CSR to work on building the capacities of

CSR to work on building the capacities of

CSR Initiatives by TATA The Tribal Culture Society The Tribal Culture Society (TCS) of Tata Steel has done outstanding work for the tribals of Jamshedpur and the surrounding areas in Jharkhand. The society evolved from a pure company department for Adivasi affairs in 1974, to a Tribal and Harijan Welfare Cell in 1984.

In 1993, it assumed its present form as a non-profit organisation, equipped with the expertise and financial resources to make a difference in the lives of marginalised tribal communities. The intention was extremely laudable since developmental concerns often have a way of neglecting indigenous people.TCS was set up to ensure that the voice of the tribal community did not go unheeded. Empowerment of the marginalised community was TCS’s primary aim.

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The society focuses on three important issues: education, improvement of livelihood opportunities and the preservation of the ethnic identity of the tribal community. At its basic level, education requires the creation of functional literacy within the community. Shakshar Samaj uses the software developed by Tata Consultancy Services to teach people to read and write.RK Singh, honorary joint secretary, TCS, says, “We have shifted from using only computers to using flip charts and alphabet charts. ” Currently learners are taught how to write in the Devanagari script. Plans are on to teach them the local language, Santhali.

Programmes like the Jyoti fellowship and other coaching programmes have served to create a positive impact on the lives of youngsters. SC/ST candidates appearing for the Trade Apprentice entrance exams are made to undergo a six-month residential training programme to increase their capabilities.Similar coaching classes are held for those wanting to appear for the civil services exam. Aspirants are also given training to become motor drivers, fitters and mechanics, pathologists and community health providers, etc. Project Sahyog helped youth to gain a better understanding of themselves, develop leadership skills, and inculcate a feeling of fellowship. Beyond this, TCS decided to work on building the capacities of adolescents. This gave rise to DISHA — Development Initiative on Supporting Healthy Adolescents, a programme seeking to delay the age of marriage, and provide access to information and better health services.

SPARSH — Strategies for Promotion of Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health — provides information on issues related to adolescence and seeks to improve the status of the girl child in the community. All these steps have served to integrate tribal youth into the mainstream. TCS also nurtures the talent of youth chosen for their sporting abilities. They are given training and financial support to participate in meets around the country. They then secure an entry into the athletic, archery or football academies established by Tata Steel.TCS takes its goal of livelihood generation very seriously. The idea, says Singh, is not so much to guarantee livelihood as to improve their employability.

Self-help groups enable TCS to fulfil dreams of running microenterprises. The society arranges for bead and jute handicraft making, paper making, candle making, stone carving classes, etc. TCS also supports numerous local clubs and promotes tribal customs and traditions in an attempt to help tribal children understand their heritage. This programme includes a tribal appreciation programme to promote indigenous value systems.A heritage hall has been created in Jamshedpur to showcase the rapidly dying culture and lifestyle of the four major and six minor tribes in Jharkhand. TCS has a library of books, which are available to students conducting research on tribal issues.

TCS has also made arrangements for a number of mobile clinics to treat diseases like tuberculosis, diarrhoea, leprosy, cleft lip and other general ailments. It also looks into immunisation of babies and creates awareness on subjects like contraception, breast feeding, etc.Through these and other measures, TCS has demonstrated that it has the will and the desire to give a helping hand to the less privileged sections of society. Family Initiatives Foundation Tata Steel’s Family Welfare Programme began in the 1950s.

Since March 2000, the activities are being carried out under the Tata Steel Family Initiatives Foundation. It provides maternal and child health and family planning services. It also works on adolescent reproductive and sexual health issues and has a care and support programme for HIV/AIDS. TSFIF believes that investing in a health system is the key to improve the quality of life of people and is continuously striving for it,” explains TSFIF head Shakti Sharma. The foundation operates in Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhatisgarh. •Maternal and Child Health: TSFIF addresses family planning concerns through the use of communication media.

This programme has successfully destroyed prejudices created by myths and traditional beliefs. TSFIF focuses on reproductive health services and creates awareness on spacing methods and family planning options. Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health: TSFIF has four projects — oYouth Access to Reproductive Health Services in India (YARS) provides high quality, comprehensive reproductive health services to youth and adolescents and helps them to practice healthy sexual behaviour.

oStrategies to Improve Adolescent Reproductive Health and Rights through Advocacy and Services (SAHAS) seeks to improve the sexual and reproductive health and well-being of adolescents. oApni Baatein is a school-based teen health programme that emphasises value-based education. There was a need for school students to have a platform where they could share their concern about values and reproductive health.

The project was born from this need,” says TSFIF manager Dilith Castleton. The topics include effective communication skills, dealing with emotions and peer pressure, understanding one’s body, HIV/AIDS and personality development. oRISHTA is an adolescent health project, in collaboration with the Tata Steel Rural Development Society and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. CSR Initiatives by RELIANCE EducationA network of nine schools caters to 13,251 students spread across geographies in India. CSR teams from RIL’s manufacturing divisions and E operations work ardently to support the educational requirements of the community and schools in the neighbouring region benefiting thousands of students from the underprivileged section of the society. RIL plays a pivotal role in supporting Government’s initiative towards education of girl child. In Gujarat, under the project “Kanya Kelvani”, RIL’s Dahej Manufacturing Division has extended financial assistance towards education of girl child in the state.

