World NGO Day: International NGO MDV salutes all unsung heroes
Today (February 27th) is World NGO Day – an international day dedicated to recognising, celebrating, and honouring all non-governmental and non-profit organisations, and the people behind them. It is also an opportunity to educate individuals worldwide about the positive impacts of NGOs, and one such NGO working for a healthier, kinder, and safer world for all is Million Dollar Vegan (MDV).
Since the pandemic, MDV has been sharing tens of thousands of healthy plant-based meals with underserved communities and frontline workers in India. With the support of celebrities like Sunny Leone, Shilpa Shetty, and Amy Aela, the NGO has also grabbed headlines while educating the wider public about the multiple benefits of eating a vegan diet, including personal health, environmental and animal protection, and pandemic prevention.
Co-ordinating the entire India campaign is India Campaign Manager, Darshana Muzumdar, who works to ensure that the mission and vision are achieved.
Says Muzumdar: “Veganism is better known now, but when I turned vegan around ten years ago, people hadn’t even heard the word and it was difficult to make people understand what it means and stands for. With MDV, we plan campaigns with specific goals. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, we have been working to raise awareness on how to #TakePandemicsOffTheMenu. We motivate people not only by sharing credible information, but we also challenge individuals to go vegan for a month with the support of daily emails to actually experience the lifestyle. Apart from this, we also share vegan food with people so they can enjoy the taste of the vegan version of their favourite food and realize how easy it is to switch. This is possible only with the help of volunteers and I’m thankful to all those who actively participate in our activities.”
Million Dollar Vegan is an international NGO which launched in 2019 to raise awareness of the impact our dietary choices have on the wider world.
MDV CEO, Naomi Hallum describes some of the challenges and rewards: “We are an international not-for-profit organization working in over 10 countries. Making decisions without any bias towards any one has been a learning experience and it has been rewarding to be able to work with so many cultures and communities. We are privileged to see immense change in society all around the world, and that is all possible because of our inclusive beliefs and dedicated campaign managers.”
World NGO Day is observed in several parts of the globe and we salute to all those unsung heroes on this day.