Thecsrjournal App Store
Thecsrjournal Google Play Store
May 6, 2025
Home Blog Page 995

Meghan Markle did charity work in India before wedding

By
Kasmin Fernandes
-
A charity the Duchess of Sussex worked with before she got married to Prince Harry has released new video of Meghan in India. Meghan’s travels with World Vision to Rwanda in 2016 have been well documented, but the charity today released more images of the duchess on a humanitarian visit to Delhi and Mumbai in January 2017 – shortly after her romance with Harry had become public.
The video has not been published before.

The duchess’ focus on that visit, as it is today, was on gender equality – particularly on the problems of girls’ access to education. More in 110 million teenage girls in India – the second most populated country in the world – are at risk of dropping out of school.
The duchess was filmed planting flowers and painting signs with the children she met at a school where the charity had installed new facilities.
On a visit to one school, Meghan spoke to the World Vision camera team: “What we found is that the enrolment at this school went up three times once the latrines were built so that girls had access to clean hygiene and bathroom facilities while they’re at school.” Meghan described at the time how girls quit school completely because they don’t have “bathrooms available to care for themselves”.
The duchess wrote an article for Time Magazine on her return. She spoke then about how a lack of proper sanitation in schools was adversely affecting girls when they start their periods. Meghan called it a “direct barrier” to girls’ education based on the “shame surrounding menstruation” in much of the developing world.
Meghan wore a traditional Indian saree during her visit.
Meghan wore a traditional Indian saree during her visit. Pic: World Vision
It was on that visit when Meghan was introduced to the Myna Mahila Foundation which works with women and girls in Mumbai’s urban slums. It offers the women stable employment and breaks taboos about menstrual hygiene by provide basic sanitary products. Myna Mahila was one of the seven charities Harry and Meghan nominated for donations at the time of their wedding last year.
World Vision Canada partnered with Meghan during her time in Toronto when she played the role of Rachel Zane in television series Suits.

Thank you for reading. Please drop a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

Subscribe

CSR: Building Disaster-proof Homes in India

By
Hency Thacker
-

A major earthquake hit the state of Gujarat on Republic day of 2001. The disaster of magnitude 7.7 lasted for over 2 minutes killing over 30,000 people and taking away homes of about half a million of people. The damage caused because of the earthquake was very high. The immediate solution was required to make homes that are disaster resistant, low cost and low maintenance, for lakhs of people.

A group of local architects, engineers and non-profits came together to rescue the city from crises and help in rebuilding it from scratch. The group laid emphasis on community participation, traditional home designs and local knowledge. The group now known as Hunnarshala assisted villagers nearby to build thousands of earthquake-resistant homes with traditional technologies such as rammed earth.

For the pastoral communities living in the Banni grassland area near the Rann of Kutch, they chose to rebuild their homes constructing their traditional Bhungas. Bhunga is a traditional typically circular plan structure made of mud bricks or an interior matrix of tree branches packed with mud. The rood is supported by a vertical post resting on a single wooden beam that sits on the walls. These structures perform well during earthquakes owing to the low circular walls that distribute the shear forces.

To construct buildings that were right for the region’s climate, Hunnarshala works with local artisans whose craft has been shaped by the local traditions. It regularly finds new hybrid and innovative solutions that elevate indigenous building systems using waste and other natural material.

Taking the success of the organisation into account, the Hunnarshala has offered assistance to other states as well in their times of desperation. In 2005, when Jammu and Kashmir was struck by a devastating earthquake, Hunnarshala was called upon by the government to build 7000 temporary homes in the Tangdhar Valley. This is because with the arrival of snowfall in winter it would get completely cut off and then no houses could be built.

Similarly, following the 2008 Kosi floods in Bihar, Hunnarshala helped build 2 model villages, support 15,000 houses directly and formulate a policy that facilitated the reconstruction of 100,000 houses, reaching the most vulnerable families in a cost-effective manner.

