ITV

Tag: NGO

  • Al Jazeera follows the health heroes fighting leprosy in India

    Al Jazeera follows the health heroes fighting leprosy in India

    MUMBAI: Al Jazeera English follows the work of health heroes fighting against the most neglected disease across India in the documentary Ancient Enemy, part of the groundbreaking eight-part series ‘Lifelines, The Quest for Global Health’.

     
    Leprosy is the world’s oldest recorded disease and still persists despite being officially ‘eliminated’ in 2005. The stigma remains a major obstacle to early diagnosis and treatment of this curable disease.

     
    The series will go after people diagnosed and meet those who untreated and now live with the disease forever. From health workers and counsellors, to surgeons and shoe makers; from people who live in leprosy colonies to those who demand more from the Indian government – there is still work being done to support people with leprosy in the poorest regions of India.

     
    The episode follows health hero, Rajni Kant Singh, state coordinator for a leading NGO, as he forges dramatic breakthroughs while tackling the conditions that afflict poor people. “Since Leprosy was declared ‘eliminated’ in India in 2005 it has slipped off the agenda and resources have dried up. Yet the disease persists in India, with some 130 000 new cases a year. These patients need help with diagnosis, treatment and often social and psychological support too”, said Singh.

     
    “Whether through low tech ingenuity, community commitment or the best that modern medical science can offer, these are stories of people, passion and persistence in the triumph of humanity over unbearable suffering. Al Jazeera English believes in keeping people at the core of everything we do. We challenge and empower by telling stories without prejudice, in the most authentic way possible as we believe everyone has a story worth hearing”, says Al Jazeera English award winning Director Brian Tilley.

     
    The episode showcases the work of inspiring people on the frontline of public health and hearing their stories of the dramatic breakthroughs against the disease and its conditions that keep millions of people in poverty.

     
    Tune into Al Jazeera on Dish TV 618 and Tata Sky Channel 533 to catch the premiere of Ancient Enemy on Friday, May 23, 05 30 PM IST

  • Akanksha, O&M ‘force’ celebs to help for free

    Akanksha, O&M ‘force’ celebs to help for free

    MUMBAI: If you are an organisation in desperate need of a service but don’t have the money to put out an advertisement, what do you do? Well, just let the advertising agency do the talking!

    That’s what NGO Akanksha did when it could no longer wait for teachers for the underprivileged kids under its care and protection.

    Akanksha’s brief to Ogilvy & Mather was clear: “The organisation does not have money for advertising, but it needs to reach out to thousands of people and tell them we need teachers, because when that happens, the teacher applications will go up.”

    O&M lost no time in getting onto the job at hand and the result was ‘Message Barter’, a ‘smart yet sweet’ way of getting celebrities to help these children without spending a rupee. “The insight was that you cannot say no to a child, especially when a child does you a favour and asks for one in return. You just can’t refuse! So in a way, we actually ‘forced’ the celebrities to help us,” says O&M associate CD Jigar Fernandes.

    “Another very, very important guiding point is that when you meet the kids from Akanksha, they are so intelligent, well spoken, street smart and always up for fun. I can guarantee you that if you do not know of their backgrounds, you would never guess, where they come from. So yes, the idea had to reflect the smartness and cheeky attitude of these cool kids.”

    A video was filmed with Hrithik Roshan being ‘forced’ to ask his fans to apply as teachers with Akanksha in return for services rendered by the kids – promoting the actor’s film Krrish 3 outside theatres and on streets. Similarly, Farhan Akhtar and Chetan Bhagat among other celebrities, and social media influencers featured in the video. The video was then mailed to the celebrities. Luckily, the Bollywood brigade jumped into the fray and through their facebook pages and twitter handles, urged people to not only watch the video but also apply for the job of teacher at Akanksha.

    Akanksha authorities were rendered speechless when traffic on the NGO’s official website (www.akanksha.org) increased four-fold and teachers’ applications witnessed a 160 per cent rise.

