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Express Tribune
25-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
International food festival in Islamabad raises Rs2.5 million for charity
Listen to article The Islamabad Foreign Women's Association (IFWA) hosted its annual international food festival on Sunday, drawing culinary offerings from at least 28 countries and raising more than Rs2.5 million ($8,929) to support education and health initiatives for underprivileged women and children in Pakistan. The event, held in collaboration with Serena Hotels, featured participation from 80 diplomatic missions. Now in its third consecutive year, the festival has become a signature fundraiser for IFWA, a non-political, non-profit organisation founded in 1995 by the spouses of ambassadors posted in Islamabad. 'It is our major fundraising event of the year to support the charities that IFWA supports here [in Pakistan], which are mostly focused on benefiting vulnerable communities of Pakistani society, especially women and children,' said IFWA President Dianne Hawkins, the wife of the Australian High Commissioner. According to Hawkins, the proceeds will be directed toward initiatives primarily in the education and health sectors. Aziz Bolani, CEO of Serena Hotels, said the event not only raised funds but also served as a platform for cultural diplomacy. Embassies showcased traditional dishes at their respective stalls, with Moroccan and Egyptian offerings drawing particularly large crowds. 'Today, we are serving Moroccan chicken, Moroccan salads, and one of the main traditional dishes of Morocco, that is typically served every Friday — couscous with vegetables,' Moroccan Ambassador Mohamed Karmoune said. Homemade Moroccan bread, sweets, and tea were also available. Georg Steiner, the Swiss Ambassador to Pakistan, said he hoped the event would give locals a taste of Switzerland. 'We brought along some Swiss food like Rösti [a potato dish], Zürich-style veal, and also some excellent cakes,' Steiner said, adding he had sampled many cuisines. 'I think Pakistani food is always wonderful, be it biryani or something else.' The festival, blending cultural exchange and charitable giving, continues to grow as a unique annual fixture in Islamabad's diplomatic and philanthropic calendar.
Arab News
25-05-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Moroccan, Egyptian stalls shine at Islamabad food fundraiser featuring 80 diplomatic missions
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Foreign Women's Association (IFWA) organized a food festival in the Pakistani capital on Sunday featuring cuisines from at least 28 countries and raising over Rs.2.5 million ($8,929) to support education and health care initiatives for poor Pakistani women and children. The festival, organized for the third consecutive year, was a joint project of IFWA and Serena Hotels, with 80 diplomatic missions participating. IFWA is a non-political, non-profit organization established in 1995 by the wives of ambassadors posted in Islamabad, with the aim of supporting underprivileged and disadvantaged Pakistani women and children. Dianne Hawkins, IFWA president and the wife of the Australian High Commissioner, told Arab News around Rs2.5 million had been raised at Sunday's event. 'It is our major fundraising event of the year to support the charities that IFWA supports here [in Pakistan], which are mostly focused on benefiting vulnerable communities of Pakistani society, especially women and children,' Hawkins said, adding that most of the charities IFWA supported were in the education and health sectors. Aziz Bolani, the CEO Serena Hotels, said that along with supporting underprivileged communities, the event also helped promote international cuisines and cultures through food stalls that represented countries from all around the world. 'There are real needs in Pakistan, and this is a form of diplomacy, a soft approach that brings people together,' he told Arab News. Among the most popular stalls were those set up by the embassies of Morocco and Egypt. 'Today, we are serving Moroccan chicken, Moroccan salads, and one of the main traditional dishes of Morocco, that is typically served every Friday, couscous with vegetables,' Moroccan Ambassador Mohamed Karmoune told Arab News. Homemade Moroccan breads and sweets as well as traditional tea was also available. Georg Steiner, the ambassador of Switzerland to Pakistan, said he hoped the festival would introduce more Pakistanis to Swiss food. 'We brought along some Swiss food like Rösti [potato dish], Zürich style veal, and also some excellent cakes,' he told Arab News. He said he had tasted food at many stalls and his favorites were those serving Vietnamese, Czech, and Pakistani dishes. 'I think Pakistani food is always wonderful, be it biryani or something else,' the Swiss envoy added.