Hunnarshala is working towards developing community-driven housing. Their idea is that people who live in the house have a right to work or have a say on the design. They do community housing where decisions are taken by the community from day one, from design, community mobilisation, supervision of the house to even construction.

The housing problem of India requires more attention from organisations like these. With groups like these, it won’t be long before India is able to provide homes for every family in the country.

Thank you for reading. Your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please drop a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

Subscribe

CSR Board: A community for heads of CSR at the world’s biggest companies

By
The CSR Journal
-
Heads of corporate social responsibility at 27 major companies have come together to launch the CSR Board today. The mission of the group is to help members engage in management-level discussions with a trusted network of their peers.
The group is managed by Board.org, a membership organization where senior-level leaders at big companies collaborate in private, peer-to-peer discussions. Membership is exclusively for the people leading the programs and their inner circle. No vendors or junior staff are allowed to participate.
CSR Board Members include Allstate, Beam Suntory, Best Buy, BJ’s Wholesale Club, CenterPoint Energy, Cisco, Electronic Arts, Experian, Ferguson Enterprises, Georgia-Pacific, H&R Block, Hard Rock International, Hertz, The J.M. Smucker Company, MassMutual, Motorola Solutions, NVIDIA, ON Semiconductor, Pernod Ricard, Stryker, Synopsys, Tyson Foods, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and Yum! Brands.
“It’s clear CSR leaders needed a group like this, and the energy and excitement our founding members have brought to our early conversations has been incredible,” said Board.org CEO Andy Sernovitz.
The CSR Board is specifically focused on supporting the leaders of CSR at large companies so they can increase the impact of their initiatives. The group helps leaders share and collaborate and does not function as a trade association or advocacy body.
“As a founding member of the CSR Board, our goal is to help create a forum with like-minded CR professionals who are passionate about creating positive change in the world,” said Carol Urton, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Experian. “At Experian, we are excited about leading the way to help increase our impact and the impact of other outstanding companies in making the world a better place.”
“We joined the CSR Board to make sure that our sustainability program continuously improves as we learn from others in the field,” said Kelsey Bergan, Director of Sustainability at Ferguson Enterprises.
“Collaborating with industry leaders helps each of our companies devise better ways to build social purpose into our core businesses,” said Paul Pellizzari, Vice President of Global Social Responsibility at Hard Rock International. “Working together also leads to better, more meaningful, long-lasting social and sustainability solutions. After all, we do this work to improve lives, build healthier communities, and sustain the planet.”
“Collaboration is how we will accelerate and scale our collective sustainability efforts to make a significant impact,” said Rebecca Ott, Director of Sustainability for The J.M. Smucker Company. “We are participating in the CSR Board, with other purpose-driven thought leaders, to create a better tomorrow.”

Source: CSR Wire

Child leader Ridhima Pandey files lawsuit against Indian Government over climate action

By
The CSR Journal
-

A nine-year-old girl has filed a court case against the Indian Government for failing to take ambitious action to tackle climate change. Ridhima Pandey’s lawyer told The Independent she was a “compassionate child” who wanted her Government to help protect the planet for future generations.

The northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, where Ridhima lives, has been devastated in the past three years by heavy rains, flash floods and frequent landslides, estimated to have killed thousands of people.

And Ridhima has argued that India, the world’s third carbon emitter, has failed to put into action the promises it made in signing and ratifying the Paris Agreement on climate change. According to the World Bank, climate change will exacerbate the stress on India’s water sources, and the country is expected to suffer major health crises.

The case includes allegations based on India’s constitution, the public trust doctrine, intergenerational equity and the alleged non-implementation of four environmental laws dating back as far back as 1980.

Ridhima knows she will have to inherit her country’s growing climate disasters and she is frustrated not to be able to participate in the decision-making process. She has made it her mission to force her Government to prevent any further damage until she is old enough to help shape her country’s environmental polices.

