Annual Activity Report 2016-17 Pinkathon - India’s BIGGEST WOMEN’S RUN Pinkathon started in 2012 in Mumbai, to provide women with an opportunity to take their first steps towards health and fitness and join a community that will continually motivate and encourage them in this endeavor. The initiative also focused on the need for increased awareness of breast cancer and other concerns that risk women's lives. CONTENTS 1. 4. 3. 2. 5. 11. OurPillars ofStrength 10. PinkRipples 9. 8. 7. 6. Key Highlights14 Ssanblt ntePn 47 Sustainability inthePink Pinkathon How we doit Our Founders Speak Core Values h orPlaso ikto 6 The Four Pillars ofPinkathon Vision &Mission About Us 3 3 4 7 5 2 52 49 1 OUR FOUNDERS SPEAK Running is just symbolic. The objective of Pinkathon is to encourage women to realise the importance and value of their health and inspire them to dedicate some time for it every day. What follows is a boost of self confidence, self-belief and self motivation. A notable feature of Pinkathon over the years, is highlighted through this year’s events too; has been its inclusiveness including participation of cancer survivors, baby wearing mothers and hearing and visually impaired women and girls. The other key highlight has been engaging women who shy away from fitness routines due to discomfort with so called - ‘fitness apparels’. We encouraged women to run in sarees, in salwar kameez, hijab or any other attire that they were comfortable in, with a focus to address some of the issues stopping women from joining the wave of health awareness sweeping the country. Pinkathon is growing and in every edition, we have 60% new participants. I believe, “Empowerment is not a gift of society. It is a gift that you give yourself”. Milind Soman, Founder & Director, USF

Through United Sisters Foundation (USF), Pinkathon is providing a liberating experience for many women from a routine life and encouraging them to take time out for themselves and take care of their health and fitness. When we started Pinkathon in 2012, we did not envisage that it will garner such support and enthusiasm. However, the increasing number of participants, year after year, has transformed this initiative into a movement which has culminated to become India’s Biggest Women’s Run.

USF has grown to become a dedicated organisation for women to redefine the meaning of women empowerment through inclusivity, inspiring by example, participation and innovativeness; with health and fitness as the core focus. It is the women participants, who took the lead and we at USF has facilitated the process, that made Pinkathon, what it is today. Breast cancer awareness is one such topic that needed attention and we provided free mammograms screenings at the Pinkathon. Reema Sanghavi, Co-Founder & Director, USF

2 ABOUT US United Sisters Foundation (USF) is a Section 25, not for profit company, founded in 2014. Since its inception, USF has focused on raising awareness on ‘Women Matter(s)' – voicing every matter related to women and making every woman matter. USF focuses on engaging and empowering young girls and women through Education, Awareness, and Capacity Building. Women health and fitness is one of our key focus. Our flagship initiatives includes Pinkathon and awareness related to breast cancer.

VISION & MISSION

VISION A world where women and girls are healthy, CREDO educated, safe and independent; realising a Women Matter(s) desired quality of life

MISSION To fulfil its vision, USF engages, encourages and empowers women and adolescent girls to take charge of their lives, with a focus on health, education and financial independence. It plays an enabling role in helping women and adolescent girls make informed decisions about their health, safety and education.

3 OUR CORE VALUES Live2Inspire

Innovation Safety Inclusivity

Create Value Integrity

Transparency

4 PINKATHON More than a Marathon Pinkathon is more than a marathon – it is a seed of change. A movement shaped and led by a growing community of empowered women across India, who share a belief that - healthy family, a healthy nation and a healthy world begins with empowered women.

5 THE FOUR PILLARS OF PINKATHON “Living what we believe in”

Inspiration by example Pinkathon organizes special runs and trainings for registered participants, who are led by Pinkathon mascots and Ambassadors - who have completed several trainings and participated in the main runs themselves.

Empowerment through Sports To explore passions and potential, in a stress-free environment.

Women Health To build a brighter and Inclusivity healthier future, engaging Pinkathon actively seeks out women to talk openly isoloated communities and about health problems and motivates them to be a part seek expert advice. of this celebration of life, to inspire, and be inspired.

