Mr. Shajan Samuel Independent Film Maker & Social Activist’s campaign to raise funds for Acid Attack Survivors has achieved it’s target of Rs 75,000 in just two days of the campaign through the crowd funding platform Milaap . Set a target of 75,000 Rs in 30 days the campaign went viral and garnered pace quickly to achieve its target in 2 days . As of now 1,24,056 has been raised in just 6 days .
The money will be donated to Chhnav foundation and will be used in the welfare of Acid Attack Survivors. Mr. Shajan Samuel will travel to Delhi and will hand over the cheque to Laxmi Agarwal the director of Chhnav Foundation. Laxmi is an Acid Attack Survivor and speaks for the right to Acid Attack Victims. Laxmi received a 2014 International Women of Courage award by US First Lady Michelle Obama. She was also chosen as the NDTV Indian of the Year. Chhnav also runs the popular Sheroes hangout run & managed by Acid Survivors.
Says Mr. Shajan Samuel, I was moved by the unflinching spirit & resilience of these unsung heroes when I visited Sheroes Hangout Agra in November, but the plan to raise money was sheer instinct. Shajan has earlier made films on the BANGALORE TRAFFIC & Sukrupa -A film on Education. He says my films are born out of the need to bring important issues to the forefront. Cinema has the power to bring communities together. His last short film ABC won 18 awards and was screened in 40 film festivals throughout the world. He Says he was optimistic to achieve the target in 10 days, but was surprised by the phenomenal response. He adds on that, the power is in the loose connections and articulating that magic word which weaves everyone in the same thread is the key for a successful crowd funding campaign. People are looking to contribute but they need a strong reason and emotional connect to associate with the cause.
Anoj Viswanathan, Co-Founder, Milaap.org.
“Shajan’s fundraiser is a great example of people coming together to help the ones in need. As a platform, Milaap strives to be seamless for inspired champions like him who can drive change in the society. We applaud his efforts for acid-attack survivors and hope to support many more such fundraisers.”
Sir Dr. Huz (Huzaifa Khorakiwala), CEO of Wockhardt Foundation and Promoter of Peace Mission says, Shajan’s campaign had a sincerity, which is very rare, that is the reason I decided to support this initiative.
Usha Mohan, Director Bangalore School who was one of the early supporters of this campaign, says that she had faith in Shajan’s idea and intent. We need to empathize with the ones who are subjected to Acid Attack as they were made victims for no fault of their own. Hats off to Laxmi Agarwal for being the torch bearer for Acid Attack Victims.