Che Zahara binte Noor Mohamed

Che Zahara binte Noor Mohamed (nicknamed Che Zahara Kaum Ibu; 1907–1962) was a Malay activist who worked towards women's and children's rights in Singapore. She was one of the first Malay women in Singapore to fight for modern women's rights, according to journalist, Hajah Halizah Mohd Som. Che Zahara is the founder of the first Muslim women's welfare organization in Singapore, the Malay Women's Welfare Association (MWWA). Over the course of thirteen years, she "looked after over 300 women and orphans regardless of race or religion."

Biography

Che Zahara was born into an "illustrious family in Singapore". MWWA attracted eighty members, about fifty of which were teachers almost immediately after its founding. In addition, she fought for husbands to pay alimony to divorced wives until she remarried. Another initiative that Che Zahara supported was to encourage women to give blood in order to help the Singapore Hospital meet demands for blood transfusions.

After the Singapore Council of Women (SCW) was founded in 1952, Che Zahara had a "wider network and more resources available to the MWWA." In 1955, she represented Singapore at the World Congress of Mothers in Switzerland. In 1961, Che Zahara, along with the SCW, helped establish the Women's Charter of Singapore.

Che Zahara was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame in 2014.