Diversity Job Fair conducted at The Lalit Group of hotels to mark the third-year anniversary of the Keshav Suri Foundation.
The job fair saw healthy participation from the marginalized intersections of society. 60 folks have been selected for jobs and internships across functions and variables at The Lalit. The foundation is also planning a Gender Queering workshop for the media on October 23, 2021 (12-noon) at The Lalit New Delhi.
It has been three years since our country bid goodbye to an archaic law, Section 377 on September 6. And three years since the launch of the Keshav Suri Foundation on October 13, 2018; three years of small yet meaningful initiatives to build the nation; to embrace, empower and mainstream the marginalized communities in India.
To fulfill our mission, the foundation has always strived for building livelihood opportunities. To mark the third-year anniversary, the foundation planned a day-long walk-in Diversity Job Fair for LGBTQIA+ communities, people with disabilities, and acid attack survivors, for opportunities in internships and apprenticeship in a safe space. The job fair was conducted in 11 cities across the country at The Lalit and saw healthy participation from the communities, the foundation said.
“We interviewed 109 candidates from the various intersectional communities. It is great to see our endeavors being answered. 60 candidates have been shortlisted for jobs and training, across functions and positions,” said, Akshay Tyagi from the Keshav Suri Foundation.
The foundation also announced the scholars for the year 2021-2022, who have been selected for the fully paid Aditya Nanda Scholarship – a one and a half-year diploma course in food production and bakery at The Lalit Suri Hospitality School.
The foundation has been running this fully paid scholarship for Trans/queer folks since 2019 to create a level playing field for them. This year Sohail (bisexual man), Arjun Saini (transman), Jayraj (transman), and Raj Chauhan (transman) have been awarded the scholarship.
“It has been 3 years since I started my foundation. The road to equality is still a far-fetched dream and we are doing our best to build an egalitarian nation. Sensitizing workplaces, providing education, and creating job opportunities are the three important pillars of our work at KSF. We are also providing free mental health counseling for community members. I am sure our consistent efforts will bring about a positive change to the queer and marginalized lives and enable them to lead a life of dignity,” said Keshav Suri, Founder, Keshav Suri Foundation.
The Keshav Suri Foundation has also planned an educational Gender Queering workshop for media on October 23 at The Lalit New Delhi, to enhance their learnings about queer issues and the importance of representation and empathetic verbiage.
In the last three years, the foundation has skilled over 2000 queer folks through various programs at KSF, provided various opportunities to over 200 queer folks at The Lalit, given opportunities to more than 500 queer artists at Kitty Su and The Lalit. It has worked with diverse supply chains and supported over 100 CBOs and NGOs across the country, helped over 50 Corporates in their D&I journey, and provided food and essential supplies to over five million people during the pandemic.
(India CSR)
