Small charities pioneering large social causes

Priyanka Mehta Monday 20th May 2019 11:30 EDT
 

Brexit, funding cuts by the Tory Government and a dip in public interest following the likes of Oxfam scandal and the controversy surrounding Comic Relief has resulted in some small charities scrambling to receive donations and have been bearing the brunt of the mishandlings of large umbrella organisations. It is at the heart of this crises that the fourth Asian Voice Charity Awards hosted on 17th May at the Hilton Park Lane recognised and celebrated the contribution that small charities have been making in pioneering causes around increasing knife crime, homelessness, substance abuse in the Asian community, among others.

“Charity occupies a central role in the Asian community. It is ingrained deep in our culture and often expressed in our faith. Whether it's Hindus doing 'sewa', Muslims giving 'zakat'or Sikh Gurdwars practicing 'langar'. In fact the amount British Asians donate is an indicative of the huge contributions we make to the vital success of our city,” said Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

The charities were honoured in the eminent presence of Lord Loomba CBE, widely known for being the brainchild behind International Widows Day which is recognised by the United Nations. The Loomba Foundation has been fighting for widow's rights in developing countries for over 20 years. Other members included Lord Dholakia, Lady Anne Dholakia, Lord Rumi Verjee CBE, Baroness Usha Prashar, journalist Rupert Morris, actor Nitin Ganatra. While the judges panel for the awards included Jonathan Townsend, Chief Executive of Prince's Trust International, Abhishek Sachdev of Vedanta Hedging Limited and Subhash Thakrar, Chairman of Charity Clarity.

Leading from the front and tackling knife crime: Mayor of London

“While I am convinced London is the best city in the world, I am also not blind to the reality of the problems of this city and charities have an important role to play in filling in the gaps in the social safety net in recent years,” he said.

“Violent crime is on the rise across the country, including in London. As Mayor, I am determined to lead from the front when it comes to tackling this issue. We are focussing both on arresting the violent offenders as well as addressing the reported of violent crimes. The crucial part of this is bringing together police, health services, charities and the community groups and from preventing people from getting sucked into a life of violent crimes in the first place; giving our young people constructive activities and opportunities to focus on…" Khan emphasized while praising Asian Voice and its editor CB Patel for championing such causes.

Asian Voice has been running a series of articles on engaging with youth clubs and community centres to tackle the epidemic of knife crime, homelessness and domestic abuse as a consequence of substance abuse. According to Sian Berry’s report 'London’s Lost Youth Services 2019', there has a 46% cut in the budget for tackling knife crime since 2011-12. This report was prepared by analysing data supplied through Freedom of Information by 26 of the 32 boroughs of London. Additionally, analysis by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on knife crime had found cuts to youth spending is directly proportional to the increase in knife crime with areas seeing the largest cut being the most affected.

“For decades Asian Voice and its esteemed Editor CB Patel have played a vital role, at the heart of the British Asian community, championing issues and concerns to those of Asian heritage, shining a spotlight on the achievements of our brothers and sisters and standing up for our community's interests,” he continued.

In light of this, The Editor's Choice Awards sponsored by Edwardian Hotels London was given to Damilola Taylor Trust. The Trust was established in 2001 following the death of Damilola Taylor, a 10-year-old boy, who was tragically murdered by two boys not much older than him. The Trust is now committed in providing inner-city youths with opportunities to live their lives free of fear and violence, and with optimism for a future where opportunities flourish.

Knocking the top down charity model: Caroline Diehl MBE

The Asian Voice Charity Awards in association with Charity Clarity, also organised a panel discussion moderated by Rupert Morris and including British businessman and philanthropist Lord Rumi Verjee CBE, BAFTA winner Dr. Carrie Grant, Founder of The Media Trust, Caroline Diehl MBE and CEO of the Centre for Social Justice, Andy Cook.

Dr. Carrie Grant spoke about the feeling of disempowerment asking “about how to get governments to listen to us and who to approach.”

“But more importantly what difference does these meetings make? We want to see change at the ground level rather than just procure these meetings,” Dr. Grant emphasised.

“I have seen a lot of charities being locked back in the last few years as both local and national governments don't have any money left to spare. I have seen individuals knocking on the same doors but the thing that I am most excited about...is the social enterprising through a financially sustainable model,” said Caroline Diehl CBE as she urged social media platforms and mainstream media organisations to pitch in their support to further these causes picked up by the small charities.

Citing the example of The Good Market in Sri Lanka where 5,000 social entrepreneurs and charities are engaged in making produce, that facilitates jobs, create skills among other contributions, Diehl said, “We need to challenge the old top down charity and begging model and see if we can use philanthrophy and media organisations to empower people to create star-ups and enterprises that are more financially sustainable.”

In the meantime, addressing the issue of dipping public interest in charities, and encouraging communties to work with grassroot organisations, Lord Verjee said, “I am an immigrant in this country. We strive to be successful, and it is natural to give back to the society. In my life what I have realised is the more you give, the more you get back.”

Community cohesion and tackling domestic issues

While large organisations such as the British Red Cross, Muslim Aid UK, among others are often recognised for their global humanitarian projects, and crowdfunding campaigns, the AV Charity Awards aims to pay tribute to the smaller charities that strive to fix the domestic issues close to home.

“I believe that small charities are equally and vitally important for social well-being and cohesion. Whether it is domestic abuse, homelessness, education or mental-health, the impact they make in communities is priceless. One of the ills that now plagues our community is knife crime, and this requires the collective effort of individuals, families, educational institutions and community organisations to put an end to the menace,” said CB Patel, Publisher and Editor of Asian Voice.

This year Charity of the Year Award was won by Paul Strickland Scanner Centre, an independent medical charity working to improve the lives of people affected by cancer and other severe conditions. The Social Impact Award has been won by Child Rescue Nepal, which works on the ground to free children from slavery, removing children from factories, restaurants, hotels and construction sites where they are held captive. The Most Inspiring Young Person Award was given to Leah Chowdhry, the first British Asian woman to swim the English Channel to raise funds to combat child trafficking in India. The Audience Choice Award has been won by The Sarvam Trust that facilitates and supports the work of Sri Aurobindo Society in India to bring development in the lives of the underprivileged in the rural areas.

"Like earlier years, this year's winners represent the best of humanity. The awards are absolutely unique in that each applicant goes through a rigorous Charity Clarity rating process before the very best are shortlisted for the judges' consideration. It's heartening to see the wonderful work people do every day to build the civic fabric of Britain," said Pratik Dattani, Charity Clarity.

Full list of the 4th Asian Voice Charity Awards 2019 winners:

Charity of the Year: Paul Strickland Scanner Centre

Startup of the year: Healing Venezuela

Most Enterprising: Medical Aid Films

Outstanding PR Team: Oscar International

Social Impact Award: Child Rescue Nepal

Audience Choice award: The Sarvam Trust

Most inspiring young person: Leah Chowdhry

Most inspiring individual: Amber Bauer, Donate4Refugees

Editor's Choice Awards: Damilola Taylor Trust

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The cover of the Asian Voice Charity magazine is designed by Ketna Patel and the pictures of the event are taken by Vineet Johri and Raj Bakrania 


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