    “We didn’t set ourselves any target because this was a very new and unexplored experiment. In the end, it worked,” says Fernandes, proudly. A 10 member team worked on the campaign and took almost a month to execute it. Akanksha too was involved in the process; the NGO’s Chitra Pandit and Nupur Bhargava believed in the idea and were part of it from the scratch itself.

    The digital space was chosen as the destination as Akanksha’s target audience is largely urban educated youth which is most likely to be on social networks.

    The first-of-its-kind campaign, not only wooed celebs and helped the organisation, but it also won the agency the interactive award by BestAdsOnTV.com.

    Click here to watch the video

     

  • ‘Innovating for a Better Tomorrow’ with Brahmos Aerospace & Akshaya Patra

    ‘Innovating for a Better Tomorrow’ with Brahmos Aerospace & Akshaya Patra

    MUMBAI: CNN-IBN, in partnership with Infosys, is all set to bring to the fore exemplary innovations that have not only transformed the lives of millions of Indians but have also left indelible impressions globally. The exclusive nine-episode series ‘Innovating for a Better Tomorrow’ will showcase innovations with significant business and social impact.

    The fifth episode of the series will feature Brahmos Aerospace, which developed BrahMos, the world’s first supersonic cruise missile that can be maneuvered while still in flight, and Akshaya Patra, that runs school lunch programs across India. The NGO distributes freshly cooked, healthy meals daily to almost 1.3 million underprivileged children in 9,000 government schools through 20 locations in nine states.

    Don’t miss the special episode on Saturday, March 15, at 7:30 PM, with a repeat telecast on Sunday, March 16, at 12:30 PM & 7:30 PM, on CNN-IBN; and on Sunday, March 16, at 3.00 PM, on CNBC-TV18.

  • ‘Innovating for a Better Tomorrow’ with Pratham & Cipla

    ‘Innovating for a Better Tomorrow’ with Pratham & Cipla

    MUMBAI: CNN-IBN, in partnership with Infosys, is all set to bring to the fore exemplary innovations that have not only transformed the lives of millions of Indians but have also left indelible impressions globally. The exclusive nine-episode series ‘Innovating for a Better Tomorrow’ will showcase innovations with significant business and social impact.

    The third episode of the series will feature Pratham, an NGO that works to provide quality education to underprivileged children in India, and Cipla, a world leader in the generic drug market that makes life-saving drugs available to those who need it the most, at an affordable cost.

    Don’t miss the special episode on Saturday, March 1, at 7:30 PM, with a repeat telecast on Sunday, March 2, at 12:30 PM & 7:30 PM, on CNN-IBN; and on Sunday, March 2, at 4:30 PM, on CNBC-TV18.

     

  • Curry-Nation reaches out to underprivileged kids

    Curry-Nation reaches out to underprivileged kids

    MUMBAI: Curry-Nation founder Priti Nair has been involved with various charity organizations and NGOs for nearly two decades now; one of them being Masoom, which is run by her cousin and works for night schools for the underprivileged.

     

    For Masoom, Nair and team have created a couple of notable advertising campaigns; the most recent one involving the use of glow-in-the-dark technology.

     

    As part of the campaign, posters, direct mailers including calendars and Diwali greeting cards, and three press ads were designed using radium ink which is visible only in the dark.

     

    The posters were strategically placed at editing studios and production houses while calendars and greeting cards were sent out to potential patrons. The press ads featured historic events that happened during the day such as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the Dandi March and the encounter between Shivaji Maharaj and Afzal Khan.

     

    The posters, direct mailers and press ads were visible only in darkness, appearing blank in daylight; thus sending out the idea of a night school brilliantly.

     

    Nair believes people in the advertising fraternity have enough to spare monetarily, both at an individual as well as collective level. “We often get a little laid back in our every day work lives. All we need is a little push. These posters act as reminders,” she says, stressing that charity needs to become a part of people’s life.

     

    Curry-Nation’s previous campaign for Masoom – Bhagwaan tera bhala kare – was also well received.

