Jan 2019 VOSAP Newsletter – Special Edition

By Pranav Desai on January 08, 2019
Dear all,

Voice of SAP and its 5,700+ volunteers from around the globe wish you and your loved ones a very Happy and Prosperous New Year 2019! May we all be blessed with opportunities to help others.

Here is a Special Edition of VOSAP Newsletter. We had several significant events, transformation initiatives in past 2 months so lot of information that you will love to know, is included in this Special Edition. You will need more time to read this Special Edition!

Hope you will enjoy, get inspired to do what you can!

ENABLEMENT of 255 Specially Abled People

VOSAP has a huge support of NRI community who firmly believes in VOSAP strategy of Empowerment, Enablement of Specially Abled People. With donations of Los Angeles based volunteers and donors, 2 events were organized during India trip of Pranav Desai, Founder of VOSAP.

These two events of enablement held on November 19 & December 9 2018 at BPA premises were chaired as Chief Guests by the Mayor of Ahmedabad, Smt. Bijal Patel & the Chairman of Waghbakri Tea Group, Shri Piyushbhai Desai, respectively.

Dr. Bhushan Punani & the BPA team along with our highly committed, compassionate VOSAP volunteers did a splendid job of organizing these 2 events. BPA is highly respected execution partner of VOSAP in Ahmedabad, who has been serving Specially Abled People for over 4 decades now.

100 visually impaired students received smartphones, with inbuilt software. Due training on use of the software was also provided along with Jio’s SIM card.

100 sewing machines for self-employment, 53 wheelchairs (including imported customized wheelchairs) & 2 hearing aids were also distributed.

Beneficiaries were from across state of Gujarat (Vyara, Surat to Amreli, Junagadh to Patan, Mehsana, Dahod and Ahmedabad).

Series of such enablement events are planned in 2019 to enable thousands of SAP!!!

VOSAP Award Ceremony 2018

VOSAP Essay Competition found 3 winners…same age of 19 years! What a great future India has with such compassionate youth who are innovators and socially responsible!

Participants were from US, UK, Canada, Japan and India – Srinagar to Guwahati to Anjar to Bangalore to Ahmedabad with age varying from 13 to 35, background from researchers/PhD to technocrats of Silicon Valley to students in social service from Gujarat Vidyapeeth – with or without disabilities! Eminent Jury of 5 members (VOSAP appreciates their volunteer contribution despite of extremely busy schedules), rated every essay entry to arrive at top 40 contestants who further went into popularity round and volunteering work to achieve their dreams in order to be the winner!

Subjects? Fresh, futuristic on Inclusive society, Accessible city! Dreams of our youth is expressed…

This innovative, highly engaging and inspiring initiative of VOSAP was greatly appreciated by our visionary leaders, who endorsed, supported VOSAP mission and graced VOSAP Award Ceremony, delivered inspiring speeches, made key announcements and signed MoUs with VOSAP for long term transformation impact.

1. Shri O. P. Kohli ji, Governor of Gujarat
2. Dr Thaawarchaand Gehlot, Hon. Minister, Ministry of Social Just & Empowerment, Govt. of India
3. Ms Shakuntala Gamlin, Hon. Secretary, DEPwD, MSJE, Govt. of India
4. Shri Prabodh Sheth, Hon. Joint Secretary, DEPwD, MSJE, Govt. of India
5. Shri. D. N. Pandey, Hon. Commissioner of Disability, Govt. of Gujarat
6. Dr Kiritbhai Solanki ji, Hon. Member of Parliament, Loksabha (Indian Parliament)
7. Shri Ramanbhai Vora, Hon. Ex speaker of Gujarat State Assembly
8. Shri Vikrant Pandey, Hon. Collector of Ahmedabad
9. Shri Piyushbhai Desai, Chairman of Waghbakri Tea Group
10. Shri Jaimin Vasa, President of Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industries

VOSAP also thanks 700 invited guests who came to the event.

–> VOSAP volunteers are highly inspired with written message for this event from Hon. Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi.

Inspiring speeches (VDO), encouraging written messages of the leaders who graced the occasion (souvenir booklet), vivid pictures etc. are available on www.voiceofsap.org and VOSAP mobile app.

VOSAP congratulates all winners for inspiring thousands of other youth volunteers. Per suggestion from both Hon. Minister and Hon. Governor of Gujarat, VOSAP will release a book compiled of the selected essays.

This event successfully demonstrated a functional model – representatives on the dais – NRI, Corporate leader, Elected leaders, Govt officers and youth winners who came together with deep commitment of transforming India’s disability sector, creating inclusive and accessible society of 21stcentury India.

Exemplary commitment, tremendous hard work was done for last 5 months by volunteers of Ahmedabad under guidance of Shri Rohitbhai Shah and Shri Bhushan Punani ji (BPA). Ashish Deliwala, Hardip Dave, Manisha Pathak, Amit Parikh, Rajesh Jasoria, Girish Soni, Atul Soni, Jeet, Pinkesh Shah, Ashish Madhu, Ankit Parmar, Shardaben, Zakirbhai, Jeevanbhai and many others took the ownership for the success of Essay Competition and Award Ceremony.

VOSAP shares deep feeling of gratitude to Shri Piyushbhai and Waghbakri Tea Group, our event sponsor who made this event a reality. VOSAP also thanks our 40+ sponsors and Collector office of Ahmedabad, who joined our mission and ensured its success.

Advocacy with Government Leaders
Shri Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Hon Minister of Education Ministry, Govt of Gujarat
Shri Ishwarbhai Parmar, Hon minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt of Gujarat
Dr Vikrant Pandey, IAS. Collector of District of Ahmedabad took VOSAP Pledge, took ACTION!VOSAP signs 4 page MoU with District of Ahmedabad on Dec 1 2018
1. Shri Ishwarbhai, Hon Cabinet Minister, Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Govt. of Gujarat met VOSAP team for over 30 minutes and assured to do his best in expediting approval of pending disability policy & rules for Divyangjan.

