Supporting Widows Around The World

At The Loomba Trust we work tirelessly to organise fundraising events, to raise money in the UK, USA, India and other countries, for the poor widows and their children, and to focus attention on the plight of this disadvantaged, yet often neglected group. It’s a shocking fact, but nevertheless true, that there are over 100 million widows worldwide, of which 44 million are in India.

Even now, whilst you read this, someone, somewhere in the world, has just become a widow, whether they have lost their husband through an illness, a conflict of war, HIV/AIDS or car accident to mention just a few possibilities.

All too quickly a woman’s life can change from the role of a wife to a widow. And no matter how young or how old she is, her life can be dramatically different from the life she had led until she received the news of her husband’s death. If she has children, she will need to find ways to support them and educate them so that they have a chance in life. Yet social exclusion is often the only option available to a poor widow unless funds can be raised to provide practical help for her and her children and make a difference to their lives.

The Loomba Trust is now in its twelfth year and was established by Raj Loomba, in the UK on 26 June 1997, in memory of his mother, Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba. Tragically widowed at the young age of 37, she raised her 7 children and quickly identified that education was the key to open the door of opportunity for them. She did this single-handedly and was truly an inspiration.

The Loomba Trust was launched in London in March 1998, in the presence of the then Prime Minister, The Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, MP. A year later the Trust was inaugurated in New Delhi by the then Prime Minister of India, The Honourable Atal Bahari Vajpayee. Since then it has launched in Edinburgh, New York and Johannesburg in South Africa.

Raj Loomba campaigned for the United Nations’ recognition of International Widows Day, which was launched by The Loomba Trust at the House of Lords in 2005, and now takes place every year on 23rd June, to highlight the plight of the widows around the world.

The Loomba Trust’s focus is the education of poor children of poor widows and empowering their widowed mothers around the world, who are suffering through poverty, illiteracy, HIV/AIDS, conflict and social injustice; and to continue our efforts to build awareness of the plight of poor widows globally.

To date over 3,600 children have been helped by The Loomba Trust, through the generosity of those who have kindly provided a donation.

We are making a difference but know that we can continue to make a greater difference for these unfortunate women and their children.