Ahmedabad: Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi was the guest of honour at the 5th-anniversary celebrations of Social Venture Partners India (SVP India), an organisation focused on collaborative philanthropy, in Gujarat.
The celebration of the milestone on Friday brought together over 200 committed and engaged philanthropists from Gujarat and across India, offering a unique opportunity to engage with Mr. Satyarthi and gain insights from his remarkable journey.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Satyarthi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2014 for focusing attention on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain, said, “We live in an increasingly broken, fragmented and unjust world. We have globalised business, trade, knowledge, manufacturing, data and capitalism. From the land of Mahatma Gandhi, I humbly say that this is the time to globalise compassion,”.
The Nobel laureate also said it is not just the government or any organisation’s responsibility, but our collective responsibility to curb crimes against children, especially against girls, and build a child-friendly society. An SVP Ahmedabad spokesperson, said, “We are honoured to have Shri Kailash Satyarthi join us for this milestone celebration. His commitment to building compassionate communities aligns perfectly with the core values and mission of SVP India. The special evening allowed the philanthropic ecosystem to experience the stories of giving, community-building and impactful collaborations with NGOs.”
The event also featured an overview of evolving aspects relating to philanthropy, strategic giving and meaningful communication of impact.
SVP India is a collaborative philanthropy organisation with 550+ philanthropists, entrepreneurs, executives, academics, and homemakers, spread across eight cities in India. It provides a structured platform for hands-on engagement with NGOs. The organisation’s partners pool their resources to achieve greater impact. SVP India also identifies small and medium-sized NGOs and helps them build capacity by leveraging its network, experience, and time.
In the past five years, 43 SVP partners from Ahmedabad and Surat have committed 5,000+ hours of voluntary time mentoring NGOs and seen them grow three to five times. Across the country, the organisation has worked with 120 NGOs. It has disbursed over Rs. 25 crores, including Rs. 7 crores for fast pitch. Its partners have also contributed over 25,000 hours of their time and skills.
