2010
In 2010, the 5th REX Karmaveer Forum in partnership with the National Foundation for Communal Harmony & the Ministry of Home Affairs was on the theme of communal harmony.
In 2010, REX Karmaveer founders also collaborated with the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) of the UN, to launch and promote the ONE BILLION HUNGRY petition to raise awareness in the world about people living in abject poverty and dying of hunger and raise over 10 million signatures in a years’ time.
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Impact & Outcomes
- This led to action against communalism and the creation of Volunteers for Peace & Communal Harmony,a national movement to bring together champions of communal harmony from various communities. This was powered by the Karmaveer Chakra in partnership with the Ministry of Home Affairs. iCONGO and REX Karmaveer founder Jeroninio (Jerry) Almeida is invited as a key member of the Ministry of Home Affairs working committee to create ideas for promoting Volunteers for Peace. In the same year,
- Jerry is also invited by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in association with UN Volunteers and UN Development Program, to devise a strategy to promote the culture of Volunteering in schools and colleges. Jerry presented an idea to begin the International Volunteering Olympiadblended with life and leadership lessons for character building if students, in schools and colleges.
- On International Volunteering Day Jerry GIVES a compelling talk on THE SPIRIT OF VOLUNTEERING and the need for secular thinking, to UN Volunteers and International Leaders from UN offices globally, DFID, USAID and VSO. This set the tone for the International Year of Volunteering UN Karmaveer Chakra awards to recognise UN Volunteers.
- The REX Karmaveer Forum was followed up with a round table at the Ministry of Home Affairs, where all religious leaders from all communities participated and pledged to join in for promoting secularism & the religion of humanity.
- In 2010, REX Karmaveer founder Jerry Almeida through iCONGO led the strategy to build momentum for the“1 Billion Hungry” campaign and raised over 10 million subscribers and petitioners through the iCONGO and REX Karmaveer database of volunteers and supporters. REX Karmaveer also promoted the Restaurants Against Hunger campaign to raise funds for Hunger projects.
- For the first time in 2010, we award the Karmaveer Puraskaar outside the REX Karmaveer awards ceremony, to an unsung hero and forgotten music maestro Mr. Anthony Gonsalves, who is 80 years old and have never been recognised before. We give the award to him at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) at Goa in December, 2010. In 2011, the Karmaveer Puraskaar award helps to mainstream Mr. Anthony Gonsalves body of work in global media and shames the Government of India to finally nominate and choose Mr. Gonsalves for the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award. Laxmi Gonsalves, the daughter of Anthony Gonsalves called the REX Karmaveer Founder after he received the Dadasaheb Phalke award and said “This is all happening because of you and the Karmaveer award”. We are glad to note the humble potential and influence of the Karmaveer awards. Mr. Gonsalves died a few days after the 2 awards.