MY FILMY DUNIYA NEWS - REPORTING BY SANTOSH SAHU (Mumbai) : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Press Release LONDON/ CHANDRAPUR, India 10 August 2014 Joint release from UNICEF and Barclays B-roll and photographs of the visit are available for download Bollywood Actress and International Recording Artist Priyanka Chopra inspires teenage girls to aim high with UNICEF Bollywood Actress, International recording Artist and UNICEF India Ambassador Priyanka Chopra met with young women in Chandrapur, India, to mark International Youth Day and to witness how their lives are being transformed through the Building Young Futures programme, which is run in partnership with Barclays. Priyanka Chopra has been supporting UNICEF’s adolescent work in India for eight years. During her visit she met young women from the Building Young Futures programme, locally known as Deepshikha, and saw how they are being empowered to help fulfil their potential. Building Young Futures is a global partnership between Barclays and UNICEF that aims to unlock the potential of young people from disadvantaged communities. Through the programme in India young women are receiving peer to peer support in developing the life, enterprise and financial skills they need to overcome the challenges they face to become strong, financially independent women as well as agents of change in their communities. This includes learning how to save, building business plans, developing their own enterprises and learning how to network as well as building confidence, understanding girl’s rights and leadership skills. In India there are around 243 million adolescents who are facing rising youth unemployment. Life can be particularly hard for young women as they face the challenges of limited economic opportunities and access to training and employment, which reinforce broader issues of discrimination, early marriage, violence and poverty. Priyanka Chopra said: “Girls have the ability to transform their own lives, develop their own enterprises and help grow India’s economy. The Building Young Futures programme being implemented by UNICEF in collaboration with Barclays is giving them the vital skills and support they need to make this happen. “I met girls who have experienced incredible hardship in their lives. Building Young Futures has given them a voice and confidence, or ‘daring’ as they call it. These girls are working together, setting up businesses, planning their futures; they are empowered to handle the challenges life throws at them. I strongly advocate that parents, care-givers and educators must give the girls more and more opportunities to grow in their lives.” In India, by 2015, Building Young Futures will have empowered around 100,000 girls and young women directly and another 200,000 girls through the programme being scaled up by the Maharashtra Human Development Commissionerate. The programme depends on UNICEF, Barclays and the Government of Maharashtra sharing their expertise. It has helped these young women to build confidence, knowledge and skills, which gives them choices and the opportunity to build sustainable livelihoods. The girls take their strength, and determination back into their communities, effecting significant change and helping to transform the wellbeing of even more women and children. Ram Gopal, Chief Operating Officer, Barclays India, said: “Barclays is committed to supporting young people to develop the skills to fulfil their potential. Through Building Young Futures, we are able to empower these young women in India, teach them that they are equal to men, and help provide them with the skills they need to become economically empowered individuals. Building Young Futures is part of our global goal to support five million young people in becoming the next generation of achievers.” Louis-George Arsenault, Representative for UNICEF India, explained: “Adolescence is an age of opportunity and UNICEF is committed to investing in young people and enabling them to transform society. The Deepshikha programme, which is currently being implemented in some districts of Maharashtra with the support of Barclays, has been extremely successful in providing girls and young women with the skills and confidence to start their own enterprises and we look forward to expanding this programme across the state and more widely in India.” Priyanka met girls including Sadhana Chaudhari, who was discriminated against by her family and had to leave school early with limited skills. Sadhana, now 23 years old, runs her own tailoring business, and is setting up a group sanitary napkin business with other girls from her village. She has become a leader in the programme, or Prerika as they are locally known, and is determined to pass what she has learnt onto other women in the community. “Joining the Building Young Futures Deepshikha programme was a turning point in my life,” says Sadhana. “The Building Young Futures/ Deepshikha programme has given me confidence and now I can support my family. I come to the training as I learn a lot from this. I cannot do anything sitting at home, so I must come out and take charge of my own destiny.” Ends Notes to Editors For further information, please contact: UNICEF India Swati Mohapatra, UNICEF Maharashtra, +91-993 023 5472, [email protected] Geetanjali Master , UNICEF India, +91-981 810 5861, [email protected] Sonia Sarkar, UNICEF India, +91-981 017 0289, [email protected] UNICEF UK Kate Wills, UNICEF UK, + 44 (0)7880 292 429/ 0044 (0)7966 935 639 [email protected] Georgina Thompson, UNICEF UK, +44 (0)207 375 6167 [email protected] About Building Young Futures Building Young Futures is a global partnership between Barclays and UNICEF, set up in 2008, that aims to unlock the potential of disadvantaged young people by providing them with the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to set up their own businesses and find work, as well as achieve a stronger economic future for themselves and their communities. The programme runs in Brazil, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Uganda and Zambia. In India Building Young Futures is locally known as Deepshikha. To find out more visit buildingyoungfutures.org The impact of Building Young Futures / Deepshikha in India to date: Over 6,000 adolescent girls started income generating activities Over 5,000 adolescent girls and facilitators joined vocational training courses Over 1,300 adolescent girls and prerikas (young women leaders) have resumed their education 1,350 Adolescent Girls Self-Help Groups formed; 1,198 of these have bank accounts These groups have generated savings worth over Rs 4.2 million (US$69,440/ GB£41,200 approx) Over 400 prerikas being elected to local self-government institutions 292 child marriages averted About UNICEF UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: unicef.org About Barclays Barclays is an international financial services provider engaged in personal banking, credit cards, corporate and investment banking and wealth management with an extensive presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. Barclays’ purpose is to help people achieve their ambitions – in the right way. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs approximately 140,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide. Barclays is committed to helping people achieve their ambitions - in the right way. As part of Barclays Citizenship strategy, it is focused on building the next generation of achievers through its 5 Million Young Futures goal. This is a commitment to invest £250m in programmes focused on supporting five million young people develop the enterprise, employability and financial skills they need to achieve their goals and become financially independent. Building Young Futures directly supports this ambition. Barclays renewed its commitment to the programme with an additional £5m investment in 2012. Barclays provides more than a financial investment, it supports the Building Young Futures partnership with its financial and business expertise, as well as the knowledge, time and skills of its employees who participate in the programme. For further information about Barclays, please visit our website barclays
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 14:14:29 +0000
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