In-Depth Discussions At IACC Conference On Importance Of Teamwork And Role Of Technology

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July 21, 2017

The 4^th Annual CSR Conference organised by the Indo-American Chambers of Commerce (IACC) highlighted two of the most important issues currently in focus with regard to social initiatives by corporates – the significance of collaboration & teamwork, and the role that technology can play in the process.

The Conference, attended by a cross section of representatives from industry, government, non-profit organisations in the social sector and social enterprises, researchers, educationists and others was based on the theme “Partners for Change: Leveraging Leadership, Teamwork and Technology for Effective CSR”.

Two key presentations at the Conference were the Inaugural Address by Chief Guest Raje Ambrish Rao, Honorable Minister of State, Department of Tribal Development & Forest Development, Government of Maharashtra, and the Keynote Address delivered by Ms. Reema Nanavaty, Director, SEWA. Other prominent speakers included Ranjit Shahani, Vice Chairman & MD, Novartis, Puja Marwaha, CEO, CRY, Sunil Mehta, CMD, SPM Capital Advisers Pvt Ltd, Abhishek Agarwal, Country Director, Accion India, Nehal Sanghavi, USAID and others.

Chief Guest Shri Raje Ambrish Rao said that there was “tremendous scope for the government, industry and social organizations to work together”, especially in “rural India where 70% of the population lives”. Programmes for tree plantation or to implement important government schemes like Swachch Bharat or construction of toilets in rural villages could be taken up. He urged all present “to work together to create a Maharashtra and an India that all can be proud of”.

Social activist Reema Nanavaty stressed that efforts should be focused on “building community based enterprises” – collectives formed by the disadvantaged and underprivileged which would help them make economic gains. The stress should be on “developing self-reliance, and inculcating social values such as truth and non violence”. She emphasised that the “poor do not want charity”, but need to be empowered so they can “earn adequately and live a life of dignity and self-respect”.

The Conference concluded with a fairly wide consensus that the corporate sector, government and social sector needed to work together, using various levels of tripartite collaboration to address the social needs of the underprivileged sections of society. While new technology, particularly the use of mobile based internet systems, have opened up many new avenues for identifying problems, creating delivery mechanisms and tracking and analysing effectiveness of implementation, the methodology of assessment should consider not just immediate success, but also the less ‘measurable’ long term social impact.

A summary of the Panel Discussions:

The Health Sector

The first panel focused attention on why India remained backward in terms of health and other social parameters despite economic growth. Partnerships with social organisations could focus on specific issues and to achieve scale and countrywide impact existing, and often underutilised government and public sector networks such as the Post office, Indian Railways, health workers (ASHA) could be involved.

Collaboration and Team Spirit

The panel noted that industry and social organisations often had shared goals, but needed to develop common action programmes too. Increased interaction between the two sides has resulted in greater understanding, but there are still varied work styles and other gaps that need to be bridged.

Leveraging Technology

Contemporary and emerging technologies have allowed new paradigms to be explored, and out of the box solutions applied to tackle existing social problems. Technology has improved the ability to implement projects on a far wider scale than was earlier possible and also enhanced the possibilities of tracking impact.

Social Entrepreneurship

It was felt that not all social interventions could yield immediate economic dividends. Many non-profits were in fields that aimed to have longer term social impact, which could not be ‘measured’ in monetary terms. Levels of professionalism in the social sector have risen and so non-profits should not be embarrassed about claiming just rewards for what they added to the value chain.

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Making Reproductive Health Care All-Inclusive

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Vaibhavi Khanwalkar

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July 21, 2017

Reproductive health is often associated with the female population of the country. The exclusion of men from this issue is leading to research and policy being very unidirectional. While carrying out surveys or studies, only women are approached for analysis and research. Lack of men’s involvement in family planning and health care tends to affect the sexual health of women as well. The same was observed in Madhya Pradesh, when the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released data, which showed the declining use of condoms, leading to a further decline in women’s health. The MP government launched a campaign to resolve this, but unlike other sexual health campaigns, this was targeted towards men.

