[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 134 (Thursday, December 7, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2112]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO THE SHARE AND CARE FOUNDATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 6, 2006

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Share and Care 
Foundation for their charitable work in India. Their annual gala was 
recently held at the New Jersey Performing Art Center in Newark, New 
Jersey on Saturday, November 4th. I was pleased to attend that evening. 
This event marked the kickoff of their forthcoming Silver Jubilee of 
helping the challenged, especially women and children, in the fields of 
education, improving healthcare and social uplifting. They have also 
worked in emergency situations like earthquakes, floods, the tsunami, 
and September 11, etc. The majority of their work is carried out by 
volunteers who are professionals or entrepreneurs.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to specially commend Dr. Ketki Shah who has 
been closely involved with the Share and Care Foundation. Dr. Shah, a 
Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, is an 
experienced Psychiatrist with specializations in Psychopharmacology and 
Addiction Psychiatry. She is a low keyed humanitarian with the sole 
purpose of helping people who need help. She attended a global women's 
conference in Geneva to promote peace in the world. Her work including 
field visits during emergencies like earthquakes and the 2004 tsunami 
are remarkable. Her work as a chairperson of the medical committee is 
directly correlated with over ten million dollars of medical equipment 
and medical supplies that have been sent to India. This has generated 
tremendous benefit, especially for the people who are challenged and 
need our attention. She has demonstrated that excess and unuseful 
resources of one society can be diverted for the betterment of another 
society.
  Dr. Ketki Shah's selfless work has earned the goodwill of many, 
especially those who are also involved in humanitarian work. This year, 
humanitarian Shabana Azmi and her husband Javed Akhtar appeared on 
stage in a riveting performance that highlighted the career of 
Shabana's father, a renowned poet and a freedom fighter. Shabana Azmi, 
leading star of Indian Cinema, is an outstanding social activist, a 
passionate advocate of human rights, and a prominent humanitarian. Her 
work in each of the areas has been exceptional and has earned her a 
long list of awards, recognitions and medals including Padma Shri, one 
of the prestigious recognitions in India.

  She was one of the sixteen women to whom tributes were paid by 
President Mitterrand of France in 1989 on Bicentenary celebrations of 
International Human Rights. In 1993, she was invited to Cape Town to 
present ``The News maker of the year award'' to President Nelson 
Mandela. She has been appointed the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador 
on Population and Development. She was selected to Rajya Sabha by the 
President of India. On October 26, 2006, she was the first Indian to 
receive a prestigious Gandhi Peace award presented at the House of 
Commons, London. Previous recipients of this award include Nobel 
Laureates: Honorable Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
  She had lead march of 4 days for communal harmony from Delhi to 
Meerut. Her heart goes to the economically challenged for whom she 
undertook a 5 day hunger strike and as a Chairman of Nivara Hakk, she 
has managed to get alternative land for slum dwellers. Her struggle for 
the poor in India has now resulted in the construction of 30,000 homes 
under a tripartite agreement among charities, a private builder and the 
Maharashtra government.
  She has also addressed several Universities in the USA, such as 
Harvard, Columbia, Berkeley, and MIT, for the need to relate communal 
harmony to issues of social justices.
  Shabana thrived and expanded the project ``Mijwan Welfare Society'' 
started by her father in Mijwan, a small ``challenged village'' in 
Uttar Pradesh, India where emphasis is placed on education and 
empowerment of women. We are extremely pleased to join hands with 
Shabana in this project to make a difference in one of the poorest 
regions with a very high infant mortality rate and birth rates, low 
female literacy and near absence of health and sanitation facilities. 
They have started 2 computer training schools, training center and 
``Sewa''; embroidery projects for women.
  Shabana's accomplishments are countless and extremely commendable, 
however, her dedication to humanity is what makes her a special 
individual.
  Mr. Speaker, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar and Dr. Ketki Shah are all 
very special individuals who have made a remarkable difference in the 
global community. Together they have realized the benefits of 
volunteerism and self-help.

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