Coronavirus: Virtual Photo Summit aims to raise funds for daily-wage earners
Launched by a Sikkim-based photographer, the Virtual Photo Summit brings together 25 photographers to help in fundraising for the benefit of daily-wage earners hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
The coronavirus pandemic has brought the world to a halt, impacting governments, organisations, companies, and families. The worst hit during the COVID-19 lockdown, however, are India’s daily-wage earners.
It was to make a difference to their lives that Sikkim-based photogragher Saurabh Narang launched Create4Cause (C4C) and decided to organise a Virtual Photo Summit.
The idea behind the digital event was one: to raise funds for daily-wage earners, who have been badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequently lockdown.
The event, which started on April 24, was scheduled to end on April 26. However, the favourable response led Saurabh to extend the fundraiser until May 31.
“Just like any other freelancer, I lost all my work in a matter of a few days. But I realised that I was in a better position than a lot of people out there. Stuck in a small village in Sikkim, I started floating my idea to create a Virtual Photo Summit to raise funds for vulnerable communities impacted by COVID-19 in India. To my surprise, some of the world’s renowned photographers and storytellers joined me in support,” Saurabh tells SocialStory.
Virual Photo Summit
The summit, on a private Facebook group, brought together about 25 photographers and storytellers, and featured recorded and live interviews, audio podcasts, artist talks, and photo exhibitions.
Partnering with GiveIndia, by April 22, the event had managed to raise Rs 80,000 via 65 registrations. The photo summit, being a ticketed event, was raising funds by accepting contributions even larger than the ticket price of Rs 1,000, with the help of those in a position to willingly contribute.
“Five more people joined in and helped me to set this up quickly. They include Christopher Larson and Schmoo Theune (Berlin), Divya Pinge (Mumbai), and Pallabi Ghosh and Sandipan Dutta (Bengaluru). All the credit goes to these amazing people who are giving their time to this online summit,” Saurabh says.
Donations can be made here to enable the Create4Cause team to help daily-wage earners get through these challenging times. People who register for the event will receive a link to a private Facebook group, and can enjoy the photo summit.
(Edited by Teja Lele Desai)
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