Male health workers of the state distributed packets of condoms among men in the rural areas, especially the newly wedded. The health workers also explained to them the benefits of using contraceptive methods and the importance of family planning. In 2008-09, there were 11.8 lakh users of condoms in MP but in 2016-17 the number drastically came down to 2.79 lakh.This is according to a report published by Hindustan Times. The report also states that the number of abortions in the state increased by 127%. Nationwide, there has been a rise in abortions due to unwanted pregnancies. Ignorance among the men regarding reproductive health has a direct impact on women’s sexual health.

According to National Family Health Survey 2015-16, awareness amongst men about HIV/AIDS and other STDs in rural areas is 29.3%. Male sterilisation in the country is 0.3%, because no campaign or scheme explains the citizens about that family planning method. The Reproductive and Child Health Program, 1998 and National Population Policy 2000, had little or no mention of male involvement in family planning. Most of the NGOs and CSR initiatives target women for their sexual and reproductive health drives. For example, Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) is a very successful scheme under the National Health Mission. But it has been observed in many states that they are only reaching the female population.

Male involvement in family planning affects and promotes couples’ dialogue regarding gender equality, knowledge about prevention of STDs, contraception and gender based violence. This can only be achieved if men are made to feel a part of the issue and are directly addressed.

One concern is that in rural areas of India, the decision making power is already with the male member of the family. The reach has to be equal for both men and women so that there is no imbalance of responsibility. The initiative of the MP government is a step in the right direction to make reproductive and sexual health more inclusive.

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Install Green House Solar Dryers And Generate Additional Revenues

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Neha Bilandani

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July 20, 2017

An entire community of 70 farmers in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri have found an additional source of revenue. The mango farming communities have acquired solar dryers which will empower them to tap demand for dry resins in both domestic and international markets.

India’s ranking in terms of food security is not on par with its status of being one of the biggest producers of vegetables. According to a research, it produces 220 million tons of vegetables and fruits in a year but about 30% of the production never reaches the table and the main reason for this waste is a lack of storage infrastructure, particularly at harvest-time. To support the farmers, Covestro along with Vivunes, an organisation based at Chennai, recently executed project for drying of multi-fruit bar which comprises of six units of green house solar dryers for MCI Agro Industries-Krishnagiri.

A fruit park has been established thus, helping the farmer community in Krishnagiri to reduce wastage of fruits especially mango due to weak demands or weather related delays. Many food preservation techniques like cold storage, drying, etc., have been evolved over the years to tackle the losses. The major constraint is that almost all the technologies utilise fossil fuel resources, which are depleting very fast, and wise use of these precious resources are preferred for long-term energy sustainability.

“Weather, weak demands, logistical issues, long credit periods and low shelf-life have been key issues plaguing the farming community for long. Despite good harvest we have seen our produce facing a risk of spoilage. Therefore, we wanted to use dryers which will not just help us sell the fruit bars and fruits in market but also provide an entrepreneurial opportunity for women of our community,” said Sathiya Moorthy, one of the farmers.

“India is a fast growing country and has the second largest population with agriculture being the source of income to nearly 60 % of the total population. Still, post-harvest and storage loss is a major difficulty that needs to be addressed meticulously. Food preservation methods such as solar drying help in reducing food insecurity among farmer communities and will help in boosting the economy by supporting them with additional revenue source,” said Richard Northcote, Chief Sustainability Officer, Covestro AG.

While highlighting the impact of greenhouse solar dryer on agri-horticultural sector with Covestro technology, AP Prabhakar, Chief Executive of Vivunes, said that the technology is proving to be an effective solution for commercial scale drying with not much of skills required from farmers to achieve desirable standards. The technology will find extensive application shortly with pan India presence owing to its vantage on usage of renewable energy and on current market acceptance of the produce dried with the same technology.

The greenhouse solar dryer technology is ideal to break the boundaries and barriers on post harvest realisation of fruits and vegetables, manage excessive yields of seasonal crops and to enhance its value adding proposition. With the collaborative approach, this mission could contribute to the upliftment of farming community, which could also serve as an eye opener for effective realisation of farmers produce.

