Children from the SOS villages in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and Bangalore let their artistic talent come to life on five different themes namely 'My favourite meal', 'My favourite holiday', 'My favourite gift', 'My favourite jewellery' and their favourite health/wellness regimes. Entries from the four cities were then shortlisted to select the top paintings. Mr. Sandeep Banerjee, MD & CEO, Edenred - India and renowned artist Mr. Sheil Sadwelkar, selected the winning artwork after reviewing all the shortlisted entries.
The top six winners under all the five themes are as follows:
1. My Favourite Meal - Shraddha Tate from Pune, Age 15 years
2. My Favourite Gift – Prajakta Kotwal from Pune, Age 15 years; and Nandani from New Delhi, Age 15 years
3. My Favourite Holiday Destination – Pooja from Bengaluru, Age 14 years
4. My Favourite Jewellery – Tripti from New Delhi, Age 13 years
5. My Favourite health/wellness regimes – Shraddha Nair from New Delhi, 11 years
These winning paintings by children from SOS Children’s Villages of India will mark their presence on various Edenred Vouchers - Ticket Restaurant® Meal Vouchers, Ticket Compliments® Universal Gift Vouchers, Ticket Compliments® Select Gift Vouchers, Ticket Compliments® Holiday Gift Vouchers, Ticket Compliments® Jewellery Gift Vouchers and Ticket Medica® Health and Wellness Vouchers.
Mr. Rakesh Jinsi, Secretary General, SOS Children’s Villages of India expressed his appreciation saying, “We wish to express our gratitude to Edenred for providing a large platform to children from SOS Children’s Villages of India. Such activities not only inspire their creative minds but also provide the opportunity to showcase their talent. We are looking forward to continuing our long term association with ‘Art from the Heart’ and hope to not only witness unmatched success but also support for education of many more children in the years to come.”
Speaking about the initiative, Mr. Sandeep Banerjee, MD & CEO, Edenred India, said, “Edenred has dedicated a day for international mobilization and expressing solidarity. This day is celebrated as “Eden for All” across all our offices globally as we join hands to bring social change within the communities at large. Our intent lies in making life easier for those who can benefit from our mission. We are providing scholarships for one year for these winners to put our words in to action. “
Mr. Sheil Sadwelkar, a renowned artist, added, “Art from the Heart has garnered incredible interest from the community. It is an honour for me to be a part of the judging panel for the second time. Each and every painting by these innocent minds was full of creativity and convincingly broke stereotypes. The children from SOS Villages of India put up a great show and their talent truly came to the fore through the competition.”
SOS villages across India have been embracing and supporting abandoned children besides encouraging them to pursue hobbies such as singing, painting, dancing, and martial arts, among many others. The environment and Family Based Care (FBC) model, present at all the 33 villages in India, helps children to lead successful and fulfilled lives. Additionally, such activities, as initiated in association with Edenred, provide children an opportunity to show their hidden talent to the world.
About SOS Children’s Villages of India:
SOS Children’s Villages of India provides secured family and a nurturing environment to children without parental care, where they can grow up to their full potential. Founded in 1964 by Dr. Hermann Gmeiner, it is a part of the worldwide SOS Children’s Village movement and a member of SOS Children’s Villages International, the umbrella organization.
Today, there are 33 SOS Children’s Villages including the newly set up village in Tirupati, 122 allied projects like Hermann Gmeiner Schools, , Vocational Training Centres and Outreach Initiatives spread across the country. SOS-India now constitutes the largest operations in the worldwide SOS Movement spread across 133 countries. Based on the unique concept of Family Based Care (FBC), SOS Children's Villages creates a home-like environment offering love, respect, security and hope for abandoned and parentless children.
Family Strengthening Programme is another key programme work, which is a preventive measure of abandonment of children by the families living below poverty line in the neighborhood of SOS Children’s Villages. At present SOS-India reaches out to about 6500 children through its Family based care and more than 16,000 children and their families through the Family strengthening programme. It is being implemented at 33 locations in 21 states.
About Edenred
Edenred is the world leader in prepaid service vouchers with over 50 years of experience in corporate and public benefits. Edenred operates in 39 countries, with 6,000 employees, servicing 580,000 private and public sector customers, 36.2 million beneficiaries and 1.3 million affiliates.
In India, Edenred services 3,500+ corporate clients and public institutions with a wide range of innovative Work-life Benefits, Rewards and Loyalty Solutions. Edenred entered the Indian market in 1997 with Meal Vouchers & Cards, Gift Vouchers and Rewards & Loyalty Solutions; and has become a major player providing services to corporate clients and public institutions.