6 HOW WE DO IT

A short run of 5 km along with fellow Pink Sisters.

Pink Training Meet (Creating Pinkathon State of mind) 7 Spirit of Pinkathon (Celebrating potential of the human spirit) A city to city run with an ultra-running distance and is an initiative to celebrate the potential of the human spirit.

Pinkathon Mascot Man Kaur a 101 yrs. old Guinness world record holder.

Visually Impaired Training Run Bringing the visually impaired into the mainstream using running as the medium. Thus, fostering sighted runners more than a glimpse into their lives, they can only imagine.

8 Zumba Sessions for the deaf and mute Breaking sound barriers, encouraging women and children with hearing impairment to engage in fitness routine in a fun way.

Babywearing Mothers Workshop One of its kind seminars to train mothers how to Babywear, with a basic cotton dupatta or a cotton saree at home and add fitness routine while wearing their babies.

Cancer Shero Walk - “I Inspire” Cancer Shero Walk activates courage and resilience to seek more options and thrive beyond cancer. It encourages our cancer survivors to build a healthy exercise routine with our experts.

9 Traditional Cycle Rally A 3km & 6km ride creating an inclusive environment for a run.

Saree Run The legacy and love of every Indian woman for sarees is undeniable. Through 'The Saree Run', we intend to empower and encourage women to take part in running by draping our rich and vibrant culture around them.

Republic Day Run As a precursor to the main run, Republic day se Independence Day tak Run is organized. The challenge starts on 26th January and ends on 15th August. This is a daily run challenge where women can participate from any location at any given time. One needs to run for 203 days run completing minimum 2 Kms every day.

10 Pinkbandhan Raksha bandhan celebrations are held at various orphanages and children homes in the city, encouraging them to participate in the main run.

Treadathon As a build-up to Pinkathon, Treadathon gives men a fantastic opportunity to volunteer, run on treadmills, and show their support to the cause.

Mother’s Day Celebration! With Zumba and games, Mother’s Day was celebrated in various old-age homes with fun activities for the orphans and less privileged women and senior citizens 11 Relationship Run The Rani Run is 3 km run with Milind Soman for women in the family, to promote family bonding while taking care of one’s health.

Pink Street Flash Mobs attract instant attention for Pinkathon by performing dance and aerobics on the streets.

100 Days of Pinkathon A transformational digital campaign led by the Ambassadors of Pinkathon for the community of the Pink Sisters.

12 I Inspire Run – I’am Able I Inspire Runs are packed with competitions and activities such as Wheelchair race, Ground Device race and some fitness sessions.

The Pink Stories Every face tells a story. Extraordinary women and their inspiring stories are the strength of Pinkathon.

India Going Pink A franchise model initiated by United Sisters Foundation to encourage women to adopt healthier lifestyles and develop a positive attitude towards life.

13 OUR PINK CITIES Pinkathon is currently conducted in 8 Cities..!

14 Key Highlights 2016-17

Pinkathon Chennai Chapter 2016

Pinkathon Day was celebrated with 30 women at The Banyan Kovalam. A zumba session followed by an awareness session on cancer was organized on 14th May 2016.

15 Training of Pinkathon's inspiring Ambassadors Shazia Fathima, led the hearing and visually impaired squad at Pinkathon Chennai 2016. She is a brilliant example of resilience. Provided with access to the right resources, one can overcome all barriers regardless of gender or disability. Born with Congenital Rubella Syndrome and having both her cataracts removed at birth she underwent a heart surgery all before she turned four.

I’M Able Squad Zumba and Training Sessions were conducted with the differently abled @ Chennai on 16th April 2016.

Baby Wearing Mothers 25 babywearing mothers as well as first timers participated in walks, workshops as well as fun flash mobs around the city on 1st May 2016

16 Cancer Shero Walk 45 women participated in the walk, sharing their stories and experience. They were honored with an "I Inspire" medal on 21st May 2016

Spirit of Pinkathon Spoorthi, Kunal and Sandeep reached Chennai covering 350 kms in 6 days, from Bangalore on 4th June 2016.