Sustainable methods for food preservation are the need of the hour and in India, solar drying is one of the most preferred choices and a promising technology owing to its vantage on utilisation of renewable energy. This initiative will enable farming communities to build more sustainable business and also contribute to the development of agricultural sector in India.

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Study Mall, Maharashtra

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The CSR Journal

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July 19, 2017

Thinksharp Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation started in 2011.

The Project – StudyMall provides both academic and non-academic educational infra-structure to rural children. This helps the children in their better education.

Rural education system in India is inadequate compare to urban education, Thinksharp Foundation team all come from rural areas and are very much aware of this problem. There is lack of better place to sit after and during school for study, poor infrastructure in schools, libraries are either absent or are at long distances. Extra academic books, career material, computer, discussion platform etc. is not available for rural children.

As on July 2017 the foundation has reached five villages in Maharashtra and set up five StudyMall projects there. Project locations include –

1) Surangali village Dist: Jalna.
2) Varangaon village Dist. Jalgaon.
3) Vangani village Dist.Thane
4) Chikatgaon village, Dist.Aurangabad.
5) Chorwaghalgaon village Dist.Aurangabad.

They are planning to help five more villages in Maharashtra in FY 2017-2018. We are committed to our vision of “‘One village one StudyMall”.

You can support for next StudyMall- Digital Class project by donating on online campaign- https://milaap.org/fundraisers/thinksharp . Please note all your donations do have tax benefit eligibility.

To know more you can mail them at: info@thinksharpfoundation.org

International Day For The Conservation Of The Mangrove Ecosystem

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Nirbhay Lumde, CSR Professional

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July 19, 2017

Mangroves ecosystem is rich in biodiversity located at the interface of land and sea in tropical regions. These help in ensuring food security for many coastal communities. Mangroves provide biomass, forest products and help in sustaining fisheries. They contribute immensely to the protection of coastlines and help in mitigating the effects of climate change and extreme weather events such as tsunamis.

However, it is reported that mangroves are fast disappearing three to five times than the global forests. This has a serious impact on ecology, socio and economic aspect of the communities depending on for livelihood. It is also a fact that mangroves biodiversity is endangered and threatened by the alarming rise in the sea level. Therefore it is important to protect the mangrove ecosystems to keep ensuring the balanced ecosystem and livelihoods of the dependent communities.

The General Conference of the UNESCO, at its 38th session, has passed a resolution to adopt July 28, as the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem. The UNESCO’s proclamation states that, “Considering that mangroves are a unique, special and vulnerable ecosystem, providing by virtue of their existence, biomass and productivity substantial benefits to human beings, providing forestry, fishery goods and services as well as contributing to the protection of the coastline and being particularly relevant in terms of mitigation of the effects of climate change and food security for local communities”.

In India, mangroves are spread on the West and East Coasts, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Rapid industrialisation, pollution and demand for housing have resulted in fast depleting of mangroves at a quick pace. However, India has a long tradition of managing mangrove forests, be it in the Sundarbans, Thane Creek or Goa and there’s a legal protection for the ecosystem in the form of Coastal Regulation Zone Notification. On the day of the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, it important to understand and take initiatives to protect, conserve and nurture mangrove ecosystem.

There is more than one way of extending the helping hand in the survival of the mangrove ecosystem. There should not be any compromise in protection and restoration of degraded mangrove areas. The simplest act is to get acquainted with gain knowledge about the mangroves ecosystem. It is important to be an active citizen in reporting destruction in mangrove ecosystem to the appropriate authorities in case of any violation.

It is important to spread the awareness highlighting the issues of land reclamation, coastal regulation zone notification and encroachment and illegal destruction of the mangrove ecosystem. It also helps local authorities to implement legal provisions. It is critical to influencing the state government and local bodies to initiate interventions to protect the fast depleting natural resources. It helps to be a savior by participating in plantation of mangroves in their natural habitat.

Mangroves are among the most valuable ecosystems, local administrative authorities along with the public, in general, have to take action fast to take full control of the protection and conservation on war footing. It is important to reiterate that the mangroves are vital in protecting the coast against storms, tsunamis, and erosion and all interventions have to be directed with the belief that mangroves act as coastal defense. There are always additional benefits to the larger biodiversity with the protection of mangroves. Therefore, all efforts should result in increased public awareness of the importance of mangroves, their survival and increase the spread of mangrove foothold.

