Bournemouth-Based Charity Honored with Global Disability Award

A charity dedicated to empowering disabled individuals to launch their own businesses is slated to receive an international award. The Samee (Support and Mentoring Enabling Entrepreneurship) charity, which operates from Bournemouth, has been designated a Zero Project 2025 awardee and acknowledged as a global disability champion. Sam Everard, the CEO and founder of Samee, described the recognition as “incredible.” The Zero Project, headquartered in Vienna, Austria, is a research-focused initiative committed to ensuring “zero barriers” for people with disabilities. Samee’s selection for the awards followed a rigorous process that evaluated 522 nominations from 90 countries. More than 350 experts in disability inclusion participated in the determination of the winners. The judges specifically commended the Dorset-based charity’s supported self-employment internship, which encompasses training in all facets of business management, along with work placements and mentorship. Ms. Everard, who lives with the myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) condition, was recently featured on the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 list. She commented: “My head is still spinning to be honest.” “I couldn’t believe that a small charity like ours made The Zero Project shortlist in a year with a record number of nominations.” She further stated that the announcement served as the “icing on the cake” during the month of the charity’s eighth anniversary. She added: “Most satisfying to me is that our project is now recognized as being aligned with the United Nations sustainable development goals and the United Nations convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.” This news is being released on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The charity is scheduled to accept its award at the Zero Project Conference in March, which will take place at the United Nations Offices in Vienna. For updates, BBC Dorset can be followed on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.