He supported VOSAP along with his team of officers, who took the VOSAP pledge and gave an excellent written message for the VOSAP Award Ceremony.

2. VOSAP team met with Shri Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Hon Cabinet Minister, Education Department, Govt. of Gujarat. He was presented with 5 transformation initiatives for inclusion of Divyang students in schools and colleges to mainstream them.

Hon. Minister took very good interest and discussed plan of action, assigning SPOC from his team to connect with and take this forward. We are positively looking forward to more such meetings & working closely with Hon. Minister & his team to transform education sector for Specially Abled Students.

3. On November 19’ 2018 – Shri Vikrant Pandey, Collector (a doctor and IAS officer) with a vision, compassion & immediate actions. He understood the strategic importance and impact with VOSAP mobile app and took the VOSAP pledge.

4-page MoU was signed in the August presence of Hon’ble Central Cabinet Minister, Dr Thaawarchand Gehlot on Dec 1 2018 during the VOSAP Award Ceremony.

This is a great advancement in a partnership model at District level. Once the district transforms, the state will transform & ultimately the nation too…!

4. VOSAP also signed MoU – “Sankalp Patra” with Shri R. J. Makadia, VOSAP volunteer and Collector of District of Morbi. A special thanks to Shri R. J. Makadia, Collector of Morbi who introduced VOSAP mission to Shri Vikrant Pandey.

Advocacy with Business Leaders

1. With immense support from Shri Jaiminbhai Vasa (President of GCCI) and Shri Durgeshbhai Buch (SVP of GCCI), Shri Piyushbhai Desai (Chairman of CSR committee, GCCI), we were able to sensitize GCCI team to come together as “Event Partner” for the VOSAP Award Ceremony. This initiated a strategic, co-signed message of a collaboration between VOSAP and GCCI (Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industries) for its 4,000+ members.

500+ people from corporates and industries came for Dec 1st VOSAP Award Ceremony event and were inspired for hiring Persons with Disabilities, allocate CSR resources towards disability sector etc.

2. VOSAP Founder, Pranav Desai met Mr. Jaxay Shah (Owner of Savvy Infrastructures and President of CREDAI – Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India) wherein he was inspired to take the VOSAP pledge to take VOSAP mission, message of accessibility to 15,000 CREDAI members to include accessible infrastructure in forthcoming building designs/ architectures.

Shri Jaxay Shah pledged that “I support VoSAP mission and as a president of CREDAI, I pledge to take VOSAP mission to my 15,000 members from 204 cities of 23 state chapters of CREDAI”,

We are looking forward to an exclusive sensitization event with CREDAI, very soon.

3. 100+ NTT DATA (India) leaders and employees join mission VOSAP after joining the sensitization session and taking volunteering pledge with VOSAP app. Pranav’s meeting with NTT Data leadership team in Bangalore was very fruitful. Voice of SAP thanks to Shri Ashish Chitkara, COO who initiated to spread our VOSAP mission within the key stakeholders in the India leadership team, Vimi from Noida team & Srini from Hyderabad team who also took similar initiatives.

Such mass pledges will accelerate innovation, creation of more inclusive workforce having Empathy, much more than Sympathy. VOSAP intends to promote its program with other MNCs to adopt VOSAP app and program to drive Diversity and Inclusion Agenda with measurable outcomes.

Advocacy with Youth and Leaders with Academic Institutions

1. On 3rd December’ 2018 – International Day of PwD, Shri Pranav Desai had a great opportunity to inspire 500+ students and guests from several countries at BAOU – Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University, in an event to promote inclusive education.

A two-day international Conference by BAOU was organized under the leadership of Dr. Pankajbhai Jani (Vice Chancellor), Shri Nigam Pandya, Prof. Rana & team.

2. Shri Pranav Desai had a great chance to go back to his college after almost 27 years…for the VOSAP session. BIG thanks to Principal Shri Vadodaria, who took the VoSAP pledge last year, upgraded every building with a nice ramp & invited Pranavbhai to inspire youth at L.D. Engineering College. He has now promised to provide for at least one accessible toilet in every building.

40 new volunteers joined VOSAP during this session. NSS leader Shri Sanghvi has been a great volunteer of VOSAP and will continue to lead and engage with innovators of tomorrow through student groups & whats app groups.

3. VOSAP’s highly successful youth connect initiative of VOSAP Essay Competition, which inspired thousands of youth, was supported by eminent Jury members whom Shri Pranav Desai met during his trip to India.

1. Dr. Smt. Ushaben Upadhyay, Dean of Gujarat Vidyapeeth
2. Dr. Gaurang Jani, Professor at Gujarat University

Inspiring Stories
Guillame Feral & Mike Lomberg – two, Specially Abled Pilots took on a daring initiative to fly around the world (80,000 kms & 40 countries) in their plane. They were hosted by VOSAP Patron Shri Piyushbhai (Chairman, Waghbakri Tea Group) at Marriott hotel, Ahmedabad.

Voice of SAP volunteers Shri Nileshbhai, Shri Samirbhai organized an event to promote “Accessible Paintings” of Shri Siddhanth Shah. Pranavbhai was invited as a Chief Guest to a unique initiative to take art beyond art galleries to several untouched sections of our society.

“Antardrashti” – An Eye Within..!! Special form of paintings, wherein the colours are embossed on canvas, thus enabling any visually impaired person to feel the painting with his hands by touching the embossed portions.

Media Coverage of VOSAP Events:
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