9th  October 2023: United Way Bengaluru (UWBe) marked a significant milestone this year as it completed its 15-year journey. To commemorate the journey, United Way Bengaluru organized an event called ‘REFLECTIONS’ on October 5, 2023. Esteemed chief guests and delegates who graced the event hosted at Taj West End, Bengaluru, included Shri B Dayananda, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City; Shri Krishnakumar Natarajan, Co-Founder Mela Ventures and earlier Co-Founder at Mindtree; Shri Prashanth Prakash, Board Chairperson of United Way Bengaluru and Partner at Accel; Dr M Jagadeesh, Joint Director, Lalbagh Botanical Garden; senior government officials; leadership from UWBe’s key corporate partners, changemakers from the community and other board members of UWBe.

Established in 2008, United Way Bengaluru started its transformative mission, beginning with Bengaluru, tackling the pressing challenges of the community. Over 15 years, the organization’s reach extended beyond Karnataka to eight other states, with a special focus on remote areas and aspirational districts. UWBe experienced exponential growth in capacity and impact, making substantial contributions through interventions in education, environment, health, and integrated rural development.

Here are some high-level achievements from United Way Bengaluru’s incredible journey:

• Over 800,000 beneficiaries have been positively impacted through education interventions * Over 100,000 community members have benefited from lake rejuvenation efforts * Interventions around education, health, livelihood, quality drinking water and sanitation and environment across 300 villages * More than 4000 Anganwadi Centres and 130 schools strengthened * During the pandemic, the organization administered over 1.5 crore vaccinations, demonstrating its commitment to public health

United Way Bengaluru has left a mark beyond numbers, statistics, and data – it’s about the people, the stories, and the dreams it has ignited.

As a part of the global network, United Way Worldwide, the largest network of non-profit organizations with 1,100 chapters in 37 countries, United Way Bengaluru carries a global image with a ‘local heart’ committed to creating meaningful change in the lives of the local communities.

The event featured keynote speeches, panel discussion on the topic ‘Bold CSR’ and ‘recognitions’ presented to United Way Bengaluru’s long-standing partners from the government, CSR, and community who have supported the organization.

The other attractions of the event included the unveiling of the organization’s 15-year journey book, titled ‘REFLECTIONS and the launch of new flagship programs such as ‘Aikyam’ that aims to create safe spaces for persons with disabilities and the LGBTQI+ communities and ‘E-O2: Let the Earth Breathe’ Campaign that covers all aspects of united Way Bengaluru’s work aligned to the fundamental pillars of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) framework. The event also marked the launch of the Born Learning Campaign’s (an initiative focused on early childhood care and education) playbook.

Prashanth Prakash, Board Chairperson of United Way Bengaluru, said, “These 15 years are a testament to our tireless work, persistence, knowledge, and experience. But no single entity, no matter how passionate or dedicated, can bring about the transformative change we aspire to achieve alone. This journey has been possible with the partnership where the government, CSR partners, volunteers, community members and UWBe collaborated and complemented each other. We cannot rest on our laurels but use our past experiences for our future responsibilities. We must continue working with our partners, dream big, work tirelessly, and unite for a brighter, more equitable future for all.”