CFSI’s Philippine Programme Deputy Director Noraida Abdullah Karim is one of nine women selected to be awarded the prestigious “The Outstanding Women in Nation’s Service” (TOWNS) award for 2013.
The award, conferred every three years by the TOWNS Foundation, recognizes outstanding Filipino women who have contributed positively to strengthening national capability and in shaping the nation’s future, and who have served as catalysts for economic, social and cultural development.
Ms Abdullah Karim, a social worker, has been working with CFSI since 2001 and is responsible for managing all CFSI projects and initiatives in Mindanao, particularly for those communities affected and displaced by armed conflict. She also serves concurrently as the Project Coordinator for the Food Assistance Project, a partnership between CFSI and the World Food Programme that serves hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons throughout Mindanao.
Ms Abdullah Karim – herself a survivor of armed conflict and repeated displacement – is a strong voice in representing and advocating for uprooted populations in Mindanao, whose work helps build bridges between individuals, groups and communities. She is also active in the broader humanitarian community engaged in conflict-affected areas, taking part in a wide range of networks at the local, national, regional and global levels.
Ms Abdullah Karim’s service excellence, character and impact on the lives of displaced people were also recognized in 2007, when she received two highly prestigious awards: The Voices of Courage Award from the Women’s Commission on Refugee Women and Children, and the Social Justice and Social Change Award from the Catholic University of America.