On Friday, 24th January, Asian Voice in association with EY London hosted a high-profile dinner and drinks reception to honour captains of British Asian businesses for their donations to Yuva Unstoppable at the 19th Asian Achievers Awards.
Over £200,000 was raised at the Awards gala which was held on 14th September 2019 at the Grosvenor House, Park Lane London. The Awards ceremony was attended by who's who of British society and EY has been one of the leading sponsors.
The dinner and drinks reception on 24th January once again helped raise a whopping £250,000 for Yuva Unstoppable.
An Indian charity founded by Yale graduate Amitabh Shah, Yuva Unstoppable has been instrumental in transforming the lives of over 600,000 children and 1500 schools in India by providing access to basic facilities such as better sanitation and drinking water.
Commenting at the event Zishan Nurmohammed, Head of Diversity & Inclusivity at EY said, “This event celebrates the power of giving. The concept of giving is very powerful to us, both in our workplace and personal lives.
“As a business, we at EY believe in sustainable foundations and the integration of multi-cultural communities that form the core of the UK. And for me, it is about trying to help and give that assistance to South Asians to reach the highest grades at EY. ”
The event was attended by eminent corporate personalities such as Anil Agarwal, Chairman of Vedanta Resources Limited, noted literary figure Amish Tripathi, Director of Nehru Centre UK, and others.
Speaking at the event, CB Patel, Publisher/Editor of Asian Voice/Gujarat Samachar said, “In the nearly 50 years of my publishing history here in the UK, there are a host of eminent businessmen who I am immensely grateful to. Personalities like Anil Agarwal and Amish Tripathi and several other South Asian women and men of eminence have contributed immensely to this country. And I believe that the best is yet to come.
“Philanthropy and charity are a part of life. While donating monetarily is one form of impacting communities there are several other ways as demonstrated by the work done by Amitabh.
“I am humbled and proud to state that in the last twenty years through Asian Achievers Awards we have been able to raise over £2 million for charities like Yuva Unstoppable. And with the help of philanthropists and corporate leaders like Zishan, we hope to make a bigger impact and see a change for the better within the community here in the UK and the rest of the world.”
At the drinks and dinner reception on 24th January Yuva Unstoppable made a brief video presentation to demonstrate their work in rural India. The charity also took the opportunity to thank personalities such as GP Hinduja, Lord Jeffrey Archer and Nilesh Patel of Prideview Group who have visited these schools in India.
Discussing the scope for improvement in the education system in India, Sanjay Nevatia, Director, SKN Adisors Limited said, “Not everyone can afford the privilege of education today. Whether it is in Bihar or the rest of India, there is much work to be done in the sector and I laud all of you today for contributing to causes such as Yuva Unstoppable.”
The evening concluded with a panel discussion where children from across India put forward on film their queries for Anil Agarwal and Amish Tripathi about inspirational leaders and the significance of education.
Alpa Soni was the compere for the event and Vineet Johari was the official photographer. A special vote of thanks Zishan, Mallinath Kini, Ruman Sheikh and the entire team at EY who facilitated in the success of the program. Additionally, a vote of thanks to Dr Ruth Kattumuri, Co-Director of the India Observatory at London School of Economics for her pioneering work in the field of education, skills and employability in India.
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