India’s largest global flexible packaging solution company UFlex Limited has been honored with the Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Award 2016 under the Social Empowerment category for its ‘Sports for Growth’ initiative.
Sports for Growth is a social intervention that UFlex has rolled out in association with a leading not-for-profit-organization Society for Transformation, Inclusion and Recognition through Sports (STAIRS) with a goal to realize every child’s right to play freely as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) irrespective of caste, creed, religion, gender and socio-economic background. The overarching mission is to contribute towards empowerment of underprivileged children and youth who are at the risk of social exclusion.
The activities under the initiative ‘Sports for Growth’ have been extensively rolled out in various states of India like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat. Apart from popular games like cricket, football and hockey, unsung sports like sepaktakraw, volleyball, kabaddi, wrestling, kho-kho among several others are strongly promoted. While undertaking various activities under this initiative, UFlex through its implementing partner STAIRS, pays particular attention towards the inclusion of girls and promotion of sports for the benefit of the differently abled. The programmatic interventions also address cross cutting issues of sensitization of children and youth against drugs and substance abuse besides empowering their communities.
‘Sports for Growth’ comprises sub-interventions like UFlex Khelo Delhi, Cricket Championship, Cricket Scholarship, UFlex Khelo Haryana, Khelo Uttar Pradesh, Khelo Himachal and Stairs School Football League (SSFL). After the astounding success of the Delhi Chapter of SSFL, UFlex has also pledged support to the Gujarat Chapter of SSFL till 2020. SSFL is looked up to as the tournament for spotting talent for the Under 17 FIFA World Cup that will be hosted by India in 2017.
UFlex has been conferred with the Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Award (A.R.E.A) at Singapore in conjunction with the International CSR Summit that brought together Asia’s top CSR experts, practitioners, speakers and leaders.A.R.E.A. recognizes and honours Asian Businesses for championing sustainable and responsible entrepreneurship.
An independent jury panel comprising business leaders, academicians, retired senior government and political leaders assessed and evaluated the nominations that were received. Some of the noted jury members are Dr. Eugene Chien – Chairman of the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Republic of China; Dr. Niven Huang- General Manager of KPMG Sustainability Consulting Co.Ltd, Secretary General of the Business Council for Sustainable Development, Taiwan and Lt. Gen Sudhir Sharma, Former Quarter Master General of Indian Army, Former Defence Attache of India in London.
Some of the other awardees include Pfizer Ltd. Taiwan;Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited; HSBC Sri Lanka; Puritas Private Limited;Taipei Financial Center; British American Tobacco- Bangladesh Berjaya Starbucks Coffee Company Sdn. Bhd among several others.While considering UFlex ‘Sports for Growth’ intervention for the Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Award 2016, the Jury particularly noted organization’s endeavour to institutionalize sports for the benefit of the not-so-privileged children and youth of India by taking both state and non-state actors together. The jury also underpinned the efforts made towards inclusion of the girl child and differently abled in the Indian sports ecosystem besides training and mentoring children and youth to even consider sports as a career opportunity.
Expressing pleasure upon this prestigious conferral, Mr. Ashok Chaturvedi, Chairman and Managing Director of the Flexible Packaging behemoth UFlex Limited in an official statement said, “I am glad that our intervention ‘Sport for Growth’ is helping power-pack the personalities of the not so privileged children and youth, particularly that of girls and the differently abled by infusing agility, confidence and self-esteem in them. Nothing bonds people better than Sports is what I strongly believe. ‘Sports for Growth’ is a definitive step for a physically fit and mentally alert India”.