About the Author

Nirbhay Lumde is a Corporate Social Responsibility professional and writes on current social, economic and environmental trends. He is an alumnus of IIT Bombay.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author in his personal capacity and do not in any way represent the views of any entity, organisation that the author may have been associated with.

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Take Action Against Poverty: Mandela Day

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Vaibhavi Khanwalkar

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July 18, 2017

Free yourself, free others and serve every day. These are the ideals by which world leader Nelson Mandela lived and encouraged people to adopt. On his birth anniversary, UN General Assembly launched Mandela Day on July 18 in 2009, to commemorate his spirit of servitude. This day is now observed in 149 countries every year and its theme is ‘Action Against Poverty’. The Nelson Mandela Foundation on July 18 observes, in retrospect, the efforts taken for the welfare of people and what can further be done. The Foundation has tried to increase its reach, impact and sustainability for the since last 8 years. To bring about change, this day seeks to make every day a Mandela Day by celebrating the leader’s life and legacy in sustainable ways.

Nelson Mandela fought to dismantle apartheid and tackle racism in South Africa. He fought poverty and during his term as President and worked towards the betterment of the underprivileged people of his country. Mandela Day promotes similar social change, but on an individual level and on a small scale. Madiba, as he was fondly called by his people, had the vision to spread social justice and make it a global movement. He was a servant leader and Mandela day encourages people to walk down a similar road. On this day, the NM Foundation was supported by a number of NGOs and prominent personalities from politics in South Africa, who did social service and highlighted the importance of this day.

Poverty is one of the gravest issues that governments must address today. In India, the government has launched schemes like National Rural Employment Programme (NREP), Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP), Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme (RLEGP). These programs either provide direct employment and wages in cash or offer assets, credit, training for skill formation, etc. To fasten the process, other groups such as non-government organisations and corporate houses under their CSR projects have started to lend a hand to mend the situation of poverty. According to a report by Livemint, the categories drawing most amounts of CSR funds are education and poverty eradication. Activities under ‘eradication of poverty and hunger’ received Rs.1564.39 crore from 79 companies. These activities include eliminating malnutrition, promoting preventive health care, sanitation and making potable water available.

According to a report published by World Bank, India’s poverty rate reduced from 21% in 2011-12 to 12.4% in October 2015. In the backdrop of the economic status of the country, this is a monumental change. It was mainly credited to the rural spending of the government and increase in electricity provision. A country’s economy is only as strong as it’s the weakest sector. The funds coming in through all channels must be utilised by countries across the globe to uplift the poorest sections through funds and policy.

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Corporate Houses Should Help In Development: Jaitley

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The CSR Journal

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July 17, 2017

Corporate houses should step forward and carry out works for the welfare of people, said Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who attended a function organised by Bharti Foundation to dedicate over 17,000 toilets it had built to more than 80,000 beneficiaries under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

He said corporate houses, public sector firms and government agencies should give 2% of the profit under corporate social responsibility (CSR) for the welfare of the public.

He said a lot has been achieved in the direction of building toilets under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, but it still was a long journey ahead. Jaitley said, “There are two faces of this country. In one section there has been a lot of progress, as India is one of the fastest growing countries in the world, and attracting the most investment, and much infrastructure is being developed. But, on the other hand, we are still trying to make electricity reach every village in the country by 2018, build toilets, make permanent roads to each village and make pucca houses.”

“There are villages which have seen a bulb and a toilet for the first time. I appeal to all the corporate house, industries and businessmen to spare 2 percent of their profits for social work and help us in making India developed,” Jaitley said.

“An amount of Rs 15,000 crore in the country is coming only from private sector under the CSR and if government funds are added to that, sections lagging behind in the country can be transformed,” he added. Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal said efforts need to be made to bring back the glory of Punjab. He said the Central and the state governments should put their heads and hands together to bring back the honour of Punjab.