“My Government has failed to take steps to regulate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which are causing extreme climate conditions. This will impact both me and future generations. My country has huge potential to reduce the use of fossil fuels, and because of the Government’s inaction I approached the National Green Tribunal,” she said.

A petition has been filed in the National Green Tribunal (NGT), a specialised court established in 2010, which hears only environmental cases.

In the petition, Ridhima asks the court to order the Government to prepare a carbon budget and a national climate recovery plan to ensure that India does its share to reduce atmospheric CO2 below 350 parts per million by 2100, according to scientific recommendations.

The nine-year-old also wants the Government to move away from fossil fuels, protect forests, grasslands, soil, mangroves, engage in massive reforestation and improve agricultural and forestry practices.

Environmental attorney Rahul Choudhary filed the petition on her behalf and is representing her along with Ritwick Dutta and Meera Gopal. Choudhary said Ridhima was “simply asking her Government to fulfil its own duty to protect the vital natural resources on which she and future generations depend on for survival”.

He told The Independent: “Children in India are now aware about the issues of climate change and its impact. The Indian constitution says that it is ‘the duty of every citizen of India … to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures’.

He added the case will highlight three important elements including the stall of renewable energy levels, the lack of robust examination of environmental impact statements for polluting projects and the monitoring of reforestation initiatives.

“On the one hand there is a gap in legislation and on the other hand, when there is legislation it is not being implemented. The most important thing about this lawsuit is that the Government needs to realise that it is not doing anything about climate change. It is signing paperwork to show the world it is doing something but on the ground nothing is happening,” he said.

Ridhima inherited her passion for climate change campaigning from her father, Dinesh Pandey, who has been working for 16 years for an environmental NGO in Uttarakhand.

Source: Independent

The Resurgence of Indian Origin Sports

By
Sanjeev Anand, IndusInd Bank
-
Cricket has been the most popular sport in our country for many years, but it is a sport we have inherited from the British. So what did we play before the whole “cricket-fever” gripped the nation?
India had been a nation of sportsmen and sportswomen long before the British decided to take over. From the Malla-Yuddha (an ancient Indian form of wrestling) to horse-back or elephant-back polo, the origins of many such sports can be traced back to our country. Depictions of sports are also found in our mythological epics like the Mahabharata and Ramayana, with Bhima and Lord Hanuman being portrayed as the greatest wrestlers of their time.
But as the centuries descended and we started getting influenced by western civilization, our sporting choices changed, thus resulting in sports like hockey, football, basketball, and cricket gaining traction with the masses. But with the increasing popularity of sport based programming on television and streaming services, many Indian origin sports are slowly coming back into the limelight.
India has played an active part in developing countless sports throughout history, like badminton, chess, snakes and ladders, wrestling, mallakhamb, kho-kho, polo, cards, dice, kabaddi and carrom to name a few. Today, let’s look at the reasons for the resurgence of some of these Indian origin sports:

Mallakhamb

Mallakhamb, as the name suggests, is the sport of wrestling on a pole. Gymnasts showcase their strength and agility by performing yoga postures and wrestling grips on a pole, cane or rope in vertical synergy, in an effort to score the maximum points over their opponents.
The sport requires tremendous upper body strength and undivided focus. 2019 saw India host the inaugural Mallakhamb World Championship, which was attended by 15 countries like USA, Germany, Spain, Japan, England, etc. To add to the celebration of an Indian origin sport being recognized as a competitive sport, India also lifted the coveted trophy at the end of the Championship.
Although the sport has been practiced in many parts of the world for decades, it is competitions like these that will help the sport gain popularity and a fan base across the globe in the coming years. The popularity of Mallakhamb has been rising so steadily, that in 2013, the state of Madhya Pradesh declared Mallakhamb the official sport of the state.

