With 4,846,427 confirmed cases and 986,598 active cases as on September 14, 2020, the coronavirus pandemic seems to be unleashing its might on the country. We also have 3,780,107 people having recovered from the virus while 79,722 precious lives have been lost thus far. We cannot let our guard down. We have to keep our resolute up and do whatever we can to defeat this virus that has wreaked havoc on the country. There are still many Good Samaritans who are still tirelessly working to mitigate the effects of the virus by extends their support in various ways to communities, healthcare and frontline workers as well as to various State governments. To them, we say, Thank You!!
Pepsico India
In the face of the current challenging times, farmers across the country have continued to work relentlessly. Their behind-the-scene hard work has ensured that millions of consumers continue to receive food every day across the country. As part of its continued efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, PepsiCo India today announced its commitment to provide hygiene kits to the farmer community in Satara, Maharashtra. Ensuring the well-being and safety of farmers who have been braving the challenging times head-on, hygiene kits being distributed will include both masks and sanitisers- both being essential in the fight against COVID-19.
Additionally, to create awareness within the farmer communities on the best hygiene practices, PepsiCo India is also conducting special on-ground programmes focused on handwashing procedures, wearing masks properly and practising preventive measures like social distancing.
Pratap Bose, Agro Director, PepsiCo India, said, “We at PepsiCo India are grateful to all our farmer friends who have been working tirelessly and risking COVID-19 to ensure food being available on our tables. They truly are the unsung heroes of India. It is they who despite the challenging times, has kept going, without seeking any praise or pat on their backs. Being an Agri company at heart and sharing a strong relationship with over 27,000 farmers across India, PepsiCo India acknowledges and deeply appreciates all the efforts being put by our farmer friends to feed us and our families. The distribution of hygiene kits and organizing awareness drives on health and safety is our little way to thank all our farmer friends.”
MASSA & FOSMA
Recognising the efforts of the state in combating the coronavirus pandemic, and for their understanding of the predicament of the mariners and those supporting from ashore, member-lines of leading maritime apex bodies FOSMA and MASSA have recently donated Rs. 25 lakhs to the CMRF COVID 19, Maharashtra.
The Chairmen of both the associations met and personally handed over the cheque to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray. This generous contribution comes on the heels of their earlier such donation of Rs 12.40 lakh in July 2020.
Taking the opportunity to acknowledge the hardships faced by their brethren at sea in these challenging times, Captain Prashant Rangnekar, Chairman of MASSA said, “Our seafarers have rendered their service without much ado, stayed onboard ships way beyond their period of duty because they could not get home due to lack of transport facilities resulting from nationwide travel restrictions.”
“Seafarers of FOSMA and MASSA have been assisting in the battle against COVID 19 by moving essential goods, thereby, keeping the wheels of global trade running even in such challenging times,” added Dr Sanjay Bhavnani, Chairman of FOSMA.
Since the coronavirus pandemic hit India, FOSMA and MASSA has been living up to their stature as the representatives of the shipping industry and seafarers.
In June 2020, these two bodies had joined hands to transport about 4,000 Indian seafarers on Chartered flights at reduced costs in order to help these seafarers come back home, or report to shipboard duty safely during these tough times of restricted travel.
Based out of Mumbai, FOSMA (Foreign Owners Representatives and Shipmanagers Association) and MASSA (Maritime Association of Shipowners, Shipmanagers & Agents) are non-profit organisations that represent shipping companies, owners, managers, agents, and seafarers.
Also, providing education and training to seafarers, these associations help in appointing qualified seafarers onboard ships, 75 per cent of which are owned and operated by foreign companies.
RBL Bank
RBL Bank, under its Preventive Healthcare CSR initiative, donated five mobile medical vans to municipal corporations and village samhitis in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Nagpur with support from the office of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, Shri Ajit Pawar.
These mobile medical vans will be available for a period of one month in the COVID-19 impacted regions under Pune Municipal Corporation, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, Baramati Village Samhiti, Saswad Village Samhiti and Nagpur Municipal Corporation.
