The event was a testament to AB InBev India’s commitment to its Global Smart Drinking Goal of reducing the harmful use of alcohol by 10% by 2025.

The event was attended by Dr Tarun Yadav, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, Sonipat; Dhan Singh, reader to the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sarita, Sarpanch of Bhigan village; R K Vajpai, Principal of Welfare Centre for Persons with Speech and Hearing Impairment and community leaders from the different villages in Sonipat.

For the last one year, Haryana Breweries Limited of AB InBev India, Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) and the Martha Farrell Foundation have been successfully running #NoMoreBoundaries - a multi-stakeholder project.

In the last year, #NoMoreBoundaries has mobilized 2608 youth, recognizing 278 youth leaders – over half of them being girls.

Sonipat, September 17, 2019 – Reiterating its commitment to facilitate positive change in communities, Haryana Breweries Limited along with Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) and Martha Farrell Foundation united 200 women across 10 villages on the occasion of Global Be(er) Responsible Day in Sonipat, Haryana. The event provided these women a platform to discuss their problems, possible solutions and find strength in unity. The 200 women who attended the event have been affected by the adverse effects of alcohol, in their families and communities, and belong to the families of the young girls we have worked with over the last year through our project #NoMoreBoundaries. A multi-stakeholder, youth-led initiative based in Sonipat, ‘#NoMoreBoundaries’ is aimed at building awareness, capacities and sensitizing the community on gender equality through interventions and workshops in schools, Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and the community at large.

The event was attended by Dr Tarun Yadav, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, Sonipat; Dhan Singh, reader to the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sarita, Sarpanch of Bhigan; R K Vajpai, Principal of Welfare Centre for Persons with Speech and Hearing Impairment; and community leaders from the different villages in Sonipat.

One of the most significant outcomes of the #NoMoreBoundaries Project was an extensive youth-led Participatory Safety Assessment of the safety issues faced by girls and women in the community. Conducted in ten villages, ten government schools and five ITIs in the month of January, the study revealed that alcohol was increasingly becoming one of the factors that led to harassment of women and girls in their homes, schools and surrounding areas of the villages. But over the course of the project it has emerged, through conversations with the young girls, that offenses against women can be attributed to the mindset of the men in the community and not alcohol. The event saw a discussion among the women leaders where they spoke about how a person’s thinking, values and how they view women play a vital role. Dr Tarun Yadav, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, Sonipat and Dhan Singh, reader to the Deputy Superintendent of Police, echoed this sentiment as they spoke about how mental health issues are the primary cause of violence against women and touched upon the perils of illicit liquor and its impact on consumers.

Building on these insights, the celebrations threw light on the importance of adopting smart drinking at the community level, measures needed to reduce harmful use of alcohol and shift societal thinking and behaviors. The celebrations also saw a performance by a local theatre group illustrating how harassment of women in public spaces is a growing concern.

The event was a testament to AB InBev India’s commitment to shifting social norms and behaviors and contributes to the company’s Global Smart Drinking Goals of reducing the harmful use of alcohol by 10% by 2025. Started in 2010, Global Be(er) Responsible Day is an annual initiative where employees across markets globally came together to promote alcohol responsibility programs in local communities.

In the last year, we have mobilized 2608 youth, recognizing 278 youth leaders – over half of them are girls. Through the project we have conducted over 50 participatory safety assessments, engaged and collaborated with 21 institutions and empowered 11 girls to enroll in technical courses. Apart from the Participatory Safety Assessment to gauge safety concerns faced by young girls, #NoMoreBoundaries has also undertaken workshops on gender and life skills and adolescent health and hygiene along with studies surrounding livelihood aspiration and gender among youth.

AB InBev India, A proud part of Budweiser APAC.