Global disability award 'icing on cake' for charity

Sam Everard (right, teaching a training course) said her head was "spinning" after hearing of the award

A charity that helps enable disabled people to start their own businesses is to receive a global award.

The Samee (Support and Mentoring Enabling Entrepreneurship) charity, which is based in Bournemouth, has been recognised as a Zero Project 2025 awardee and a global disability champion.

Its CEO and founder Sam Everard described receiving the award as "incredible".

The Zero Project, based in Vienna, Austria, is a research-driven initiative working to make sure there are "zero barriers" for people with disabilities.

Samee receives the awards following a selection process that whittled down 522 nominations from 90 countries.

More than 350 disability inclusion experts were involved in deciding the winners.

The judges noted the Dorset charity's supported self-employment internship, which involves training in all aspects of running a business, as well as work placements and mentoring support.

The Samee charity has been recognised as a global disability champion

Ms Everard, who has the myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) condition, recently made the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 list.

She said: "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 said the news was the "icing on the cake" in the month of the charity's eighth birthday.

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."

The news is being announced on International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

The charity will receive its award at the Zero Project Conference in March at the United Nations Offices in Vienna.