THUMS UP and Being Human campaign ‘VEER’ for Empowering the Differently Abled reaches a new milestone
afaqs!
Thums-Up Being Human VEER, an awareness and fundraising campaign on “Unleashing the Inner Potential of Persons with Disabilities” (PwD), culminated its first leg today with an event highlighting the journey of the campaign so far. Launched on 26th January, in partnership with CNN-IBN and American India Foundation (AIF), the campaign came about as an endeavour to create awareness on and address challenges such as inclusive education and employment, skill training and development for PwDs, and advocating for disabled-friendly technology. The campaign has raised pledges worth INR 75 Lacs towards this in the first leg.
The event portrayed stories of several inspirational people who have achieved tremendous success through their hard work and determination, overcoming physical disabilities. These included famed Bharatnatyam and Kathak Dancer and well-known actress Sudha Chandran; paraplegic swimmer Prasanta Karmakar who won a bronze medal at the 2010 Commonwealth games; Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi former Director General of Military Operations and Vice Chief of Army Staff who lost his right leg in the Indo-Pak War in 1965 but chose to soldier on in his regiment — the Maratha Light Infantry and Sminu Jindal, MD of Jindal SAW Ltd. who today leads India’s biggest producer of steel pipes with an annual turnover of $1 billion, despite being wheelchair bound since age 11.
Several challenges being faced by the community and opportunities available for differently abled were brought to light interaction with Actor Salman Khan with leaders from different fields including NGOs, Business Houses, entrepreneurs, sportspersons and others. Several celebrities join in to offer their support to the campaign. The stakeholders came together to recognize the potential amongst the differently abled and how can they all come together to unleash this potential.
Mr. Salman Khan on behalf of Being Human foundation, said, “We started the Thums Up-Being Human Veer initiative to help empower the differently abled by providing them with the right set of skills. This initiative will help over 1000 people with disabilities find employment. We thank everyone involved, for their support.”
Taking forward Thums Up’s toofani philosophy of unleashing the potential within, Campaign VEER has been reaching out to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) with skill training and employment opportunities and giving a voice to their achievements. Over the last 2-months, the initiative has showcased stories of several Veers who have achieved unparalleled success in their endeavors through a combination of hard work and application of their abilities to the best possible extent.
Debabrata Mukherjee, VP-Marketing & Commercial, Coca-Cola India said, “The brand Thums Up has always believed that heroes are made and not born. We all have the potential to be a hero; it’s just about unleashing that spirit within. Campaign VEER was launched with the same motive to offer people with disabilities a platform to unleash their potential. With support from our partners and donors, I am sure that we will be able to reach out to millions more across India.”
Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-chief, IBN Network, said, “Every person who has joined and contributed to this initiative has brought a unique strength to it. I believe that people will continue to show support to this campaign and help us cross more milestones.”
Veer has drawn support from people from all walks of life and the stories showcased have touched people across India, many of whom have come forward to support the cause. Donors who have pledged for the campaign include British Asian Trust (BAT) (20,000 pounds), RAGE Frameworks (Rs. 7, 50,000), American India Foundation (AIF) (Rs. 10, 00,000), Coca-Cola India (Rs 20, 00,000) and several individual donors who have contributed nearly INR 10 lacs towards the cause. The series also highlighted detailed discussions on issues related to disability, which have spread nationwide awareness about this cause.
Dr. Hemanth Paul, Country Director, AIF, said, “AIF has always believed in bringing national causes to the forefront of social consciousness and encourages members of society to become active contributors to the cause. It feels wonderful to be able to make meaningful difference in the lives of individuals. We believe AIF carries the dreams and hope of not just the 1000 VEERs but of society who has placed their trust in us. On behalf of AIF, I take this opportunity to thank Thums Up and Being Human and Network 18 for launching this initiative and all those who have helped us reach this milestone. We hope this initiative will grow from strength to strength”
About Campaign VEER
VEER was launched as a collaborative initiative between Thums Up, India’s most iconic soft drink brand, and Salman Khan’s Being Human Foundation, with CNN-IBN and the American Indian Foundation. The campaign has the following goals:
* To help people change their lens in the way they look at differently abled people and realize the huge talent and potential waiting to be unleashed
* To celebrate extraordinary stories of successful people with disabilities and inspire others like them to unleash their true potential
* To demonstrate possibilities, engage stakeholders and raise funds to help American India Foundation provide training to at least 1,000 people with disabilities to make them employable
The campaign was started with the aim of reaching out to more than 1,000 Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) with skill training and employment opportunities and raise advocacy on issues revolving around inclusiveness, employability of PwDs and workplace accessibility
Stories of 100 Persons with Disabilities (PwD), who have succeeded in their respective endeavors on the strength of their self-belief, despite environmental and attitudinal barriers, have been showcased through a 2-month long media campaign.
VEER will address challenges such as inclusive education and employment, skill training and development, and advocating for disabled-friendly technology. Panel discussions with participation from the who’s who from government, corporate, NGOs, policy makers/ think tanks and donors of the campaign are being held to discuss on the way forward to empower the ‘specially-abled’ of the country. Key takeaways from these discussions would be compiled into a ‘Vision Document’ and presented to the government.
VEER aims to sensitize 100 corporates to the issues facing Persons with Disabilities vis-à-vis employability, work place rights, attitudes etc.
