She has previously worked with various financial services and consulting firms viz., Deloitte, Haskins & Sells, S R Batliboi & Co. (part of E&Y). Apart from her serious focus on work, Tina has a socially conscious leaning. She has worked for a not-for profit start-up to strategize their fundraising vertical in the past. In the long-term, the Muthoot Pappachan Group foresees her as championing Financial Strategy for the group.

The initiative #RestartIndia was conceptualized amid the lockdown when the country’s small business owners were grappling with the effects of COVID-19. Excerpts from the interview:

Q 1: The theme for International Women’s Day 2021 is ‘Choose to Challenge’. What stereotypes did you personally challenge in the past?

What I’ve done isn’t extraordinary. But what I’ve learned over the years is that a woman is not limited by a particular lack of education, skill, or experience at any point in time. My core has been in accounting, but during my working years, I’ve tried my hand at multiple fields and that meant having to start from scratch in many ways, which can be a tedious process.

At one point in my career, I recall being slightly senior in position to my colleagues but at the same time a novice in taxation in my early days of practice. That awareness of my limitation made me try harder to move ahead.

Q 2: How did you decide on pursuing finance?

My parents instilled in me the sense of responsibility that knowledge of finance is a crucial skill. Of course, when I was in my formation years, that was more from the angle of training myself for understanding finance and accounting within the business. But in hindsight, I see how that knowledge transcends outside of just being able to read company financial statements.

If women are reminded of the fact that they can be and are equally responsible for managing their family finances, it will motivate them to understand the subject better.

Q 3: In your opinion, why is it important that more women take up a career in finance?

I wouldn’t say that women need to have a career in Finance, I’m sure they can make a successful living out of anything they choose to do. But they must have a strong foundation in money matters. We’ve observed even among our customers that women are careful when they borrow. There is an earnest desire to repay and they borrow with an intended long-term purpose (children’s education, purchasing stock, etc.). It is important to understand simple savings and investment options, basic tax planning, and mode of funding options. It empowers them to make decisions, especially in the absence of a male counterpart, who is generally viewed as a decision-maker when it comes to such matters.

Q 4: What is the biggest issue facing working women today?

A woman is always faced with choices – does she need to pursue her career or focus on family, and if both, then to what extent? It takes time and effort to improve in any field, whether at work or home. There is a constant need to balance, and I think, every day is a balancing act for women. Throwing into the equation the need to develop and find some quiet time for herself can get overwhelming. But women do have an innate ability to get things done, and at the end of the day, if a woman can cross off a few things from her list of endless to-dos, she has done a phenomenal job.

Q 5: Your newest initiative Restart India works with small business owners. Tell us more about it.

#RestartIndia was conceptualized amid the lockdown when the country’s small business owners were grappling with the effects of COVID-19. It’s not that the problems faced by small business owners are new, COVID-19 simply exacerbated it.

During the initial days of the lockdown, we, as a fairly large business, were privileged to access information on how to get accustomed to the unprecedented changes. However, as we reached out to lakhs of our customer base, we realized they needed hand-holding, guidance, mentoring. And so together with INK Talks, Muthoot FinCorp set up #RestartIndia, a mentoring platform for small businesses.

We have empanelled close to 30 industry experts from fields spanning marketing, branding, technology, retail, finance, human capital, and these experts share their knowledge on how small businesses can address the challenges they face, whether it be through direct questions or conversational sessions we have with them on our social media channels. Our focus at the moment is on empowering small businesses to use digital means to improve their business capabilities.

Q 6: How can aspiring female entrepreneurs take advantage of it?

We engage with small business owners through our live events and social media channels. We would love to have conversations with budding women entrepreneurs to understand their challenges and can work in tandem to come up with solutions for them. We have the backing of our mentor panel and other experts who offer insights and solutions.

Q 7: Which other social issues are you passionate about?

Personally, causes relating to children, are close to my heart. We’ve worked with organizations that help improve their living conditions in shelters and orphanages, in their skill development, and in engaging them in productive activities so they don’t fall prey to illicit behaviour. It’s important to mould them to be better citizens, offer them the kind of education and living standards that we have been privileged to get.

Q 8: What does corporate social responsibility mean to you?

The business exists because the community allows it to exist. There is an acceptance from various stakeholders – employees, customers, suppliers, regulators, and the general public. To the corporate, CSR is a reminder that it needs to return this debt to the community, whether in activities related to its business or not.

Q 9: In what capacity are you involved with the Muthoot Pappachan Group’s CSR initiatives?

All promoters and those in the lineage, including myself, take an active interest in Muthoot Pappachan Group’s CSR efforts – we study causes that require intervention and work with implementing agencies to address those causes. For example, home construction for those affected by floods, child education and well-being needs, sports facilities for children with limited means, sponsoring patients with terminal illnesses and so on. The areas we work with span health, education, environment, and livelihood.

Q 10: Does the gender equality movement need male allies?

Of course. Peer-to-peer connections make a bigger impact. It’s not that women can’t state their point. But it’s a source of support when there is understanding and acceptance from the male allies, who can also send a message to their peers.

Q 11: On International Women’s Day 2021, what is your message to young women?

Especially in the face of COVID-19, women have taken on alternative job-titles and built job roles for themselves. Entrepreneurs have blossomed almost everywhere. You don’t need a white-collar title to be productive, you can carve a path for yourself – be a writer, photographer, home décor artist – do anything. The world needs your services.

Take advantage of technology and social media – do not fear it. Use these tools to build your profession. Your qualification doesn’t define you, and neither does your job title, or the lack of it.

