Honorable Sapana Pradhan Malla (lawyer, advocate of Nepal’s Supreme Court), Mr. Chong Moon Lee (prominent Asian American philanthropist), Dr. Sakena Yacoobi (Founder and Executive Director of the Afghan Institute of Learning), Dr. David Ho (Aids Researcher).
In 2014, the gala dinner event was organized for the first time in order to celebrated 60 years of being one of the leading international development organizations, The Asia Foundation to improve lives and opportunities throughout Asia, as well as the 20th Anniversary of the establishment of The Asia Foundation’s Women’s Empowerment Program. This Women’s Empowerment Program covers 18 different countries in the Asian-Pacific region. It focuses on women’s leadership, strengthens women’s organizations, increases women’s rights and ensures their personal security, and creates new political and economic opportunities for women across the Asia-Pacific region.
To read more about the inspiring work of The Asia Foundation, The Asia Foundation.
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