     

    Tiffin boxes painted by underprivileged children were sent out to each and every ad agency in Mumbai, urging staff to donate some amount every day. Once the dabba was full, it was up to every agency to decide the social cause the contribution would go toward. An official facebook page was launched at https://www.facebook.com/Bhagawanterabhalakarein where companies could place requests for tiffin boxes and posters for their offices.

     

    “The response we got from people when we sent out the dabbas was overwhelming but obviously, we cannot monitor how well they are implementing it. At the very least, we hope that if someone doesn’t want loose change in his/her wallet, he/she will put it in the dabba!” Nair recalls.

     

    More importantly, Nair and Co. have done most of these campaigns free-of-charge. “Most of our work is done for free, but there are a few NGOs which keep aside money for advertising. For them, we charge whatever they can afford,” says Nair.

     

    Apart from Curry-Nation, other agencies too have taken similar initiatives. Nair gives the examples of ‘Balbir Pasha ko AIDS hoga kya?’ and ‘Bell Bajao’ as campaigns that made a difference. ‘Balbir Pasha…’ was part of PSI’s Operation Lighthouse Project, conceptualised by Lowe nearly a decade ago with her as creative director. Whereas ‘Bell Bajao’, launched in 2008 and conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather, called upon men around the world to take a stand and promise to end violence against women.

     

    Coming back to Curry-Nation, Nair is proud about the fact that the agency she launched right from scratch with just a five-member team will complete three years on the Valentine Day (14 February). To commemorate the occasion, she, along with her core team, plan to launch a book on their journey thus far. While she isn’t too happy with the rate at which they are growing, she says her happiness quotient has reached 100%.

     

    “Because of the poor rate of economic growth, business has slowed down as people have become very conscious and have been cutting down on budgets. Hopefully, the situation will change for the better,” she signs off.

  • SES, SpeedCast and AsiaSat come together to help Typhoon Haiyan survivors

    SES, SpeedCast and AsiaSat come together to help Typhoon Haiyan survivors

    MUMBAI: SES S.A. (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG), SpeedCast, a leading satellite telecommunications service provider in Asia-Pacific, and AsiaSat, a commercial operator of communication spacecraft, have donated satellite and service capacity to enable NetHope, a consortium of 41 non-governmental organisations around the globe, to re-establish communication links to survivors of Typhoon Haiyan that killed at least 6,069 people in that country alone earlier in November 2013.

    Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines was an exceptionally powerful tropical cyclone that devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines. It is said to be the deadliest Philippine typhoon on record.

    By utilising the satellite capacity donated by SES and the uplink services and ground infrastructure provided by SpeedCast and AsiaSat, NetHope will be able to provide Typhoon Haiyan survivors access to information directly. The services and infrastructure will also support a number of other relief agencies and NGOs working in-country. 

    “Damage to critical telecommunications infrastructure has made disaster relief and rapid assessment of the situation difficult. Given that it may be weeks or months before terrestrial infrastructure is up and running, satellite connectivity is vital in providing immediate communication needs. SES is pleased to donate satellite capacity to support the people of the Philippines during their recovery from this terrible disaster,” said senior vice president, Commercial Americas at SES Elias Zaccack.

    SES is the world’s leading satellite operator with a fleet of 55 geostationary satellites. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators and business and governmental organisations worldwide.

    “SpeedCast, SES and AsiaSat are providing vital aid directly to the areas that need it most with the help of NetHope. Since the Typhoon hit and we activated our response services, NetHope is now able to assist the relief efforts with communication services that can reach the most remote parts of the country,” said CEO of SpeedCast Pierre-Jean Beylier.

    “AsiaSat is pleased to take part in this initiative by offering uplink services from our Tai Po Earth Station. This effort in cooperation with our partners, will establish communication links needed to assist Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts in the Philippines,” remarked AsiaSat president and chief executive officer William Wade.

    The GVF’s Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Response Programs helped to facilitate this combined industry response to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. For more information, please refer to the press release attached. If you would like to speak to an SES spokesperson, please let me know.