Each Pinkathon Ambassadors adopted a grandmother and the pair took part in the 5km and 10km Run at Pinkathon Chennai on 7th May 2016

17 Zumba and Training was conducted with KKSS Family with 45 women on 15th May 2016. Helping them kick start their fitness routine.

Pengaluka O Podunga Run A traditional run for women and men was held on 22nd May 2016 at Tower Park in Anna Nagar.

18 The Treadathon event was held at Forum Mall with 48 participants, powered by Talwalkar’s, gave men a fantastic opportunity to volunteer, run on treadmills, and show their support on 8th May 2016

Pinkathon Chennai 2016 Over 5000 participants took part in the run, which began at Island Grounds near the city’s famous Marina Beach on 5th June 2016.

19 Key Highlights 2016-17

Pinkathon Delhi Chapter 2016

Rani Run 20 women joined the Rani Run, a one of a kind run, with Mothers, sisters, in-laws, aunties and cousins, at Nehru Park on 21st August 2016

20 A 5km run was organized at the India Gate with 20 participants on 10th July 2016

Around 80 Deaf and Mute girls matched their steps with our expert Zumba instructors at Feroz Shah Kotla Cricket Stadium, Delhi on 23rd July 2016

Special Training sessions were conducted for the 70 Deaf and Blind Girls of Sense India at at NAB, RK Puram, held on 24th July 2016

21 Special Training sessions were conducted for 70 Deaf and Blind Girls of Sense India on 24th July 2016

Zumba Session was organized with Pinkathon to promote a healthy lifestyle among the 35 young girls from Swapan NGO on 6th August 2016.

A delightful Baby Wearing Walk was organized in Gurgaon with 40 mothers wearing colourful baby slings and wraps on 7th August 2016.

22 A Wheelchair Race for the specially abled 30 girls was organized on 28th August 2016. They were trained to perform simple exercises to safely increase strength and endurance.

As a precursor to the Pinkathon main run, a Training and Fitness session was held with 150 girls of the Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi on 14th August 2016.

Pinkdepandance Day Run was celebrated at Lodhi Garden on 15th August 2016.

23 Key Highlights 2016-17

Pinkathon Guwahati Chapter 2016

150 underprivileged girls and women from UTSAH's Hafiznagar community, were taken through a Menstrual Hygiene session in association with Apollo Hospitals. Dr. Nilanjana Das educated the girls through an informative question and answer session on 3rd September 2016

24 Team Pinkathon in Guwahati organized a short trek with 25 cancer conquerors at Gandhi Mandap on 27th August 2016, which included over 10 women across all age groups, who have battled cancer in some form and stage.

Pink Street 100 women enjoyed aerobics and fitness sessions on the Guwahati streets on 4th September 2016

Around 50 girls of BDS Deaf and Mute School, participated in the Pinkathon Zumba Session matching the beats to build a healthy lifestyle on 19th August 2016.

25 Mother’s Day Celebration Run was conducted with 10 participants of Sneha Old Age Home on 10th September 2016.

50 students of Shishu Sarothi with Milind Soman, enjoyed a game of "takali bhonga" as part of promotional event of Pinkathon on 15th September 2016

Celebration Run, was organized with 50 women at Janta Bhavan, Guwahati on 11th September 2016

26 Pinkbandhan Celebrated with 70 children from Snehalya Home on 20th August 2016

20 visually impaired, and 30 hearing-impaired girls participated in different category run on 28th August 2016

Pinkathon Guwahati 2016 More than 5000 women across age groups and from different segments of the society participated in the 3 km, 5 km, 10 km all-woman marathon in Guwahati on 18th September 2016.

27 Key Highlights 2016-17

Pinkathon Pune Chapter 2016

28 Fun Day with 35 hearing impaired children was organized at Maharashtra Fellowship of the Deaf in Pune on 15th October 2016.

35 young mothers participated in Babywearing walk, followed by stretching and functional training for moms with their babies on 22nd October 2016.

