LONDON -- Zurich Cares will host and facilitate an exciting learning scheme for spinal-care charities for three weeks in August. The scheme will see staff from a leading charity for disabled people based in India visit spinal injury specialists in the UK to share best practices.
With Zurich Cares as the link, a senior physiotherapist and an outreach worker from Indian charity 'APD' (the Association of People with Disability) will work in conjunction with London-based ASPIRE to visit some of the most prestigious spinal-care organisations in the UK.
Zurich is in a unique position to connect the two organisations. Through Zurich Cares, the company's charitable arm, Zurich helped fund ASPIRE's national training centre six years ago and has been heavily involved with the charity since. Zurich Cares has also worked in partnership with APD in Bangalore for eight years, including short management assignments by Zurich staff in India, funding and access to a partners' network.
The objective of the scheme is to share knowledge and working practices to enable APD to create an Indian centre of excellence for spinal cord injury. Visiting staff will concentrate on learning the technical aspects of treating spinal cord injury but will also share with UK staff their expertise in reaching out to communities, involving families and integrating people back into society.
Ali King, India Programme Manager for Zurich Financial Services said, "This is the culmination of years of partnership and a recognition of the real leaps forward that can be made when people work together with trust and enthusiasm. I'm really excited to be hosting the visit and even more excited to work with all concerned to make a difference with the new knowledge in the future."
Stuart Whant, ASPIRE, said, "This is a real opportunity for all charities involved to learn and improve the standard of support services available to people paralyzed through spinal cord injury. ASPIRE has worked tirelessly to offer a broad range of services including housing, sport, leisure, dance and learning facilities from our own centre of excellence in the UK, and by sharing best practices we hope to make a difference to people in India. We believe this initiative will also be a positive step forward towards our goal to improve the integration of disabled-bodied and able-bodied people."
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Press enquiries to:
Zurich Financial Services
Kitty Barran, Zurich , 0207 317 3840 or kitty.barran@uk.zurich.com
Notes to Editors:
Details of the Visit
APD staff will be in the UK for three weeks beginning 3 August and will be visiting UK facilities including:
- Zurich Financial Services in Swindon - to learn about the wider work done by Zurich Cares
- ASPIRE National Training Centre north London - to learn about the treatment of spinal injuries
- London Spinal Unit & Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and London Spinal Injuries Association - to meet spinal care specialists
- Simon Paul Foundation in Kent which supports younger physically disabled people who wish to live independent lives in the community.
- Motivation, a Bristol-based charity dedicated to improving the quality of life of as many wheelchair users worldwide as possible.
Zurich Financial Services
The Zurich Financial Services Group (www.zurich.com) provides its customers solutions in the areas of financial protection (non-life insurance and structured solutions) and asset gathering (life insurance and asset management). The Group focuses its activities on its key markets of North America, UK and Continental Europe. Founded in 1872, Zurich is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. It has offices in more than 60 countries and employs approximately 70,000 people.
Zurich Financial Services, (UKISA) is part of the Zurich Financial Services Group and comprises the Group's operations in the UK, Ireland and International Businesses.
Zurich considers social responsibility integral to successful business performance. The company's current priorities are diversity in the workforce, community and environment.
Zurich's Community Trust is the umbrella for all community involvement in the UK and is a registered charity funded by pre-tax profits and by donations from staff and financial advisers. It has two main strands: Zurich Cares Trust Programmes which target the most disadvantaged where we can make a significant impact with our level of contribution, and; Zurich Cares, for staff and financial advisers, where almost one third of the staff are involved in volunteering activities, contributing 20,000 hours annually.
Since 1972, more than £37 million has been donated to voluntary organisations in the UK and overseas. Nearly £5.1 million was donated in 2001 alone. The Zurich Community Trust has been recognised for its work, winning the Whitbread Volunteer Action 'Company of the Year' Award, the Insurance Times Community Initiative of the Year Award and receiving the Programme Impact Mark for its India Programme and the Big Tick for its Inclusion Programme from Business in the Community. Visit our website on www.zurich.org.uk for more details.
Association of People with Disability (APD)
The Association of People with Disability (APD) in Bangalore, India, provides a range of support services for people with disabilities, including an integrated school, vocational training and aids and appliances. APD works in urban and rural communities addressing all issues relating to poverty but with a focus on disability. The organisation has helped disabled people in their community for more than 40 years, but recognises the needs of their customers are changing as the threat of polio decreases but the incidence of injury increases.
APD's aim is to meet individual needs, to create awareness, to promote acceptance and integration, to instill self-confidence, and to encourage self-reliance for the benefit of persons with a disability. The APD takes a holistic approach in addressing disability issues. Its projects include:
- an integrated school for 200 children up to age eleven, 80% with a disability
a slum outreach and rural programme tackling education, health, mobility and community issues
- physiotherapy and orthotic units which train and provide services within the organisation and to others
- providing skills training in horticulture, IT and light industrial work for small local production units and individuals
- providing soft loans to help people to become self-employed.
Zurich has worked with APD for six years providing both funding and management support through assignments. We have developed a communication and fund-raising unit -- an area not normally supported by donors. Part of our funding also contributed to core management costs, again an area not normally funded by donors. We are now considering working with APD to help them replicate their approach to other organisations.
