Underlines Mercedes-Benz India’s corporate social commitment
Pune: YUWA (Hindi for ‘Youth’) is the name of the programme, which received the
Sport for Good Award at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Monaco. This decision
honors an initiative, which gives girls in the northern Indian state of Jharkhand the
tools to take their future into their own hands. Mercedes-Benz has been supporting
Laureus Sport for Good since 2000.
Mercedes-Benz supports the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation in India.
Bettina Fetzer, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Marketing and Member of the Laureus
Sport for Good Foundation, on Yuwa and winning the award: “It is particularly
important to us that Yuwa has won the 2019 Laureus Sport for Good Award with a
project for disadvantaged girls. Because in many regions of the world, girls and women
are still more likely to be affected by poverty and discrimination. Mercedes-Benz andLaureus are therefore focusing their commitment on projects, which empower women and girls and open up new perspectives for them.Together we want to use the power of sport to instil confidence and leadership skills in them and arm them against, gender clichés and prejudices.”
Mr. Martin Schwenk, MD & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India said, “We at Mercedes-Benz work in tandem with Laureus to reach a common goal of empowering women and children. As a socially responsible corporate citizen, at Mercedes-Benz we have a philosophy of social contribution beyond business. We believe in creating a support ecosystem to encourage and make a difference to their lives. It is our constant endeavour to build confidence and contribute towards cultivating and nurturing the citizens of tomorrow. We are proud of the positive change driven by YUWA by empowering girls and women. We believe that sport has the power to change as we strive to keep this momentum high and contribute to the society in our own ways to build a better future for all.”
As is the case with all Laureus-supported programmes, Yuwa utilizes the power of sport to help disadvantaged children and young people. At Yuwa, the participants play football on a daily basis and regularly take part in team competitions. Many of the older girls also work for Yuwa as coaches, earning their own money, which in turn helps foster their independence. In addition to this Yuwa also offers a full school educationin English for around 450 girls. In turn, Yuwa helps the young women overcome poverty and discrimination in the region, enabling them shape their own future.
The 2019 Sport for Good Award was presented to Yuwa founders Franz Kastler and Rose Gastler Thomson, and programme participants Neeta Kumari, Hema Kumari,
Konika Kumari, and Radha Kumari in Monaco. Franz Gastler is from the Unites States of America and has been living in India since 2007. He has worked there in roles such as an Advisor at the NGO “Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)” and as a teacher and sports coach. Rose Gastler Thomson joined Yuwa in 2012 and in 2015 established the Yuwa School, which she heads.”Sport has the power to change the world.” The Laureus Sport for Good aims to fight against discrimination and disadvantages faced by children and young people. Mercedes-Benz co-founded Laureus Sport for Good and its cooperation with Sport for Good has now become the most important aspect of the brand’s social commitment. Laureus and Mercedes-Benz work together to offer disadvantaged young people all over the world a future: through sport the children discover their strengths and learn to bring out the very best in themselves – important experiences from which they stand to benefit throughout their life. Laureus and Mercedes-Benz complement one another perfectly here, as they share the same values and believe in the power of passion, determination and perseverance. Mercedes-Benz uses these key competences in the development of automotive innovations. Laureus teaches young, disadvantaged people these qualities through sport.
