On the occasion of Child Safety Week (3 to 9 June), India’s leading kid-safe mosquito repellent brand, Goodknight, and home security expert, Godrej Security Solutions, have vowed to raise awareness on health and security risks among Indian children.
According to United Nations data, around 40% of the Indian population constitutes of children; of which about 29 million are recognised as orphans. Various experts note that inadequate awareness is one of the key reasons why children are most susceptible to vector-borne diseases and security threats. Both Godrej Security Solutions and Goodknight aims to empower children to prevent personal security and health risk of vector-borne diseases without compromising with their childhood.
Experts assert indoor activities, though may be fun, can be detrimental because they do not promote adequate physical and mental growth of children. Outdoor play contributes to cognitive and social/ emotional development. Therefore, it is the responsibility of parents and institutions to ensure that mosquitoes and vector-borne diseases do not hinder children’s outdoor time, which is essential for their overall growth and development.
As the first step towards raising awareness among children to deal with personal security and health risks, the two brands conducted a series of health and self-defence workshops for 3000 orphans from institutionalised home shelters in Mumbai. These children who have now been trained to be health and safety ambassadors will share the learning with their friends to make India a healthier and safer country.
During the workshop, children were made abreast of various steps to reduce vector infestations at homes and their surrounding by healthcare. Also, martial arts experts shared quick tips with children to remain vigilant and employ self-defence techniques in case of any security risk.
Sharing his perspective on health risks faced by children and the initiative, Sunil Kataria, CEO – India & SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), said, “Understanding that awareness around malaria and dengue menace is the need of the day, we commissioned a survey to gauge its prevalence. The report revealed 76 % of parents think that children are most vulnerable to vector-borne diseases. The risk of mosquito-borne diseases commonly peaks during and after the annual monsoon rainfalls. This June, we are observing child safety week by enabling 3000 children to be fully prepared and be protected from the threat of malaria and dengue. As a conscious corporate, it’s not only our duty but our responsibility to champion the cause of eradicating diseases posing a risk to our children.”
Echoing the views, Mehernosh Pithawala, Global Head — Marketing, Sales & Innovation, Godrej Security Solutions, said, “As a security solutions provider we have always been committed to personal safety keeping in mind user convenience. This initiative is an extension of our campaign #IamSecure which garnered a lot of appreciation and resonated with every parent. Child security is a concern and we think it’s time to educate not just parents but also educate and empower children to protect themselves from unpleasant situations.”
Both brands are also jointly running a week-long awareness programme with a leading radio station in Mumbai and Delhi. This awareness programme will educate citizens about the measures to prevent health and personal security risk faced by children.
