Blue Band recently joined hands with Special Olympics Pakistan and organised the ‘Both Buddy & Me’ race, an event where regular kids were paired up in a buddy system with differently-abled kids to finish an obstacle course together as a team.

The race was hosted at Pakistan’s largest inflatable race course and was attended by over a thousand people.

The key idea was to showcase the skills of differently-abled children in sports and games, and to create a more inclusive and open environment for them to participate in physical activities without any barriers.

“This event not only brought the topic of inclusion to the forefront, but also provided the start of an actionable and meaningful movement about character development," said Farheen Salman, Director Foods and Refreshment, Unilever.

"Children are the future (of Pakistan). We need to make every effort to nurture an environment where people of all abilities feel safe, included and accepted, and are given a chance to participate to create a more tolerant and well-rounded Pakistan.”

Popular celebrities, including Syra Shahroz, Nida Yasir, Zhalay Sarhadi, Shaista Lodhi, Sunita Marshall and Amna Sheikh, attended the race. The event also featured special performances by Khaled Anam and Asim Azhar.

Founder Special Olympics Pakistan Ronak Lakhani expressed her appreciation for Blue Band’s initiative saying, "This event has been a step towards spreading awareness for differently-abled kids. It also helped us celebrate inclusion."

Society puts a lot of focus on a child’s health and well being, however, the most important lessons of empathy and acceptance that are essential for character building are often missed. According to Blue Band, the brand aims to reinforce the importance of social inclusion for parents and guardians, and encourage the younger generation to step forward and remove barriers for differently-abled children.

Blue Band launched its campaign ‘Acchai Barhnay Do’ this year with the aim to create a more inclusive environment for kids all over Pakistan.

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