Srishti Bakshi, the Founder of CrossBow this week embarked on her pan India walk with team Crossbow, covering 3800 kms over 260 days from Kanyakumari to Srinagar. The walk began from Vivekananda College, Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu). The walk is aimed at creating awareness across India for women’s safety and empowering them through digital and financial literacy. UN Women’s Empower Women Initiative is dedicated to empowering women to achieve their full economic potential by inspiring both men and women to become to become advocates, change makers and leaders in their community.
You can follow the walk here.
As a supporter of the campaign, Mr. Navneit Sekera I.P.S, Inspector General of Police, Women Power Line, reiterated his association with this cause with his words: “We are happy that Srishti is spreading the message of 1090 across the nation to help make India a safer place for women. Her effort is inspiring and her spirit is unmatched”.
Through this walk, Srishti and her team will conduct workshops on women empowerment, digital and financial literacy, leadership, knowing one’s rights, gender sensitization, health and hygiene. The campaign aims to drive awareness in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi as well as J&K, which will be the route for her entire walk. As radical innovators with an aim to reach 1 billion steps, team Crossbow will soon be able to cumulate the steps collected on their app (digital platform), which will be recorded as a remote footstep contribution by any individual willing to make a difference. These steps collected serve as virtual support to organisations’ working in the areas of education, skill development, health & hygiene and women empowerment; and to their charitable partners and trusts. Ideated and spearheaded by Srishti Bakshi, this is a way to engage the current ‘digital’ generation for a social impact movement, using the power of technology.
Speaking on the campaign Srishti Bakshi said, “This campaign is a fight against the alarming gender bias in our country that has not seen visible difference in spite of the significant economic progress we have made. Through my Modern Day Dandi March, we hope to initiate change and create awareness that change begins with the individual. We look forward to the open conversations that we hope to engage in along the way and understand the key action points that need our immediate attention. The digital platform is the way forward and we urge India to collaborate with us and make the difference that we aspire for through their footsteps and information sharing.”
She further added, “In our eyes, this campaign is an emotion that binds the women of India together, as we set out to create that change and move together in making India a safer, educated and healthier country. Gender equality, political power, economic freedom and women entrepreneurship are buzz words, but women’s safety is the very basis of existence. Through digital and financial literacy, we can prepare women to be informed and empowered individuals capable of navigating through deeply entrenched social norms. It is imperative to create an India with women, for women, with the efforts and vision of women who understand the path to cheer the joy of being a woman. This campaign is for both men and women, as we believe inclusivity is the key to social success.”
Extending their support to this initiative and powering this campaign, companies like L&T Financial Services (SIP with me India), RB India – Dettol & Harpic (Dettol Banega Swachh India), Jagran Group (Jagran Pehel), ITC – Vivel (#AbSamjhautaNahin), IOCL in addition to other collaborators, have come forward to make a social impact.
Speaking on the power of the movement and extending their support, Mr. Kailash Kulkarni, Chief Executive- Investment Management, L&T Financial Services said, “L&T Financial Services through our Mutual Fund arm is proud to be associated with the cause of women empowerment. Through this Modern Day Dandi March, we will enable women to take their first step towards financial literacy. Helping them to be KYC compliant during Crossbow’s financial literacy workshops will be the key enabler in that direction. It is our way of contributing to the movement. I wish Srishti and Team Crossbow the very best.”
Mr. Rohit Jindal, Director Marketing, RB, said, “Women’s empowerment is crucial for the development of our country. Srishti Bakshi is undertaking a commendable feat of connecting women across the country with her nationwide walk. Dettol & Harpic through the Banega Swachh India campaign are happy to associate with her as hygiene and sanitation partners. We wish Srishti good luck for her journey.”
Sameer Satpathy, Chief Executive, Personal Care Products Business, ITC Limited added, “Vivel Ab Samjhauta Nahin is proud to partner with Srishti Bakshi, the UN Champion for Change 2017 in her journey to raise awareness on safety for women. We believe that women can empower and protect themselves against violence and discrimination by being aware of their rights under law. To this effect we have created an educative ‘Know Your Rights’ module which provides a simplified understanding of the laws around women’s rights. The module will be hosted at workshops across the country during Srishti’s journey from Kanyakumari to Srinagar”
Srishti is an Empower Woman Champion for Change 2016-2017. UN Women’s Empower Women Initiative is dedicated to empowering women to achieve their full economic potential by inspiring both men and women to become to become advocates, change makers and leaders in their community
Links
https://www.empowerwomen.org/en/who-we-are/initiatives/champions-for-change