The post Women's Day Special – In conversation with Tina Suzanne George from Muthoot Capital Services and Restart India appeared first on The CSR Journal.

Companies like Himalaya, Muthoot, Heranba Industries and GSK Consumer Healthcare are trying to fix this in a big way through corporate social responsibility. These companies have been running strategic CSR initiatives that conduct free cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries. These targetted healthcare interventions are restoring one precious smile at a time.

What is World Smile Day?

World Smile Day has its origins in the ubiquitous smiley face. The symbol was actually created by American graphic artist Harvey Ball in the year 1963. The smiley face was an instant sensation, of course. It’s so well recognisable that hearing the words “smiley face” instantly brings to mind the all-too-familiar yellow circle with two black dots and a curve for a happy grin. The symbol made its way into pop culture. Hollywood film Forrest Gump and social media have made it part of everyday communication. It has become a symbol of genuine happiness and cheer.

However, Harvey was not happy with the way his motif was being co-opted for commercial and political purposes. It took away from the genuine human connection for which he created the symbol in the first place. So, Harvey established October 2nd as World Smile Day – back in the year 1999 – to regain control over its true purpose. It’s a day meant for smiling with abandon and for doing little acts of kindness. The day’s purpose circles back to the CSR aspect where free surgeries can bestow a smile on millions of babies and children.

What is cleft?

Cleft lip and/or palate is a birth defect which occurs when certain facial tissues do not fuse properly during fetal development. In India, it is estimated that more than 35,000 children are born with clefts annually. While the incidence of cleft is related to the density of population, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh see about 3500 cleft births annually.

Children with untreated clefts not only live in isolation, but more importantly, face physical difficulties with eating, breathing, hearing, and speaking, and are prone to frequent ENT infections. Less than 50% of children with clefts get treatment due to ignorance and poverty in India. They face social isolation, and many drop out of school due to speech-related learning problems, which in turn, leads to losing employment opportunities. Surgery is the only solution for this condition.

CSR for cleft surgeries in India

Cleft surgeries are safe, and the transformation is immediate. However, they are inaccessible in most parts of the country. Cleft surgeries prove expensive for patients from low-income families. This is where these CSR programmes prove a godsend.

1. Himalaya – Muskaan

Wellness company Himalaya rolled out its flagship social impact initiative, Muskaan in 2016, with an objective to spread awareness about cleft lip and palate conditions. In partnership with Smile Train, a leading cleft organization, the initiative will support free life-saving cleft treatment to children in need.

Smile Train’s sustainable model provides training, funding, and resources to empower local medical professionals and hospitals across India to provide free cleft surgeries and comprehensive cleft care in their own communities. As a result, Smile Train has surpassed its 1.5 millionth smile globally.

Through the new campaign, “Ek Nayi Muskaan”, Himalaya Lip Care will focus on spreading awareness around cleft lip and palate treatment at the grassroots level. The campaign kickstarted with a heart-warming video capturing the inspirational story of eight-year-old Munmun. The film portrays how Munmun’s life was transformed with safe cleft surgery.

As part of the initiative, a multimedia awareness campaign has started reaching out to people across Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Champion wrestler Geeta Phogat, Arjuna awardee and Commonwealth Gold Medalist, has extended her support to the initiative on World Smile Day 2020.

Says Rajesh Krishnamurthy, Business Director-Consumer Products Division, The Himalaya Drug Company, “Through our partnership with Smile Train India, we have been bringing smiles to a lot of families across India in the past five years by facilitating free cleft surgeries for their children. In the new normal, we have incorporated the latest guidelines to ensure our commitment towards the cause remains undeterred.”

2. Heranba – Mission Smile

Heranba Industries Limited is an agro-chemical company associated with crop productivity. In 2016, Heranba first worked with NGO Mission Smile to conduct corrective cleft surgery for 50 persons in Vapi, Gujarat. The goal was to help them adjust as constructive members of the community. The company continues to treat people with cleft lip and cleft palate.

3. Muthoot Pappachan Group – Smile Please

Smile Please is the flagship CSR programme of MPF, the CSR wing of Muthoot Pappachan Group with headquarters in Kerala. MPF joined hands with NGO Mission Smile from July 2014 and started to provide free cleft surgeries and allied supportive service to children with congenital cleft issues. During Phase 1, the target was to provide free surgeries to 350 children from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where the entire cost for the treatment is borne by MPF.

From the initial stage of this CSR programme, Muthoot India has been actively involved in the field. The company involved their staff in mass awareness and also identifying patients to provide expert services in cleft care. Branch staffers act as the single point of contact for these patients in providing them information on the cleft issue, free cleft care services, ensuring hospital connectivity for medical check-up and surgery, post-operative follow-ups etc.

This is a model for corporate engagement in CSR where various verticals of a conglomerate actively respond to a heath cause like cleft.

4. GSK Consumer Healthcare

GSK Consumer Healthcare is the company behind Crocin, ENO, Iodex and Sensodyne. In the year 2018, the company formed a five-year partnership with Smile Train to help more children with cleft lip or palate to lead full and healthy lives. In the first two and a half years of this CSR partnership, GSK’s funding, support and expertise has helped more 3,719 patients with comprehensive cleft care. 11,141 patient families received support for food and transport.

The CSR programme also led to the country’s first toll-free national cleft helpline. Smile Train India Cleft Helpline – 1800 103 8301, is accessible to people throughout India who are looking for information about cleft treatment.

Celebrate World Smile Day by giving a little, smiling (a lot). We all could do with good cheer right now.

The post World Smile Day 2020: CSR in India for Untreated Cleft appeared first on The CSR Journal.