Blue Band Margarine and Special Olympics Pakistan Joined Hands For A More Inclusive Society
Though society as a whole puts emphasis on a child's health and wellbeing which is imperative, however, often the most important lessons of empathy and acceptance that are essential for character building are missed. This is where Blue Band comes in and reinforces the significance of social inclusion for parents/guardians to teach kids the idea of removing the barrier of differently-abled kids through this initiative. To encourage children to communicate, accept and interact with children that maybe different than themselves is not only beneficial but compulsory for their growth.
Blue Band has not only started the conversation around inclusion, but made an effort to further the discussion by joining hands with Special Olympics Pakistan and organised the ‘Both Buddy & Me’ race. The race was conducted at Pakistan’s largest inflatable race course where kids were paired up in a buddy system with differently abled kids to finish the obstacle course together as a team. This helped bring the kids closer, whilst reducing barriers for differently abled kids through an opportunity to showcase their skills in sports and games. The race was held on September 17th at Beach Luxury Hotel.
The race hosted a crowd of over a thousand people which included many celebrities with their families namely Syra Shahroz, Nida Yasir, Shahroz Sabzwari, Zhalay Sarhadi, Shaista Lodhi, Sunita Marshall, Amma Sheikh, YBQ, Muznah Ibrahim, Adnan Shah Tipu, Mohib Mirza, Amna Malik, Faysal Qureshi, Salman Sheikh and Hira, and Hassan Ahmed. The race was hosted by Faizan Haque with special performances by Khaled Anam and Asim Azhar.
Director Foods & Refreshment Unilever, Farheen Salman explained, “This event not only brought the topic of inclusion to the forefront, but also provided the start of an actionable and meaningful movement about character development. Children are the future and we need to make every effort to nurture an environment where people of all abilities feel safe, included and accepted and are given a chance to participate to create a more tolerant and well-rounded Pakistan.”
The founder Special Olympics Pakistan Ronak Lakhani expressed her appreciation for Blue Band’s initiative, adding, ‘This event has been a step towards spreading awareness. It helped us celebrate inclusion and spread the goodness. AchaiBarhnay Do.’
