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Women Business Council member dies in Sharjah villa fire

Sharjah - A fire broke out at the prominent Emirati family's villa this evening; other deceased include her mother and sister.

Published: Sun 23 Oct 2016, 5:09 PM

Updated: Sun 23 Oct 2016, 6:08 PM

By
Afkar Ali Ahmed

Three women from a prominent Emirati family in Sharjah died after their villa caught fire on Saturday.
Among the deceased was Ameera BinKaram (38), a pioneer for Arab women's empowerment in the region. The other deceased are her mother, Badriya Abdul Rahman, and sister, Sama.
Her brother, Khalid, was rescued and rushed to Al Qassimi Hospital, where he is recuperating. The three women died of suffocation. According to the Sharjah Civil Defence, the fire in Villa number 20 at Al Qadisiya area broke out at 4.30pm. Emergency personnel rushed to the site, and rescued Khalid, two drivers and a maid.
Colonel Sami Al Naqbi, Director-General of Sharjah Civil Defence, told Khaleej Times that firefighters reached the site within four minutes after the fire was reported. The fire was doused in 10 minutes, he said.
The fire started in the majlis and gutted all its furniture.
Heavy smoke engulfed the villa. Ameera, Badriya and Sama, who were on the first floor of the villa, suffocated to death.
The bodies have been shifted to the morgue at Al Kuwaiti Hospital.

Ameera Binkaram: A true ambassador for progressive values

Ameera Binkaram was a huge pioneer for Arab women's empowerment and leadership in the region.
With a passion for human, animal and environmental issues, she was the Chairperson of Sharjah Business Women's Council since 2010.
On October 20, Ameera attended the second 'Investing in the Future' conference in Sharjah.
Addressing the audience she said:"With the theme of the second edition of the conference 'Building the Resilience of Women and Girls in the Arab Region', we want our recommendations to become a reality on the ground. This has an obvious message of justice for women and an end to their suffering and the discrimination shown against them, but it is also vital that we nurture young women's minds and champion their rights in order to develop societies, nations and civilisations."
As Deputy Chairperson of 'Nama', a Women Advancement Establishment, launched under the directives of Her Highness Shaikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, she also passionately supported the 'Badiri' initiative - a free of cost programme for aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs in Sharjah and the UAE.
President of the Board of Trustees and a founding member of Friends of Cancer Patients Society (FoCP) that was established in 1999, Ameera was awarded the UAE's 'Humanitarian of the Year' by the Arab Women Award in 2012.
She was also elected to head the Women's Chapter for the world's oldest and largest international non-profit business association for CEOs: the CEO Clubs.
A huge ambassador of education and youth empowerment, she also served on the board of Education for Employment (EFE), a non-profit organisation dedicated to youth employment.
And in 2015, non-profit think tank, Global Thinkers Forum (GTF) announced that it selected Ameera as a member of the forum.
Speaking about the appointment, Elizabeth Filippouli, Founder and CEO of the GTF said that Ameera was selected for the role in recognition of her "outstanding efforts in strengthening the participation of Emirati women, in particular, and women in the Arab region".
She was also a member of the Olave Baden-Powell Society, which supports the mission of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), and she dedicated much of her time towards enabling girls and young women to develop their fullest potential as citizens of the world.
In 2011, Ameera also represented her country as part of the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) as a guest of the US Embassy.
Quotable quotes
Talking about women empowerment:

Supporting women's economic development is vital to ensure continuous growth in Sharjah and the Emirates. There can be no doubt that our involvement with GTF will open up the way to discuss topics that business women of the UAE and region will benefit greatly from."

Talking about women in business:

"Women have so much to contribute to the business world, which is why it is imperative that their voices be heard. At the Sharjah Business Women Council our chief aim is to help women develop to their full potential."

Talking on cancer awareness:
"World Cancer Day is an important initiative that helps highlight the challenges we are facing in tackling the global cancer burden, and what can be done about it."
Talking on the 'Badiri' initiative:

"This is a platform for women to hone their entrepreneurial skills and turn their dreams of a successful business into a reality. Women of different nationalities and from difference backgrounds will get an opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with one another along with getting support from experts in the field."