MUMBAI: RED FM under its annual CSR initiative - Bajao for a cause this year partnered with Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation. Bajao for a cause is an annual campaign. This year RED FM took up the cause of child protection against child labour, forced prostitution, trafficking, and sexual abuse. Every year RED FM takes up a cause of social significance to raise awareness and funds, and to act as the mouthpiece of those voiceless minor sections of our society who remain unrepresented.

The Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF) on the other hand envisions a world where all children are free, safe, healthy and have the opportunity to realize her/his potential. Their mission is to end slavery and child labour and ultimately end violence against children. To make this a reality, the foundation is scaling Satyarthi’s almost four decades of work at both the grassroots and global policy level. His lessons learned guide the Foundation’s work to engage children and youth as part of the solution, build greater collaboration between governments, business and communities, ensure effective national and international laws, scale know-how and successful practice and create partnerships with key stakeholders.

The campaign kick-started on the 12 June 2018 on World Day Against Child Labour with Kailash Satyarthi visiting the RED FM stations in Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi NCR. The joint campaign by Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation and RED FM aimed to raise funds for Surakshit Bachpan Fund to provide immediate medical, legal, and psychological assistance to child victims of child labour, sex crimes and abuse.

During the campaign the Foundation along with RED FM RJ Raunac had also conducted 5 LIVE raids in Delhi where a total of 63 children were rescued. Through this collaboration with RED FM, The Kailash Satyarthi Foundation aimed to escalate their mission amongst the masses through the power of radio.

Summing up the initiative RED FM COO Nisha Narayanan said, “‘Bajao for a Cause’ is deeply imbibed in RED FM’s DNA and we conduct CSR campaigns every year in all the major markets. Our aim is to take up a cause that is affecting the nation widely and using radio as a medium to appeal to our listeners to raise funds to combat the situation. We believe our collaboration with Satyarthi’s ‘Surakshit Bachpan’ initiative will bring a positive change in the lives of young souls. The reach of radio is far and wide and will help percolate the message to stop child labour and child exploitation by educating and mobilizing the masses. We have received an overwhelming response from our listeners and encourage them to keep supporting us in our endeavour to making this country a better place.”

Kailash Satyarthi said, “Radio was a tool for my activism when I started my fight against child labour. Radio as a broadcast medium has a far-reaching impact and the ability to reach out to the most remote areas. I am happy that the message of Safe Childhood could reach the masses. I thank RED FM and all their listeners for supporting the cause.”

The collaboration between RED FM and Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation was a success through multiple interactions with the media and On-Air discussions with Kailash. RED FM called upon their listeners to donate a minimum amount of INR 1,000/- towards the cause which will be exempted from income tax under section 80G. Through this campaign a phenomenal amount of INR 85, 51,428 was raised.