Atya Mavshi run with PULA, getting fit with family. Over 100 mothers, daughters, aunts ran and exercised taking a step further towards a fit life. The run was organized on 22nd October 2016.

29 Praising our Pune’s Sheroes Cancer Shero Trek was held at Royal Purandar with 50 cancer survivors on 29th October 2016.

Navvari Flash Mob with 70 women, conquered the streets in their traditional attire. The mob travelled to 3 locations in Pune on 30th October 2016.

Pinkathon organized a Zumba and fitness session for 80 girls at Anjuman Islam. This was followed by a discussion on menstrual hygiene. The event was organized on 14th August 2016.

30 Zumba Session with 200 women was organized at Swachh, an NGO on 2nd November 2016.

Priyadarshini Pamidighantam

Clocked 535kms in 100 days & “I am super thrilled and happy with this achievement. No looking back now and hope to continue running forever! Thanks to Pinkathon for this challenge”

Celebrating Pink Power Sharmila, Aparna and Sonia celebrate their achievement for running 150 Kms in 3 days from Mumbai to Pune on 12th November 2016

31 Our amazing 70 ambassadors cycled in NAVVARIS through Pune, announcing the upcoming Pinkathon Pune on 30th October 2016

Pinkathon Pune 2016 Pinkathon has seen growing support and love from women around the nation. Pinkathon Pune completed its fourth edition with more than 7000 women running to spread the message of fitness loud and clear. Prominent personalities like Sai Tamhankar and Priya Bapat flagged off the run at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Reseach, (ISSER), Pashan. The event was organized on 13th November 2016.

32 Key Highlights 2016-17

Pinkathon Mumbai Chapter 2016

33 Mothers Day Celebration at Manav Seva Sangh was organized with 30 women on 31st July 2016. Warm-up session and laughter therapy was conducted by Ambassador Suvarna Joshi.

Zumba session was followed by a TED Talk by Rashmi, a soft skill Trainer and Life Coach and cancer survivor. Around 50 women joined for the run on 3rd December 2016.

Reebok organized a running session with 100 Pinkathon runners in Mumbai accompanied by Milind Soman. The event was organised by Reebok India in association with Pinkathon at DLF Promenade Mall on 4th Decembe 2016.

34 Baby Wearing Run was organized in Mumbai on 4th December 2016. Around 40 mothers participated in the Baby Fit Joy Session followed by energetic Zumba and exercise.

Cancer Shero Trek, was held at Nagla Trail, Sasupada Village, Mumbai, with 30 Sheroes on 11th December 2016. ‘Cancer Survivors’ were honoured with an ‘I Inspire’ medal.

The Mumbai Cycle rally event was a celebration of women in Navvari traditional saree draping style of Maharashtra, cycling the Mumbai streets inviting other women to join the Pinkathon Mumbai 2016 and was held on 18th December 2016. 35 Fearless Run A mid-night run was organized in Mumbai in liaison with Mumbai Police.

Pinkathon Mumbai COLORS joined hands to salute the invincible spirit of the ‘care-givers’ of our Lives and pronounced it as the ‘COLOURS Pinkathon’. The event was organized on 18th December 2016.

36 Key Highlights 2016-17

Pinkathon Bangalore Chapter 2016

37 60 supermoms from Bangalore performed stretching and functional training with their babies. The Babywearing walk was held at Cubbon Park on 9th January 2017. This was followed by a knowledgeable and interactive session on breastfeeding and babywearing.

Bangalore women conquered the streets in their traditional wear, to celebrate Pinkathon coming to Bangalore, with a Cycle Rally at Cubbon Park on Makar Sankranti on 14th January 2017. The 10 km cycle rally, had over 55 women colourfully decked in Navvari sari.

The arrival of Pinkathon was much cherished by the children at Sneha Care Home, Bangalore. Around 100 girls were engaged in Zumba, push-ups, balancing tricks and much laughter on 15th January 2017

38 Stories of hope, survival and healthy lifestyle came together at the second edition of Cancer Shero Trek atop Nandi Hills on 22nd January 2017 in Bangalore. Around 50 cancer survivors trekked with their families, joined by Pinkathon team, to spread awareness on breast cancer and support a healthy lifestyle.