Wrestling

Wrestling has been a part of our native culture since we started recording history. Contrary to popular belief, modern wrestling didn’t really originate in India, but a part of it certainly did. The Malla-Yuddha, an ancient Indian wrestling discipline, has been around in our country for centuries, but modern day wrestling or ‘Pehelwani’ that we love and admire, is a mixture of Malla-Yuddha and the Iranian and Mongolian wrestling styles.
Wrestling ‘Akhadas’ are not an unusual sight in most parts of our country, but what truly helped bring the sport to the people is the rise in the stardom of the wrestlers. A-list movies like Dangal and Sultan, the rising popularity of the WWE and the establishment of the Pro Wrestling League should all be credited for promoting wrestling to the average Indian audience. Professional Indian wrestlers like Sushil Kumar, Sakshi Malik, and the Phogat sisters have all been responsible for the growth of wrestling in our country.

Badminton

The game played with racquets and a shuttle originated in the Indian city of Pune or Poona and was also called ‘Poona’ before being branded after the Badminton House in Gloucestershire, England. The British, during their rule over the Indian subcontinent, took a fancy to the game before formalizing it into one of their own.
The rise of badminton in our country over the past few decades can be credited to the likes of Pullela Gopichand, Prakash Padukone, Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu and many more, who, by the might of their blood and sweat, have created a name for themselves, and for the sport, in a cricket-crazy nation like India.
The various accolades won by these remarkable athletes, and the rising popularity of the Premier Badminton League, have resulted in the game becoming one of the highest played sports in the country. As per statistical reports, the Premier Badminton League or PBL is one of the fastest growing leagues in India and the most popular badminton league in the world.

Kabaddi

Growing up in the 1990s, we all must have tried our hand at the sport of Kabaddi, failed miserably and moved on, but for most Indians, Kabaddi is like the salt in the sea, ingrained into our very being. The origins of Kabaddi have been disputed over the years, but it can’t be debated that India had a major role to play in the development of the touch sport.
The sport of Kabaddi saw a meteoric rise in India, thanks to the massively popular Pro Kabaddi League or PKL. The PKL is one of the top 3 most followed leagues in the country, making it a cash cow for advertisers, promoters, team owners as well as the players.
PKL has been solely responsible for increasing the fan base of the sport in our country and for increasing popularity of international Kabaddi events across the sporting spectrum. Once thought of as too dangerous, Kabaddi is now finding its way back into the curriculum of schools across India.
The evidence that India has ascended towards the glorious title of being a sporting giant is compelling: mammoth steps have been taken to inculcate success at both the national and international levels, in several arenas ranging from shooting to athletics. Countless grassroots development programmes have been implemented to ensure the prowess of future generations.
Further, the resurgence of the aforementioned traditional  sports adds a new dimension to the global perception of Indian Sport; the perception of vibrancy being complemented with a competitive spirit, of originality supplementing the values intrinsic to each discipline, ensuring the continuity of a forgotten legacy. It’s truly an exciting time to be a follower of sport in India!

Sanjeev Anand, Country Head - Commercial Banking, Indusind BankThe author, Sanjeev Anand, is Country Head – Commercial Banking and in-charge of Sports Vertical, IndusInd Bank and an avid sports enthusiast.

Views of the author are personal and do not necessarily represent the website’s views.

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

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

Subscribe

Ferrero India to construct eight Anganwadi Centres at Baramati

By
The CSR Journal
-

Ferrero India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Zilla Parishad, Pune to design and construct 8 Anganwadi centres in eight different locations within the local communities close to the Ferrero production plant at Baramati in the next three years.

Ferrero India set up under the Michele Ferrero Entrepreneurial Project is committed to creating growth opportunities for local communities will be making a pro-bono contribution for the construction of 8 Anganwadi centres.

