The inspiration for supporting this program came from Omeson Naidu, Senior Consultant at Tecala, who up until recently had been living through a strict COVID-19 lockdown in Melbourne. Omeson felt that while 2020 had raised global awareness of individual, human vulnerability in the light of the pandemic, the safety and security of children in such uncertain times was often and easily forgotten.
Indeed, last year one billion children representing half the world’s children, experienced violence and this has likely been exacerbated during such a difficult time for the world in recent months.
Omeson says that the Polished Man campaign asserts that no childhood should be lost to violence and it encourages the community and individuals to take a stand and actively commit to helping end violence against children, by painting one nail for the month of October.
“It was a privilege for us to raise funds for Polished Man and to support its work in improving the safety of vulnerable children and their families,” says Omeson. “When I told my colleagues at Tecala about the initiative, there was positive excitement about getting involved and within no time we had a Polished Man team up and running and raising funds!
“Not only were we incredibly grateful for the generosity in the valuable donations which resulted from this initiative but everyone, including my own children, had a lot of fun in the process with painting our nails. This in turn helped to spark discussion and inspire donations in support of the organisation’s initiatives.
The Tecala Polished Man team raised more than $1,350 which will go towards supporting the Australian Childhood Foundation which works to ensure that all children are safe from the trauma of abuse, violence and neglect.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the Polished Man initiative you can read it here: https://polishedman.com
“I’m really proud that we were able to raise funds and help make a difference to children. We look forward to repeating the initiative in 2021 and to building a community of supporters for such a worthwhile initiative. After all, our children are our future and as global citizens, we have a duty to support their safety,” says Omeson.
