James Kon
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has recognised Lailatul Zubaidah binti Haji Mohd Hussain, representing Brunei Darussalam, as the 216th Commonwealth Point of Light in honour of her voluntary service of providing a community platform for families with children with special educational needs.
Lailatul Zubaidah received the Queen’s Commonwealth Points of Light certificate from British High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam John Virgoe during a high tea reception hosted at his residence recently to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD).
The event, hosted outdoors and in line with the Brunei Government’s COVID-19 guidelines, was joined by guests that included inspiring women in Brunei who are game changers in their fields.
The event also saw guests sharing their experiences and discussing the IWD’s theme, #BreakTheBias.
“It was a happy coincidence that Brunei’s next Commonwealth Points of Light was announced a day before IWD, providing a perfect opportunity to celebrate both the Commonwealth Points of Light award and IWD,” said the British high commissioner.
Meanwhile, Deputy High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam Catherine Pochkhanavala-Cleeve said, “The United Kingdom (UK) has a strong reputation in standing up for women’s rights around the world. On IWD this year, we celebrate the work we have done to champion gender equality. It is also an opportunity to identify areas to work on.”
Catherine shared that the UK will be publishing a new strategy called the ‘3 Es’, setting their ambition to ‘educate girls, empower women and end violence’. The Points of Light is a prestigious honour awarded to outstanding volunteers – individuals who are making positive changes in their community.