State Rural Development Minister Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa said it was unfortunate that the country had not been able to provide toilets to every home. He said other corporate houses should come forward for such causes and development. He said Punjab needs help from the Centre for its development.

(Tribune)

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Future Of Development Lies In Your Skills

By

Neha Bilandani

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July 15, 2017

By 2020, 65% Indians will be under the age of 35, making us the youngest country in the world. A large employable population is an advantage, for it can fulfil the demand for skilled workers across India and globally, as also drive consumption and economic growth. However, this demographic dividend can turn into a demographic disadvantage, as a high number of unskilled and semi-skilled youth form a large base of the labour force, with low productivity and lower wages. One reason for youth unemployment is structural unemployment – a mismatch between the skills that workers in the economy can offer and the skills demanded of workers by employers.

July 15 is globally recognised as World Youth Skills Day and the theme decided by the United Nations’ for this year is #SkillsForAll. World Youth Skills Day presents an opportunity to come together and recognise the importance of youth skills development, giving youth the chance to contribute to their communities’, countries’ and international sustainable development. The UN designated day seeks to generate greater awareness of and discussion on the importance of technical, vocational education, and training and the development of other skills relevant to both local and global economies.

India has a unique advantage in the form of its demographic dividend. As one of the youngest nations in the world, nearly two third of India’s population is in the working age group. In addition, India’s young population is around 100 million which is more than the total population of all the G7 countries combined. It is further estimated that the average age of the population in India by 2020 will be 29 years as against 40 years in the US, 46 years in Europe and 47 years in Japan. However, to reap this demographic dividend, we need to enable the youth to acquire the skills required to get the job or become self-employed. Only then will we see the resulting growth and prosperity for this group and for the country.

“A large section of our youth, particularly the underprivileged segments of the population have little access to training that can improve their employability. It is estimated that only 4.69% of the total workforce in India has undergone formal skill training. This shows a huge skill gap in India which needs to be addressed.

Keeping this in mind, ICICI Foundation launched the ICICI Academy for Skills to provide vocational training to the youth from the economically weaker sections to enable them to earn a sustainable livelihood. Simultaneously, we are expanding the Foundation’s reach into the rural areas as well through the ICICI Digital Villages project,” said Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank.

Young people are almost 3 times more likely to be unemployed than adults and continuously exposed to the lower quality of jobs, greater labour market inequalities, and longer and more insecure school-to-work transitions. In addition, women are more likely to be underemployed and underpaid, and to undertake part-time jobs or work under temporary contracts. That is why education and training are key determinants of success in the labour market. But unfortunately, existing systems are failing to address the learning needs of many young people, and surveys of learning outcomes and skills show that a large number of youth have low levels of achievement in basic literacy and numeracy. Skills and jobs for youth feature prominently in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and SDG target 4.4 calls for a substantial increase in the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, the United Nations said.

Udyogini, an NGO working towards promoting entrepreneurship and youth employability skills among the underprivileged, announced its strategic collaboration with Citi India and EduBridge Learning to launch the first (of the three) LEAD Academies in Pune, on the eve of World Youth Skills Day.

In a scenario where only 2.3% of the workforce in India has undergone formal skill training, as compared to other developed nations, the initiative aims to directly impact 600 unemployed youth in Pune and 2000 collectively.

TechnoServe, an international non-profit organisation with the support of The Citi Foundation recently organised the 2nd Career Fest to help over 400+ students from urban slums in Mumbai get an employment opportunity. Over 10 corporates attended the career fest and made several offers. Operating in 29 countries, TechnoServe is a leader in harnessing the power of the private sector to help people lift themselves out of poverty. The program is focused on training personal effectiveness, professional English and counselling, and mentoring activities perfectly complements and supports the gaps in these colleges – making these youth ideally suited for their structured intervention model which brings the entire suite of employability services within the college premises directly in reach of their students.

Structural unemployment adversely affects all regions around the world, impacting economies and hampering the transition to equitable and inclusive societies envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Developing appropriate skills among the youth is the solution to the problem.

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PIFA Foundation For The Benefit Of Sports

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The CSR Journal

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July 14, 2017

If Brazil, with a similar socio-economic background to India, can be world champions in football, why can’t we?

