The first Shirin Fozdar Award and Grant were presented to a team of four SMU students – Ms Shruti Dixit, Mr Saurav Barnarjee, Ms Melissa Ho and Ms Kanika Malik – to execute a new project to give disadvantaged women in the rural community of Selangor a good start to education. With the $5,000 grant money, the four will be working closely with Professor Faridah Manaf from the International Islamic University in Malaysia as their mentor and advisor.

Supported by the Shirin Fozdar Trust Fund, the award and grant were given out at the Women in the Community: Change Movers conference organised by SMU’s Wee Kim Wee Centre which has custodianship of the Fund since July 2009.

The event on 26 and 27 February marked the first of a five-year series of conferences to honour the life and work of the late Shirin Fozdar, a pioneer of women’s rights in Singapore and Asia. It was opened by Ms Claire Chiang, chairperson of the Shirin Fozdar Trust Fund. China’s Ambassador to Singapore Ms Zhang Xiao Kang was guest-of-honour, speaking on how far women have progressed in China. Ms Ann Medlock, founder of non­profit Giraffe Heroes Project, delivered the inaugural Shirin Fozdar lecture.