The Brahma Kumaris participated in Safety 2026, a major international safety conference held in Cape Town, South Africa, bringing together around 500 learned delegates from 70 countries. The biennial conference covers a wide range of safety concerns, including road safety, fire and burns, falls, drowning and violence prevention.
The Brahma Kumaris’ Road Safety Initiative was presented through a Pecha Kucha presentation, highlighting the importance of adding a fifth dimension to the traditional four Es of road safety — Engineering, Education, Enforcement and Emergency Care. This fifth E is Empowerment: empowering individuals through spiritual awareness, values and inner transformation to become more responsible and compassionate road users.
The message was warmly received by the 50 participants present, with several organizations expressing interest in exploring similar initiatives in India and other countries. A research and policy consultant from the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town has expressed interest in learning more about the initiative. A Zoom interaction is scheduled for Saturday, 12 September, to explore the initiative and possible avenues for collaboration. It was encouraging to see the interest and response to the idea of the 5th E – Empowerment and its relevance to road safety.
Sister Pratibha from South Africa and Dr Mukul from the Transport & Travel Wing participated in the conference and presented this unique perspective.
The conference is held every two years, with the next edition scheduled for September 2028 in Quebec City, Canada.