Inder Chopra, Secretary General, Ferrero India said, “This project will contribute to strengthen Ferrero’s commitment to pre-school education in the Baramati community, which started in 2014 with the inauguration of the Pietro Ferrero Kindergarten at the premises of our production plant and which now hosts children of our employees as well as from families of the surrounding communities.” Chopra added, “This project will be fully funded by Ferrero India and will be implemented in close collaboration with the Pune Zilla Parishad.”

“The 8 Anganwadi Centres within the local communities close to the Ferrero production plant at Baramati, will be selected jointly together with Ferrero India,” said Suraj D. Mandhare, CEO, Zilla Parishad Pune district.

Lancers International School concluded Primary Year Programme on SDGs

By
The CSR Journal
-

Lancers International School, an IB continuum school based in Gurgaon, celebrated the achievements of their Grade 5 students through the Primary Year Program (PYP) Exhibition held at the school premises.

This year, the students inquired into Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) laid by the United Nations. The learning experiences were not limited to the classroom or school. Students connected with mentors across the globe to gather relevant information and have a better understanding of the SDGs.

LIS students contacted doctors in Australia, inquired from pharmacist in Mexico, reached out to renowned architect in the UK and also visited locals schools, private agencies and science laboratories in Gurgaon. This PYP Exhibition, in its true sense is international in approach and presentation. Be it oral presentations, 3D models, personalized accessories and brochure, it was all there.

Aarav Kapoor redesigned an entire hallway with Aaraville – his vision of the most sustainable community of the future. Together with architects, he painstaking redesigned a community, complete with a housing complex, schools, entertainment centre, sports facilities, government services.

“The foundation of an IB education lies on agentic learning, where children, as a result of their inquiries, make relevant contributions to the world around them. With the PYP Exhibition, we provide the school learning community with opportunities to engage with relevant content, propose solution to problems and when possible, take action,” said Annabelle Villamarin, Primary and Middle School Principal.

Ingersoll Rand Employees Celebrated Earth Day

By
The CSR Journal
-

As part of Ingersoll Rand’s recognition of Earth Day 2019, employees of Ingersoll Rand India participated in a tree plantation activity across India to demonstrate their commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability. Ingersoll Rand employees in India joined their hands to plant trees.

Globally, Ingersoll Rand and its 49,000 employees throughout the week, committed to make changes towards a healthier and more sustainable world and encouraging others to do the same. At sites across the globe, Green Teams are leading earth-friendly efforts like reducing office supplies use, eliminating single-use plastics (straws and utensils), reducing or eliminating junk mail, removing trash bins at desks to encourage less paper, and using rechargeable batteries.

This year the theme at Ingersoll Rand is centered on ‘Small Changes that Make a Big Impact’. Through this campaign, employees are coming forward and volunteering to improve the environmental impact. Actions like using their own water bottles to stay hydrated, bringing their own canvas or synthetic reusable shopping bags, using cold water when washing clothes and shutting off lights or electronics when not needed to conserve energy and electricity.

“Sustainability is core to who we are and every day is considered Earth Day at Ingersoll Rand,” said Geetanjali Bhatia, Head, Corporate Communications & CSR, Ingersoll Rand in India. “We know that small environmental actions made consistently over a period of time, and when joined together as a group of 49,000, can make a considerable impact on our world.”

To further demonstrate how small changes can make big impacts, Ingersoll Rand is partnering with SolarBuddy to donate and help assemble 3,000 lights that will be distributed to children in energy poverty regions throughout the year. SolarBuddy provides access to electricity with a safe, reliable, effective, innovative solar light to use after dusk.

Dispose your e-waste and get rewarded

By
The CSR Journal
-

With advancement in technology, a large number of electronic devices are becoming obsolete almost on a regular basis. Bulky computers, TV sets, VCRs, Fax machines, Printers, CD Players top the list. These devices contain harmful materials such as beryllium, cadmium, mercury and lead which can pose a threat to the environment if not disposed properly.

