FIAPO is delighted to mark the fourth year of our Living Free campaign to spread the message of cruelty free living! On April 14th, ‘Day of Living Free’ celebrations witnessed the launch of a new virtual reality programme. ‘Eyes Wide Open’, the first of its kind in India, was launched simultaneously in seven cities across the country. The activity virtually teleported people inside factory farms to experience the cruelty of India’s dairy industry. After witnessing firsthand the horrific reality, people were urged to give up dairy, whether for just a day, a week, or forever.
Living free also launched its new Wall of Fame, as a token of gratitude from Team FIAPO to the hundreds of activists doing pioneering outreach work in their cities and helping increase the vegan network in India!
Here are some of the testimonials from activists who tried outreach with VR for the first time:
“The introduction of VR technology into the fold has been fruitful manifold in terms of attracting the crowd. In addition, it is more immersive compared to video outreach and is more impactful, inferring from the expressions of people viewing the video through the device.” (Karthik, Living Free Chennai)
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“People were excited about experiencing virtual reality, and upon seeing the horrors the animals undergo, they were shocked. This helped people make the connection instantaneously.” (Shubham Srivastava, Living Free Lucknow)
To further aid the theme of ‘Eyes Wide Open’, a flip book, ‘Rani’s Journey’, was created to tell the full tale of the savagery experienced throughout the life of a female calf born to the dairy industry.
With events in over 15 cities, and more planned to come, our movement gathered a hugely positive response. Over 4720 people were sensitised to the reality of the Indian dairy industry, and many new activists stepped up to do more such activities in their own cities!
You too can be a Living Free hero and devote a couple of hours each week to spread the message of cruelty free living in your city! Get in touch with us at livingfree@fiapo.org! Visit: livingfree.fiapo.org for more information!