RIL’s Project Jagruti, the project to tackle dyslexia in Surat, is setting the pace for the community’s response to the social dogma of the mentally underprivileged children. More than 8,800 hours have been spent by 35 trained teachers and more than 1,000 hours by RIL volunteers to uplift and bring the dyslexic students from the underprivileged segment into the main stream. RIL employee’s spouses are supporting this activity and many teaching aids have been developed. NIOS registration has been initiated for Academic Year (“AY”) 2011-12.

Partnership with similar associations across the country and UNESCO / BBC has been initiated to spread awareness and benefit the students with latest training aids. Awareness stall was put up that attracted thousands at the national book fair organized by Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC). Membership of Maharashtra Dyslexia Association and International Dyslexia Association has been taken to make the project more focused with proven scientific practices and to get availability of resourceful experts, sourcing global knowledge / resources and best practices / models in the LD/Dyslexia space.Focus is on early identification of learning disability in child and procuring various screening tests for the same. RelianceDhirubhaiAmbaniProtsahamScheme The Scheme, launched in AY 2008-09, continues to supportpoor meritorious students.

Recipient students of Reliance Dhirubhai Ambani Protsaham Scheme got admissions in junior colleges of their choice. With admissions of AY 2010-11, the total strength of students receiving support under the scheme has gone up to 656.The first batch of the Protsaham students passed out the intermediate examination held in March 2010 with flying colours and from AY 2010-11 onwards, RIL is providing financial aid to the toppers for pursuing their higher studies in engineering and medical streams.

Mumbai Indians Education for All Initiative Mumbai Indians took on the mandate of education as a primary social issue. It launched its Education for All Initiative during the Indian Premier League (IPL) season in 2010 to create a movement to support efforts to provide quality education to all children. This initiative was the brainchild of Mrs.Nita Ambani, a passionate advocate for the cause of education. Through this effort, Mumbai Indians supported five NGOs carting out outstanding work in the field of education – Akanksha, Nanhi Kali, Pratham, Teach for India and Ummeed.

As part of this initiative, Mumbai Indians helped create awareness for the cause of education and the work of these five organizations through official Mumbai Indian videos, TV commercials that ran through the duration of the IPL, sale of Mumbai Indians Education for All wristbands as part of the merchandizing and awareness creation through its radio partners and instadium announcements during games.Community Health Care RIL has developed Community Medical Centres near most of its manufacturing divisions to provide comprehensive health services covering preventive, promotive and curative health care services to the community from neighbouring villages. The manufacturing divisions conduct regular health checkups for children in schools of their respective neighbouring regions. Doctors advise children and their parents on various health care issues and personal hygiene. Medical camps were organized by all sites benefitting patients from nearby villages and tribal areas.All patients are given medicines free of cost.

As required, all sites have provided ambulance support to roadside accident victims to shift them to hospitals / nursing homes. Patalganga site has conducted a series of health awareness programs in local schools and nearby small scale industries. Drishti A unique joint initiative of RIL and National Association of Blind, Project Drishti has undertaken over 9,000 free corneal graft surgeries for the visually challenged Indians from the underprivileged segment of the society. It is the largest corneal grafting surgery project enabled by a single corporate entity in India.The initiative to combat TB, HIV / AIDS is a unique publicprivate partnership program between the Government, NGOs, several agencies and RIL. It extends from creating awareness to providing care, support and treatment including free of cost treatment to those who cannot afford the same.

Hazira Manufacturing Division’s DOTS HIV / AIDS Centre is one of the largest Anti-Retroviral Treatment Centre (ART Centre) in the country. A 22 bedded hospital for HIV / AIDS patients has been commissioned recently. Manufacturing divisions at Jamnagar and Patalganga too have ART Centre facilities.

The initiative was expanded to other manufacturing divisions; activities are largely in the advocacy and awareness area. A special initiative of awareness campaign on ‘Prevention of HIV/AIDS’ targeted at drivers and cleaners of all product transport vehicles has been undertaken at various sites. Awareness lectures on prevention are conducted and condoms have been distributed. Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital at Lodhivali, Maharashtra continues to play a significant role in improving the quality of life in surrounding communities. It extends prompt and specialized services to the Mumbai-Pune highway accident victims.

Trauma patients are provided free lifesaving treatment. Besides taking care of hospitalization requirements, the hospital provides poor patients and senior citizens subsidized treatment – both in the outpatient and in-patient departments. ART clinic, a public-privatepartnership initiative between RIL, CII and NACO, offers free of cost treatment to HIV/AIDs patients. A well-equipped community medical centre with four observation bed facility at Jamnagar continues to offer free-of-cost, round the clock with comprehensive health services.

Manufacturing divisions offer free medical services including free medicines to the neighboring villages.

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