  • Meet with the lead cast of CID through a Charity Auction on eBay India

    Meet with the lead cast of CID through a Charity Auction on eBay India

    MUMBAI: eBay India (www.ebay.in), India’s largest eCommerce marketplace has come together with NGO, Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA) to host a charity auction which will commence from 26th November 2013 and ends on 2nd December 2013 on eBay India (www.ebay.in), where winner will get a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet with the lead cast of the popular TV show, CID.

    Commenting on this partnership, Deepa Thomas, eCommerce Evangelist, eBay India said, “eBay for Charity is a platform for credible non-profits to raise funds by the sale of products or auction of celebrity experiences. We are happy to partner CMCA and help them to raise funds for their innovative programmes to instil civic awareness and values of active citizenship amongst children and youth. We hope fans of the show will come forward and actively participate in this auction.”

    Ms Vinodini Lulla, Trustee, CMCA, said, “We urge fans of the show to participate in the auction, and help raise money for a noble cause. At CMCA, we focus on encouraging junior citizens to stand up for their Rights and secure their Responsibilities. Our CMCA students have shown us that an aware and empowered child has the power to bring about an improvement in the quality of life of an entire school and community!”

    The proceeds of the auction will go towards the rural and urban government school program of CMCA. The meeting of the winner with the lead cast of the show CID is likely to be held between December 2013 – January 2014 in Mumbai.

  • Video on child prostitution goes viral

    Video on child prostitution goes viral

    MUMBAI: The truth, as they say, is stranger than fiction. So strange that often society chooses to look the other way despite knowing it.

    For instance, how many of us know that over 1.26 lakh cases of child trafficking were registered in India during 2011-12 or the fact that nearly forty girls under the age of fifteen are forced into prostitution every day in this country?

    And so we have a new video uploaded to YouTube by Delhi-based NGO, Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), in collaboration with PaapiPet Pictures, which sends out a clear message to people, urging them not to ignore the inhuman things happening to innocent children around them.  
    Watch the video: #dontlookaway

    Aptly titled ‘Don’t look away’, the video, brings to the fore the grim reality of the flesh trade, and has gone viral, garnering a staggering 595,921 views within days of being uploaded.

    ‘Don’t look away’ rolls with a little girl, nicely dressed, standing by a busy road. The street is dark with just the traffic lights; evidently, it’s late in the evening. An old tailor eyes the girl from his shop across the street even as she fidgets, throwing nervous glances all around.

    While viewers are left guessing what next, she simply crosses the road and walks towards a car parked at the corner. She turns back to look at the old tailor and he just nods. The girl enters the car and the camera pans to the middle-aged man at the driving seat. An evil smile on his face, he tries to give her a chocolate which she isn’t too keen about receiving. The man then keeps the chocolate on her thighs… and his hands follow suit…

    BBA hopes that after watching this video, viewers won’t look away the next time they see something like this. According to Rajesh Sengar of BBA, the film is but a small effort to send across a message of righteousness. “One shouldn’t look away. In the last 33 years that we have been working for the cause, we have rescued 82,000 kids,” says he.

    The video is directed by Jaydeep Sarkar, who drew inspiration from two different personal experiences. The first instance, which he regrets he ignored which happened while he was stuck in a traffic jam at the Andheri highway. “I saw a little girl crossing the road, her eyes seeking help and still, I couldn’t do anything as I was stuck in traffic and helpless. Those eyes kept haunting me for days,” he recalls.

    The second incident – something a close relative experienced – which moved him deeply. “This couple had rescued a small girl in her early teenage years from the clutch of the sex business. They anticipated that something really wrong was cooking up in their neighbour’s house and when they dug deep, it was this horrific case that they discovered,” says Sarkar, who discovered while making the film that people don’t really want to be associated with such murky issues.

    Sarkar says they struggled even with finding a good song for the video as no music composer worth his melody wanted to be associated with a video on child-trafficking. “However, my producer Rheyan Johari made me listen to a song, These Streets by Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini, which not just touched my heart but also reflected the theme of the movie. We wrote to Warner Music, London that released the album and we soon got a go-ahead,” says Sarkar, concluding on the note the cause would find supporters not just in India but abroad as well.