Due to COVID-19, people living in containment zones and rural areas are unable to go to their local clinics. To address this challenge, RBL Bank, in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra, decided to deploy mobile medical vans that would serve as mobile clinics in these areas. The medical vans will test and reach out to over 100 people per day to identify COVID‐19 positive cases and cater to other medical requirements. The vans are equipped with doctors, support staff and medicines as well as hand sanitisers, PPE kits, stethoscopes, infra-guns, blood pressure cuffs or BPMs, cloth masks, oximeters, dressing material and glucometers. Both the treatment and medicines will be provided free of cost. All social distancing and hygiene norms will be strictly adhered to.
In Baramati, RBL Bank, along with Global Shapers, a non-profit initiative of the World Economic Forum, will also distribute free sanitary pads and masks to women and young girls. This move is a part of RBL Bank’s other aid and support initiatives, including the production and distribution of face masks through NGOs, Payroll Giving Programme for employees, relief works for migrant communities and virtual employee volunteering programmes.
Shanta Vallury Gandhi, Head – HR, CSR and Internal Branding, RBL Bank, said, “RBL Bank’s mission is ‘Community as The Cause’, we are a socially responsible organisation and believe in supporting communities in challenging times. Fighting the COVID-19 pandemic is the need of the hour. We see public-private partnerships to create an impact. Hence, collaborating with the government at the Centre and State to fight the pandemic is our endeavour. We believe this partnership is commendable and forward-looking.”
Rubal Agarwal, Additional Commissioner, Pune Municipal Corporation, said, ‘’We are happy that RBL Bank has decided to support the COVID relief work by providing mobile medical vans in Pune. This will greatly help the underprivileged, especially the poor people who can’t afford treatment and testing during emergency situations. These vans and the doctor staff will be the frontline warriors and heroes. We appreciate the support of the RBL Bank doing this activity as part of their CSR. We have to fight this pandemic together, and that’s how we will win.’’
Dr Lal Pathlabs and SaveLIFE Foundation
With an aim to support the Delhi government in its fight against COVID-19, SaveLIFE Foundation, together with Dr Lal Pathlabs, donated over 5,000 pulse oximeters to the State Health Minister Satyender Jain at his residence.
For patients in home isolation, especially older individuals and those at increased risk because of medical conditions, a pulse oximeter comes handy for monitoring oxygen levels in the blood. As per the current home-isolation guidelines, an asymptomatic COVID-positive person below 55 years and with no co-morbidities is required to report to the home isolation call centre, if they have abnormal oxygen saturation levels or high temperature.
Commenting on this, Dr Arvind Lal, Chairman & Managing Director, Dr Lal Pathlabs said, “With the rising number of COVID-19 cases, it is highly critical that we enable citizens of the country with the knowledge to fight this infectious disease. We are determined to play our part in making India a healthier nation.”
In view of the ongoing health crisis, SaveLIFE Foundation has been supporting the city of Delhi with on-ground as well as the systems-level response to the crisis. In the past few months, SaveLIFE Foundation has arranged over 15,000 PPE kits for frontline health workers, 80,000 meals for the needy affected by the nation-wide lockdown and is currently providing home-quarantine telemedicine support to more than 500 COVID+ve cases.
Piyush Tewari, CEO, SaveLIFE Foundation said, “The onset of COVID-19 and surge in demand for emergency care has strained the existing healthcare infrastructure and highlighted the need for innovative solutions that would provide urgent relief to Delhi’s population while building capacity for the State to handle abnormal health events in the future. In the last few months, SLF’s efforts have helped strengthen the government’s ambulance response times, testing strategy, procurement processes, and disease containment efforts. We will continue to support to strengthen the government’s response to contain the virus.”
SaveLIFE Foundation has also been instrumental in reducing average ambulance response times to 20 minutes (64 per cent improvement) and average handover times to 2 hours and 40 minutes (40 per cent improvement) and increasing the number of ambulances on the ground by over 270 per cent. These successful efforts are helping to keep Delhi’s COVID-19 fatality rate below 2.4 per cent and recovery rate above 86 per cent.
