30 December 2015 www.womanthismonth.com PEOPLE | interview On its 15th anniversary, Woman This Month spoke to The Palm Association, a charitable endeavour that enables Bahrain’s economically disadvantaged to live with dignity and hope. A Silver Lining Ramadan food drive. Xmas fair at Rugby Club. Imagine the smile on an ill child’s face when she is gifted a bag of new winter clothes or the relief that washes over a widow when she receives monthly provisions to feed her children, thanks to Bahrain’s Palm Association. Aimed at giving back to the Bahraini community, the association was started in the year 2000 by two good Samaritans, expats Jennifer Sale and Kirsti Shaheen, with the help of Shaikha Lulwa bint Mohammed Al Khalifa. It has grown to become a well-established charitable organisation with a sustainable business plan, constitution and website. We met with chairwoman Karen Tennant and Maria Sorger as the Palm Association celebrates 15 years of leaving footprints of kindness and compassion all over the island. Karen says: “The principal project of the Palm Association is ‘Feed a Family’. Currently, 155 destitute Bahraini families are provided with necessary rations every month, each packet costing BD20.” The families are audited every year; those whose fortunes take a turn for the better are removed from the list and other deserving families are added. The Association is also involved in Project Rebuild, which helps renovate the homes of poor families. Maria says: “Corporates come forth to donate goods like appliances or furniture and rebuild run-down homes, but it’s getting difficult to convince organisations in Bahrain to give something to the community. The concept of corporate social responsibility has caught on in Bahrain, but not as much as in multinational companies.” Some the committee members with their local village contact. Dsitributing furniture.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjk0MTkxMQ==