Muscat Daily
30 June 2012

The Women’s Guild in Oman (WGO) donated a 26-seater bus to the Muscat Autism Center at a recent handing over ceremony held at the centre’s premises in Azaiba.

Sally Sleep, WGO president, told Muscat Daily that the money raised by WGO’s 2011 Crystal Ball was used to purchase the bus. “We try to find something suitable every year, and we are especially drawn to charities that better the lives of women and children,” she said.

“Even though the proceeds from every event we hold is plowed back into charities, the Crystal Ball is the biggest in our calendar, both in terms of attendance and funds raised. We choose the charity carefully and we also avoid donating cash to make sure nothing is lost through bureaucracy,” she added.

Sunaina S Ahluwalia, Crystal Ball committee member and WGO publicity coordinator, said their efforts to raise funds and give back to the community are visible.

“WGO has 2,100 members from 88 countries, and we are proud to be giving back to the community.

“We chose Muscat Autism Center over others this year because we were moved by their lack of funds,” Sunaina said.

Mashaer Shamshan, the centre’s director, said, “This much-needed bus will transport people to and from our centre for many years to come. Everyone here is very grateful to WGO.”