Specially-abled children of Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan join ‘Volunteer4India Equal Opportunity Marathon’ in Sportech’17
Under the aegis of The Ponty Chadha Foundation, Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan has been working with a mission to educate and prepare special people to live independently within the community, for the last 18 years. To raise awareness regarding equal opportunities to work for People with Disabilities, special children of MBCN, took part in a mini-marathon ‘Equal Opportunity Marathon’ conducted by Volunteer4India on February 26that the Sportech ’17, IIT Delhi. Volunteer4India aims at empowering the youth & students to achieve rewarding and beneficial volunteering experiences for them and the community.
The announcement of marathon and unveiling of ‘The Triumph Torch’ had taken place earlier at the 18thFoundation Day celebration of the school. The students of MBCN led the run with the Triumph Torch, which would be passed on as a bastion from campus to campus during the entire campaign, which will start from North India and culminate in South India. Participating corporates are expected to offer job opportunities for the deserving specially-abled participants.
Participating volunteers ran along with the Persons with Disabilities, helping them and describing all the fun along the way till the finish line. The run was initiated to spread awareness among corporates and colleges on the equal opportunity employability for Persons with Disabilities.
Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Vandana Sharma, Director, Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan School said, “We, at MBCN, have been trying to educate people about the special needs of People with Disabilities and their right to work. In the current scenario, despite sustained economic and job growth in past few years, only a few people with disabilities are employed. We have been trying to promote equal access to employment and this event is a part of our consistent efforts in this regard. Quoting Nelson Mandela ‘sports has the power to unite people in a way that little else does’, here we are trying to spread this important message.”
Mr. Ranjoy Dey, Co-Founder & CEO, Volunteer4India says, “The marathon aims to create a platform for awareness about the equal employment rights & opportunities for the differently-abled. During the Marathon the sheer joy of running for the able-bodied participants, paired as an ally with the differently-abled, and realising the capability and potential hidden away in their partner – is a profound experience. We are humbled & encouraged by the support & participation from MBCN and The Ponty Chadha Foundation to come forward and let their students participate in this inaugural version of the initiative.”
Set up by late Gurdeep (Ponty) Singh Chadha, MBCN is a school for special children. To educate and prepare special children to live within the community, the school was set up in 1999 with a mission to make these children self-dependent — physically, socially and financially.