The Apollo Foundation
The Apollo Foundation, an organisation established with a mission to create meaningful interactions with people across the country and help enhance their quality of life in every way possible, has been working tirelessly through the COVID-19 pandemic to bring relief and aid to stricken segments of society pan-India.
Says Dr Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, “We are fighting a war not just for this generation but also for the generations to come. Apollo Hospitals was built to keep this nation healthy and in this hour of need, the Group is all set to step-up, sacrifice, and not rest until the mission is complete.”
Says Upasana Kamineni Konidela, Vice-Chairperson CSR of Apollo Foundation, “the effects of the pandemic are going to leave a lasting impact on all sectors of society. We need to provide strength, support, and positivity to help the needy power through the next two years.”
Here’s a snapshot in numbers, of their efforts to date:
Women Empowerment Programme
Through the Apollo Foundation’s Aragonda Vikas Trust Skill Center, regular salaries, additional bonus amounts, and daily food has been provided to women working at the Center, as well as their families, from the onset of the pandemic till date
Over two lakh face masks and counting have been produced by the women of the Aragonda Vikas Trust Skill Center, thereby instilling the practice of social distancing and personal hygiene measures
60,000 face masks were gifted to Government officials and frontline workers of Thavanampalle Mandal, in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh
1238 PPE Kits were stitched by the women of the Aragonda Vikas Trust Skill Center, for the Government of Andhra Pradesh
Widespread Care
The Apollo Foundation has been providing medical care along with ration kits consisting of groceries and vegetables regularly to the inhabitants of 47 villages around Aragonda
3000 face masks have been provided to District Rural Development Agency staff in Aragonda Mandal
Apollo – WWF India
Via its efforts towards the World Wildlife Fund in India, the Apollo Foundation has provided ration kits consisting of groceries and other essentials to 500 tribal Chenchu families and forest guards in the Nagarjuna Sagar Tiger Reserve and the Ambrabad Tiger Reserve of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
3000 COVID Relief Supporters are involved in the distribution of food were given health kits consisting of groceries and essentials
3009 Bed Days offered via ‘Project Stay,’ free service for patients who require isolation in the Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore regions
COVID-19 Safety Manual
Researched extensively by experts to help organizations and employees get back to work
7397 Reusable Face Masks for Over 123 Old Age Homes were supplied to the Billion Hearts Beating Foundation for over 123 old age homes in five states (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, and Delhi)
174,000 Zinc Tablets
Along with ongoing regular medication for 138 old-age homes across Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka and Delhi, to help boost immunity
Over 30,000 Apollo Pharmacy Employees are working tirelessly to ensure timely delivery of medicines and availability of stock for patients
Over 90,000 Tests by 1000 Medican Paramedics from Apollo Clinics are testing patients for COVID-19 in a timely and efficient manner
500 Beds Exclusively for COVID-19 Treatment with over 10,000 Paramedical Staff across Apollo Hospitals nationwide have healed over 30,000 patients till date and will continue to serve tirelessly
Seven Apollo Hospitals are providing free services and have covered over 17,500 patients during the pandemic
– 100,000 medical practitioners trained on using ventilators
– 15 million free health risk scans with 24/7 support of call centre doctors
– One million free of cost teleconsultations by Apollo TeleHealth
BIG FM and HDFC ERGO
Inspiring change and spreading a ray of hope and positivity in these trying times, BIG FM, one of the leading radio networks in the country, and HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company Ltd., one of India’s largest general insurance company in the private sector, lead by example as they join hands to distribute ration kits amongst 1000 migrant and underprivileged families hit by the COVID-19 crisis across various pockets of Mumbai. The 10-day long ‘Hands For Humanity’ campaign, a CSR Initiative by HDFC ERGO, culminated recently as it served families with pre-created ration kits that included essentials such as rice, lentils, cooking-oil, masks, sanitisers and sanitary napkins amongst other key things.