“We tell women that your me-time is important.” Reema Sanghavi - Pinkathon holds a year-round weekly fitness training for women for free around the cities. Over 200 women between the age of 35-50 participated in Bangalore. Neilma Pudota, who covered 350 km barefoot from Vijayawada to Vishakhapatnam in seven days said, “It is astonishing how our mind stops us from exploring our potential. Something I thought was not possible at all for a person who transitioned to barefoot hardly 5 months ago

Republic day se Independence Day tak Run This is a daily run challenge where women can participate from any location at any given time. One needs to run for 203 days, completing minimum 2 Kms day. Participants can register through a link and upload their runs on social media to validate their progress. The challenge started on 26th January 2017 and finished on 15th August 2017, celebrating the success on 19th August 2017. 39 Key Highlights 2016-17

Pinkathon Hyderabad Chapter 2016

The event “Baby Wearing Walk” was held on 4th February 2017 to emphasize on staying fit during pregnancy and post-natal period. 35 mothers participated carrying their babies in slings and harnesses, as they walked along with Milind Soman.

40 Pinkathon believes that women can work out wearing whatever they are most comfortable in, be it a saree, salwar kameez, hijab or anything they like. Over 50 women joined a fun cycle rally all dressed up in traditional wear and their ethnic best on 5th February 2017.

Cancer Shero Trek at Fakruddin gutta was organized, ahead of Pinkathon Hyderabad on 26th February 2017 with 30 sheroes. The event was dedicated to the stories of courage and positivity and filled with respect for the Sheroes, a word coined by a "Survivor Hero".

Treadathon Hyderabad was organized at Inorbit Cyberabad with 52 participants. Both women and men participated in this run on 12th February 2017.

41 Visually Impaired Training Run was Organized at Devnar School of Blind, Hyderabad. It was a preparation for the 15 girls who participated in the guided run at the Pinkathon Hyderabad on 18th February 2017.

Zumba with Hearing Impaired girls, was held with 45 girls at Ashray – Akruti, an NGO on 19th February 2017

Pinkathon Hyderabad 2016 was held at People’s Plaza on 26th February 2017 with over 6000 participants.

42 Key Highlights 2016-17

Pinkathon Kolkata Chapter 2016

Kolkata Inaugural Run was held on 1st February 2017 with 30 participants, as a preamble to the first-ever Pinkathon Kolkata to be held on 26 Kicked off by an informalth inaugural March 2017. address by our founder, Milind Soman who spoke about the significance of the run and warm up exercises.

44 Gulal Run Kolkata celebrated Holi, the Pinkathon way on 11th March 2017. The Holi special run started in the morning outside Kolkata Rowing Club and ended at Ravindra Sarovar Lake. The event was a splash of pink over the streets with over 40 people participating in the Run

I Inspire, Kolkata was organized at Manav Vikas Kendra on March 17th 2017. This event focuses on providing sporting opportunities for children (under 18) with physical impairments to take part in a number of sports, including athletics through a wheel chair race.

‘Self-care is not selfish’ - Pinkathon Baby Wearing Walk Kolkata was dedicated to 20 such mothers who had seconded their health for the sake for their babies. Post walk they were involved in stretches and exercises, they can continue at home along with tips on pre and postnatal period. The th March 2017 event was organized on 5 44 At Calcutta Blind School H.S, 15 Visually Impaired girls, were engaged in physical training, Zumba and stretches on 18th March 2017, to help them run at the main event. This was done with the help of dedicated volunteers who step in to guide each of these girls and run with them from training to the main event.

On 19th March 2017, our 20 Kolkata Sheroes or inspiring cancer survivors shared words of inspiration, wisdom, hope, and support at the Cancer Shero Walk. Every Shero was felicitated with an ‘I Inspire’ medal after the walk.

Kolkata Pinkathon successfully completed its first edition run with 10000 participants on 26 2017 at Rangers Ground Maidan. 30 visuallyth March impaired girls ran the VWash Plus 3km distance with enthusiasm. A squad of cancer survivors participated in Vwash Plus 3KM and Mia By Tanishq 5km. 20 Babywearing mothers walked the Vwash Plus 3KM distance. The run had participants as young as 4 months and as old as 75 years.