The PIFA Foundation

Back in the 1960s, Mumbai and Colaba, in particular, was a hotbed of sporting talent. Fast-forward to the present, and the rapid development of the area means that the local kolis (fishermen) are pushed to the very periphery, sinking into problems such as alcoholism, drug abuse, and gambling.

PIFA aims to improve and enrich the lives of Colaba residents through the medium of football training. We offer our trainees a sense of community as well as world-class coaching, and our mentorship means that they are equipped to make better decisions in all walks of life. PIFA youngsters have become professional players, coaches, as well as administrators.

PIFA’s Mission

PIFA (Premier India Football Academy) takes pride in the development of football in India. To maximise our country’s footballing potential, PIFA has partnered with some of the best academies around the globe. We aim to expose Indian youngsters and coaches to the latest training methods and do our best to ensure the best futures for Indian football.

PIFA’s Teams

PIFA runs six teams – men’s, women’s, and boys U19, U17, U15, and U13. Our teams are given the highest quality training and can boast several trophies, such as positions in the Nadkarni Cup and the national I-League. PIFA has also developed a number of players that have gone on to play for India at the national stage.

Your Role

Your monetary donation would go towards:

Preparation in playing for PIFA or any other club team
Guiding and counselling trainees through vocational courses for coaching and sports administrative jobs
Rations for families so trainees don’t have to work to provide for them
Year-long training, football gear, kits, medicals, and insurance
Empowering students to rise above their circumstances and build a future of their own

To know on how to Fund this Project, please write to us at: editor@thecsrjournal.in

Report Reveals Exploitation of Elephants in Asian Countries, Including India

By

Neha Bilandani

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July 14, 2017

Countries in Asia, including India, continue to grow the captive elephant industry for elephant rides and performances to meet irresponsible tourist demands.

A new report released by World Animal Protection reveals that more than three quarters of nearly three thousand elephants used in tourist entertainment in Asia are kept in severely cruel conditions.

Riding an elephant is one of the most popular tourist activities in Asia. World Animal Protection investigated the conditions endured by 2,923 elephants at tourist venues in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Laos and Cambodia and found that 77% of them were treated appallingly.

In India 116 elephants continue to endure abuse to entertain tourists at Amer Fort in Rajasthan. Elephants are also widely abused in Kerala in temples and for tourist attraction purposes. Elephants are exploited in national parks and sanctuaries for giving rides to tourists to view wildlife. Most of India’s 3500 captive elephants are used in some form of riding activity.

Thailand is the main concern using twice as many elephants in tourism than all the other Asian countries combined. Tourism to Thailand doubled from 15.9 million to 32.6 million visitors between 2010 and 2016, contributing to a 30% rise (1,688 to 2,198) in elephants held in captivity for tourist activities. The research also found that several venues in Thailand cater to thousands of visitors daily, generating estimated profits of tens of thousands of dollars per month from exploiting Asian elephants – an endangered species.

When not giving rides or performing, elephants are typically chained day and night, most of the time to chains less than 3m long. They are also fed poor diets, given limited veterinary care and are frequently kept on concrete floors in stressful locations near loud music, roads or visitor groups.

These conditions take no account of the elephants’ intelligence, behaviours and needs and follow the severe trauma endured by elephants in their early years. This is caused by separation from their mothers and harsh training regimes to break their spirits and make them submissive enough to give rides and perform.

Gajender K Sharma, India Country Director at World Animal Protection, said, “The cruel trend of elephants used for rides and shows is growing – we want tourists to know that many of these elephants are taken from their mothers as babies, forced to endure harsh training and suffer poor living conditions throughout their life.

There is an urgent need for tourist education and regulation of wildlife tourist attractions worldwide. Venues that offer tourists a chance to watch elephants in genuine sanctuaries are beacons of hope that can encourage the urgently-needed shift in the captive elephant tourism industry.”

The government has now made it mandatory for all companies that have a turnover of Rs 1,000 crore or more to spend 2% of its net profit on CSR activities. We need to improve our approach towards animal Welfare and implement a more humane and sustainable solution.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

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