BUDDHEV PANDYA MBE

Buddhdev Pandya is Project Manager for Capacity Building in the London Region. He coordinates Pan London South Asian network along with responsibilities in Policy and Communication with in CIO. He joined CIO in 2001 and led its Policy and Communication Unit. He has years of experience in Community Development and promoting Racial Equality. He was award of an MBE for his contribution to community and race relations in the Queen’s Honours list.

Buddhdev Pandya lead the Policy and Communication Unit of CIO before adding responsibilities for delivering a Capacity Building programme Gyan ki Rahein (Road to Knowledge). It was funded through Learning Skills Council. Over 500 community organisations from the South Asian Community and Voluntary sector actively participated in the skills development training events. The project celebrated its success at the House of Commons by awarding a recognition certificate to beneficiaries; the most actively participating organisations.

He established CIO's Pan London South Asian Network in 2004 to provide a forum for the South Asian organisations across London for sharing examples of good practices and identifying barriers as well as exploring potential solutions. The project has over 80 core members reflecting diverse interest groups from all the sub-regions of London. He had organised many conferences, Seminars, workshops and consultations on major national issues such as Third Sector Review, ID cards, Race Relations and others.

Buddhdev Pandya MBE came to CIO with extensive experience in the field of community development and background in promoting racial equality. He has held management position and led a number of initiatives in his professional career. His passion for voluntary work spans over thirty years, involving establishment of some new innovative initiatives within the community.

His keen interest in photography with added skills of journalism landed him with responsibility for preparing and publishing CIO's Namaste Newsletter. The newsletter is distributed to over 2000 key voluntary and statutory organisations across the United Kingdom.

While Buddhdev continues to carry out the Policy and Communication tasks he is now leading a new project to expand the Pan London South Asian Network with specific focus on promoting ChangeUP and special Action Learning Sets as pilot initiative supported by CapacityBuilders. He has launched a PROJECT2000@eMAll initiative to recruit over 2000 emails from the key workers; volunteers, employees and the members of management bodies to join an email communication pool for CIO. He also heads a team of ICT project geared up to ChangeUP and ICT Hub propotion.

He has served on many public bodies such as Health Authority, family Practitioners Committee, Community Health Council, Crime Prevention Panel, Probation Board, Police Community Consultative Committee and Equality initiatives. he establised first Mental Health Group home to support young black people in 1983 as a innovative project for care in the community. Buddhdev recently successfulled celebrate Abhay Partnership Project supporting Asian elders.

He was honoured by by H E Dr Snaghvi, the Indian High Commissioner on behalf of the Indian Association. he establised first Indian Community centre in 1976 using the Home Office Urban Aid programme. Also, he was honoured by the Mayor of Bedford Cllr D jones on behlf of Pakistan Welfare Associationand Mosque Committee. His work with the Bangladeshi Youth earned him honours from Bangladeshi Youth. He helped Co-Em-It: Italian Migrant Committee to establised a centre and insurumental in iniating a new building project for a Sikh Gurwara for which he was honored with a special awards by various communities.

During the explusion of the Asians from Uganda, Buddhdev actively visited the resettlement campmps acroos the UK and assisted over 10,000 Uganda Asians to relocate their families and friends and complete various benefit and passport from as General Secretary of Brent Indian Association. He lised extensively with the politicians in Leicester, Brent and Harrow to pursuade them to make approprite provions to accept these people after they arrived without any money or goods with them.

He was instrumental in establishment and development of British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin in 1998. He received a special awarded at the hnds of H E Kamlesh Sharama the High Commissioner of India on Behalf of BAPIO at a high profled event held at the Royal Colleges of Surgens for services renedered to the cause of the Indian doctors.

Buddhdev has also worked within Caribbean communities and invited to address conferences on 'Every Child Matters and Celebre BLACK HISTORY.

Buddhdev was awarded an MBE in the Queen's New Years honours List in 1994 for his community services and race relations. Recently, he was a recipient of an award for his voluntary contribution to the Leicester City as a nominee of Khatri Muslim Association.

Buddhdev is married with three children and is a Director, acting in an honorary capacity as an Advisor for Asian lite national paper. He feels , " I am fortunate to have front line work experience as well as leading many large and small projects, both as a volunteer and some times paid officer- best of the both world". Reflectin on the world of Mahatma Gandhi, " If we do not put something back in to society for our children as much as we take it out, it will be stealing and my conscious will not allow me to carry the burdon to grave or to the next life".

Email contact: buddhdevp@googlemail.com