Srinagar: Valley’s renowned social activist Qurat ul-Ain Masoodi joined Apni Party on Tuesday in an impressive event organized at the party headquarter in Srinagar.
On this occasion, Party Present Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, Senior Vice President Ghulam Hassan Mir, Vice President Zaffar Iqbal Manhas, General Secretary Rafi Ahmad Mir, Chairman DDC Srinagar Malik Aftab, Media Advisor Farooq Andrabi, State Secretary and District President Badgam Muntazir Mohiuddin, District President Kupwara Raja Manzoor, Provincial President of Party’s women wing Dilshada Shaheen, Provincial Secretary women’s wing Afrooza Ji, Vice District President Srinagar Aijaz Rather and others were present. All the leaders gave a warm reception to Qurat-ul-Ain Masoodi into the party fold.
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According to a press statement issued here, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari while giving a warm welcome to the veteran social activist into the party fold said, “I along with the entire party leadership welcome Qurat-ul-Ain Masoodi ji into the party fold. She has been contributing to society for the past more than one and a half decades. It is pleasant to see such a brave and respected person in the Apni Party.”
He added, “I am sure Qurat-ul-Ain Masoodi will continue her social service even after joining the party and I assure her that the entire party leadership will fully support her when she is out there to serve the people. I wholeheartedly welcome her into Apni Party.”
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Pertinently, Qurat ul-Ain Masoodi (36), a renowned social activist in Kashmir, has been working tirelessly for the past more than 15 years across the Valley. She is widely acclaimed for her contribution to society, especially for her work for women’s empowerment and upliftment of the downtrodden population, especially in rural areas.
Ancestrally from south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, Qurat is living in Srinagar, where she had her schooling in one of the reputed missionary schools. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Work (BSW) and a master’s degree in the field of social work (MSW).
Qurat has been working for the successful implementation of Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) programmes in the Valley for quite a long time, and she is mainly focusing on the well-being of orphans.
In 2011, she founded AASH – Hope of Kashmir, one of the most vibrant voluntary organizations that work for underprivileged children and women in the Valley. Also, the AASH extensively contributed to helping the girls, who were vulnerable to mental health issues.
Furthermore, the NGO, during the past few years, has successfully solemnized weddings of 300 couples at mass marriages, an initiative that was praised by one and all in society.
Although the founder chairperson of AASH has never endorsed the concept of creating orphanages in the Valley, she, over the years, worked for several orphanages to ensure that vulnerable children are taken care of.
She was the first one who conducted research to gauge the mental health vulnerability of the kids living in orphanages. During the process of her research, she found that the unconducive environment of one of the orphanages was causing mental health issues to its inhabitant kids. Then she ensured the closure of the orphanage by the authorities.
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In January 2018, she started a scholarship programme for orphaned —offering free education, meals, books, and uniforms to 50 kids.
While recognizing her contribution to society, Qurat was selected for the Acumen Fellowship Program in India for the year 2021.
Her contribution to society has been acknowledged by several reputed media organizations in the country. For instance, ‘India Today’ listed her among the 15 most courageous women of India, while ‘Hindustan Times’ awarded her under its ‘Top 30 under 30’ programme.