45 PARTICIPATION OF PINKATHON Total Participants Across Cities 2016-17 No. of Participants No.

Age-wise Participation 2016-17

46 SUSTAINABILITY IN THE PINK We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world. – Howard Zinn

Pinkathon Venues are formulated keeping in mind every aspect of providing a safe and healthy space for our women as well as making our actions count.

The following are the major highlights of Sustainability at each of the Pinkathon runs.

Breast Feeding Rooms Green Water Stations To make sure that mothers who Each of the venues is equipped join the ‘Babywearing Walks' and with Green Water stations. also the runners who are still These have been created to breastfeeding can comfortably promote awareness of clean stop for feeding their babies, the and eco-friendly practices venue is equipped with breastfeeding rooms.

Household Help Registrations Tree plantation The opportunity is given to Pinkathon in collaboration with any woman registering for the Bajaj Electricals planted 1000 Pinkathon, to register her trees in every city to house help for free. commemorate every Pinkathon. The plantation drives were carried out throughout the city along with awareness on Pink Philanthropy women's health issues. Although Pinkathon is not a charity run, the United Sisters Foundation actively campaigns for and provides a platform for NGO's, Corporates and Individuals to raise funds for organizations like WCI - TATA Memorial Hospital, Adyar Cancer Centre and Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation

47 The Tsunamika project was started with a focus on providing a source of livelihood for the fisherwomen whose homes and livelihoodsTsunamika were destroyed Dolls by the Tsunami disaster in 2004. For this purpose, 480 women from 6 coastal villages were given handicraft training to create a small doll using left-over fabric from other industries. The doll is known as Tsunamika. Pinkathon took the initiative of awarding our inspiring women with these dolls, with the words, ‘I am a finisher' and thereby supporting the cause of empowering women through the Tsunamika Doll project.

48 Pink Ripples

The Sheroes Of 2016

49 Mitali Upadhye participated along with 7000 women in the Pinkathon in Pune. She was part of the Mascots of the Sheroes. She invites survivors and winners like herself to join hands and become a part of SHERO Squad.."Together we can do more. We are the cause. and no one can better help the cause than us."

Reshmi Bendre, Pinkathon Pune 2016 Reshmi Bendre has been associated with Pinkathon for 3 years. She shares her tryst with Cancer "I was detected with breast cancer about 10 years ago. After the treatment, I have been doing fine. Those going through treatment need to understand, it is important to focus on the present, be positive, eat healthy and exercise well".

Shyamali Singh, Guwahati 2016 Shyamoli Singh is passionate about running. However due to lack of support from parents and community she could not take her passion to fruition. To make matters worse a tumor was detected in her left breast, and she had to undergo surgery. Kudos to Shyamoli, she was back on the ground in 6 days training again. She won the SCMM this year, along with runs in Surat, Bangalore, Jaipur, Darjeeling, and many others. 50 Pragya Prasun, Pink Ambassador It was in April 2006 this bold woman braved an acid attack. From the day the horrific incident happened to till date, for the last 12 years, she has been a beacon of hope for hundreds of acid attack victims. She ran her first marathon in 2017 with Pinakthon. Pragya Prasun, the 35-year-old resolute woman, has helped about 200 women victims of acid attacks undergo 300 surgeries for free and provided them with not just legal assistance and financial aid but also helped them get job opportunities. In 2013, she brought into being her noble goal by establishing Atijeevan Foundation and has been helping in every possible way to make victims’ lives better and happier.

51 OUR PILLARS OF STRENGTH We would like to extend a huge thanks to our wonderful partners who’ve been instrumental on taking our work forward in the year 2016-17

52 United Sisters Foundation, 602, 6th Floor, Orion Building, Jawaharlal Nehru Rd., Above Kotak Mahindra Bank, Santacruz (E), Mumbai - 400055 Email: [email protected] | Phone No: +91 9167397791 | Website - www.usfworld.org 53