The year 2020 has thrust the world into a kind of uncertainty never seen before. In the midst of these gloomy circumstances, a few people around the world have managed to carve out a space of positivity and hope. One such group of women, from different parts of the world, came together to create an initiative know as ‘Heroes Everywhere’.
Earlier this year, Aditi Kapoor, Anteia Win, Purnima Mishra, Rozina Merali, Suman Jain and Sonia Karkare came together with a mutual goal of providing a platform to recognize and celebrate everyday heroes.
When asked about the genesis of the initiative, the team says “Why do acts of kindness courage and heroism get less attention than movie stars, CEOs, and sports celebrities? What we achieve as individuals, is in fact, the efforts of many around us, Heroes Everywhere….
We want to collect their stories. We want to spread awareness about their efforts and the causes they support. Our mission is to “provide a platform to recognize, celebrate and widely disseminate personal acts of heroism that have impacted lives.”
What is ‘Heroes Everywhere’?
The team defines heroes as “people who go beyond their daily responsibilities quietly and consistently, making an impact.”
“We wanted to take a step towards influencing how our world thinks of success. Why not measure people by acts of kindness and courage, not degrees and titles? We wanted to share stories, inspire and spread awareness about people in the world that are diligently doing their bit to make our world a better place by impacting the lives of those around them.”
Despite being located across various continents, the team meets on a weekly basis and coordinates efforts. Sonia had the original idea of Heroes Everywhere and has been involved from the concept, to setting-up the initial benevolent fund and the mammoth task of handholding each step. Anteia gave it its virtual face, Rozina and Suman have helped shape the foundation. Purnima has provided extremely valuable insights on legalities, funding mechanisms, and event practices, while Aditi is focussed on marketing opportunities and coordinating the first virtual celebration of Heroes.
Aditi Kapoor
With over 11 years of work experience in Travel and Aviation, she strives to bring significant and positive change in communities.
Anteia Win
A digital marketing consultant, she started AW Media in 2019 and now offers her expertise to various NGOS and startups in Switzerland
Purnima Mishra
Purnima is a certified accountant with over 15 years of experience in strategic financial management, risk-based control framework and change management.
Rozina Merali
An accomplished clinical pharmacist, and Health Product procurement and Supply Chain management specialist.
Sonia Karkare
A digital transformation leader, Sonia is dedicated to the cause of making education accessible to children, women, elderly and people with disabilities.
Suman Jain
Suman is a medical doctor and public health professional by training, with more than 25 years of experience in the health and development field.
How can one celebrate a hero?
Heroes Everywhere encourage people across the world, regardless of ethnicity, gender or cause, to share a story of their hero on this platform. A hero could be anyone – from a parent to a family member to essential service workers – someone who has touched your life in some form. To share the story of your hero, you can simply head to their website, and fill out an online nomination form.
Future Plans
As immediate next steps, team Heroes Everywhere is working towards hosting an online event where our first five heroes will get an opportunity to share their heroic journey. It will be a virtual event allowing our heroes to reach out a wider audience across the globe.
In the distant future, they plan to upgrade their website and facilitate direct donations from any sponsor to a Hero of their inspiration and choice.
Besides they would like to continue with the virtual celebration of heroes. “We want to continue honouring Heroes at our events. We are still deciding on the frequency of these events which will be guided by the volume of nominations we receive and feedback from our debut event”, says Aditi. The team plans to conduct its first online event on November 12th, 2020 (16:00 CET). The event is free and open to registrations from all. If you would like to register for this event, head here.
To nominate a hero and to know more about the Heroes Everywhere initiative, head to www.heroeseverywhere.org.
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