  • Chevrolet India gets philanthropic

    Chevrolet India gets philanthropic

    MUMBAI: To reach out to the less fortunate children in India, Chevrolet India as a part of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) mission of “Driving a Better Tomorrow” along with One World Futbol Project recently announced the donation and delivery of 20,000 footballs to marginalised and underprivileged children in India, especially those who cannot afford and maintain a football.

    The unique initiative kicked off with the donation of 91 footballs to Sankalp School in Gurgaon — a school for underprivileged children, run by Gurgaon-based NGO Sankalp Welfare Society.

    “Many of these children are growing up in less privileged circumstances where sometimes a game of football could lighten up their lives by teaching them the true meaning of team spirit and fair play,” said, GM India president and MD Lowell Paddock.

     “The joy that comes from playing football can help lift their spirits and replace despair with hope. Chevrolet’s founding sponsorship of One World Futbol Project is intended to spark a worldwide movement to give children a pathway out of poverty and despair with the benefits that fitness, sport and teamwork can bring – something we call the ‘Power of Play’,” added Paddock.

    “It’s our pleasure to work with Chevrolet India to support the donation and delivery of One World Futbols — first to Sankalp School and then throughout the rest of India with Slum Soccer,” said One World Futbol Project CEO Arnold Ambiel. “The spirit of this joint collaboration will allow us to bring the power of play to more children throughout India than any of us could have done alone. And seeing the joy on the children’s faces on Children’s Day makes all these efforts worthwhile.”

  • Discovery channel partners Chaupal marathon in sonepat to encourage healthy living

    Discovery channel partners Chaupal marathon in sonepat to encourage healthy living

    MUMBAI: Discovery Channelin association with Chaupal, a non-government organisation is organising the 3rdChaupal Marathon to be held on Sunday, November 17 at Sonepat, Haryana. Themarathon aims to encourage people to imbibe principles of good health and hygiene, protect the environment for better living and fight against social evils like female foeticide.

    Discovery Channel will support the initiative of Chaupal, an internationally recognised non-governmental organisation (NGO) run by health professionals (www.chaupalindia.org) to organise the Chapual Marathon. In its 3rd year, Chaupal Marathon is an effort to raise awareness amongst rural people of Haryana on various issues related to general health, hygiene and to promote wellbeing awareness. The theme of this year’s marathon is “drive carefully to secure families”, aiming to spread consciousness about road traffic accidents which are amongst the major causes of morbidities and mortalities in India, adding financial burden on the families and the health care system. In its previous year, Discovery Channel supported Chaupal Marathon on issues such as the health of the girl child, empowerment of women, and an end to female foeticide.

    The race will commence on Sunday, November 17 at 7:30 am from Murthal University (DeenBandhuChotu Ram University) and end at the Chaupal Health Center in village Banyapur, Sonepat, covering a total distance of 12 kms. Approximately ten thousand runners from North India, including national and international athletes are expected to participate in the marathon. Leading personalities like Dr.KiranBedi (IPS);Ms.Jaya Prada, Member Parliament & former actress; and Olympics wrestler Sushil Kumar are expected to participate in the marathon. A cash price of Rs. 41,000 will be awarded to the runner placing first in the open race. Many other cash awards will be given to the winners in different race categories.

    Commenting on Discovery Channel’s association with Chaupal, Rahul Johri, Senior Vice President and General Manager – South Asia and Head of Revenue, Pan-Regional Ad Sales and Southeast Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacificsaid, “Discovery Channel is committed to making a difference in the lives of people, be it through its programming or socially relevant events. The channel in collaboration with Chaupalstrives to bring awareness amongst people towards a healthy and better social environment.”

    Dr. Rajinder Singh Tonk, Chairperson of Chaupal and eminent physician, said, “Chaupal has been working tirelessly to provide healthy living and medical benefits to people thorough community outreach camps, mobile clinics and health centers. An annual event, the ChaupalMarathon is an initiative to raise awareness on healthy living. We are thankful to Discovery Channel for their continued participation in this initiative.”