In order to promote responsible recycling of all this E-waste, Tata Power in association with TATA CLiQ, is hosting ‘Earth Week’ till 28th April. Tata Power has collaborated with Karo Sambhav, an E-waste producer responsibility organisation.

Active participants can pledge their support by visiting www.tatapower.com/BetterEarth and deposit their E-waste at the nearest collection centres across India:
1. Karo Sambhav Collection Centres – 176 centres across India
2. Tata Power Mumbai Customer Centres – 13 centres in Mumbai
3. TPDDL Customer Centres
4. TATA Power Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore offices

Karo Sambhav will also provide a pick-up service (only for Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata) for large quantity (above 50kgs like Refrigerators, Washing machines, Air conditioners etc.) of E-waste by booking a pick up on the campaign website. To encourage participation, Tata Power will give TATA CLiQ e-vouchers up to INR 200 for less than 50kg E-waste and up to INR 500 e-vouchers for depositing more than 50kg E-Waste as a reward.

Praveer Sinha, CEO & Managing Director, Tata Power said, “With the rapid advancement in technology, all the electronic gadgets that we use tend to get outdated within in a short span of time. A circular economy like ours hold immense potential to augment e-waste recycling and hence, it is imperative to discard electronic gadgets appropriately.”

The campaign week was kickstarted on 22nd April, 2019 on Tata Power’s Facebook and other social media handles by talk on how proper recycling of E-waste can help us fight the bigger cause of climate change.

What is E-Waste?

Unwanted, non-working electronic devices are termed as E-Waste.

4 CSR platforms making things simpler for non-profits

By
Kasmin Fernandes
-
Startups are emerging as a force of change in the country. While we talk about Edtech, Auto and Fintech startups bringing a change, CSR platforms/ startups are not behind. CSR platforms are using their offerings and products to solve real-world problems by acting as catalysts for individuals and NGOs to create an impact.
These startups step in to protect the interests of the community by helping the NGOs and individuals to connect on the right platform. With more individuals connecting to the right non-profit organisations, platforms are bringing transformation in a society which has helped the startups to undergo significant change.
Also, these platforms are using advanced technology to address issues and to create CSR initiatives and campaigns on critical areas such as education, sanitation, healthcare, water sustainability.

1. SociallyGood

SociallyGood is an online marketplace for social work. It is an online engagement platform bringing together the main stakeholders of the Social Sector including Non-Profits, CSRs and Individuals. SociallyGood is a technology-enabled platform that makes it easier for individuals (volunteers, donors, beneficiaries and social entrepreneurs) to discover and engage with social causes of their interest. The brand empowers Non-Profits to drive campaigns to attract new volunteers, and gain more donations at lower cost. It also enables non-profits to showcase last mile impact of the various programs undertaken by them and improve transparency and reporting of outcomes.

2. Impact Guru

Impact Guru is a medical crowdfunding platform that provides solutions to empower individuals and NGOs to raise funds for medical emergencies along with creative projects and social causes. It assists, collaborates, innovates and supports anyone who desires to use the concept of crowdfunding for a good cause. Impact Guru offers optimal online tools to drive the ‘crowd’ towards great ideas and projects.

3. Milaap

Milaap is a crowdfunding website that enables individuals and corporates from across the country to raise funds for healthcare, education, disaster relief, sports and various other causes. Milaap is leveraging the increasing digital penetration and the robust traction of digital payments to address the challenges of giving, such as difficulty in discovering the right cause, transparency and a general donor apathy.

4. Impactify

Impactify is a for-profit social venture, which leverages advanced technologies to connect NGOs with corporates and sponsors. For corporates, Impactify helps in channelizing their funds towards credible projects that align with their objectives while ensuring transparency of project timelines, budget estimates, and the projected impact.

Thank you for reading. Please drop a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

Subscribe

1...994995996...1,233Page 995 of 1,233

Hindi Manch

Editor's Pick

© Copyright 2024 The CSR Journal. All Rights Reserved | Powered by : Inventif Web