As the world grapples with the disastrous ramifications of the pandemic, families and individuals, who live on daily wages have been affected severely due to the lockdown. With an objective to provide relief and spread smiles, the distribution drive implemented with the help of the NGO, United Way Foundation, kick-started on August 27, and covered the length and breadth of the city. Aimed at distributing ration to 1000 families, the campaign exceeded its target as it donated ration kits to 1131 families in total. In addition to ensuring no one remains hungry, the campaign also raised awareness on the importance of maintaining hygiene and following all the safety protocols in the current times.
Commenting on the campaign, Sunil Kumaran, Country Head – Product, Marketing and THWINK BIG, BIG FM said, “We are glad to collaborate with HDFC ERGO once again after our highly successful ‘High Beam – Not OK Please’ campaign last year. These are trying times, and all of us are doing our best to come out of it stronger. And in an unprecedented scenario such as this, it becomes our moral responsibility to help those who are in need and have been affected the most! Through this initiative ‘Hands For Humanity’, we are humbled to have been able to help families who are in need in the city. We would also like to thank our execution partner, United Way Foundation, for supporting the campaign.”
Adding to the same, Samir H. Shah, ED & CFO, HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company Ltd. said, “The ‘Hands for Humanity’ campaign is the need of the hour due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis we are all faced with. Through this initiative, the efforts were to help the needy overcome the difficulties by providing some daily essentials. This is one more step by HDFC ERGO in bringing about positivity and happiness in people’s lives. We are happy to have partnered with BIG FM for this campaign and would also like to extend our gratitude to the United Way Foundation, who have helped us in the execution of the campaign.”
The ‘Hands for Humanity’ CSR initiative by HDFC ERGO is in alignment with their motto to ‘Take it easy’, and spread hope and optimism. The initiative also further reinstates BIG FM’s objective of spearheading purpose-led initiatives. With the onus to inform, educate and entertain, BIG FM continues to exemplify credibility, authenticity and purpose in each of its efforts. The campaign was extensively promoted across the radio networks on-air and digital platforms.
Citibank India
Citibank India, who has pledged to spend Rs 75 crore in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. Kindly find the details below of unique community-employee engagement initiative where Citibank India’s 13,300 employees have participated to make this programme a grand success. This initiative is aimed to provide assistance to 1.25 lac people of low-income group, who have lost their source of income amidst the COVID -19 pandemic.
In first of its kind, Citibank India’s 13,300 employees have come together to support over 26,000 families or over 1.25 lac people affected by COVID -19 pandemic. A Citibank India community-employee engagement initiative: ‘You Nominate, We Donate’ is spread across 17 major cities of India.
Over 26,000 families from low-income group, who have lost the source of income amidst the COVID-19 pandemic have received 660 tonnes of ration. Over 6 million meals have been provided to people who are economically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. State of the art technology app has been used to ensure that relief assistance reaches the rightful, deserving owner, with features like OTP, Unique Verification Code, Live Tracking, etc. Over 600 trucks and employee-owned vehicles have been engaged for distributions of ration across 17 major cities under toughest circumstances to people who have lost their livelihoods. A dedicated Call Centre has made over 1.15 lakh telephonic calls to ensure that relief assistance reaches the rightful, deserving owner. Under the Citibank India community–employee engagement initiative, a 33-kilo ration sack have been provided to over 26,000 families (5 members in each family).
Zeal Foundation and Delhi Government
In an endeavour to transform and empower children through education, Zeal Foundation, CSR arm of Delhi based air cargo, GSA airlines service provider – Zeal Global, has taken a pledge to extend its help to government and local communities. The Foundation has been directing all their efforts to offer food relief for people who are largely affected by this pandemic especially students, kids and families from underprivileged sections of the capital.
The outspread of coronavirus has impacted millions across the world. The disease is paralysing economies, overburdening healthcare systems, and upending life as we know it. The closure of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic has obstructed the reliefs meant for children from economically weaker sections of society especially Anganwadi kids aged three to eight years of age. They have been facing difficulties in accessing basic educational and nutritional services.
Through the collaboration, over 2000 educational and nutritional kits have been distributed to the slum area kids of age three to six years. Zeal Foundation identified, 1000 of such vulnerable kids belonging to more than 50 Angagwadi’s in Rajinder Nagar area who have been harshly impacted. The Foundation’s efforts are premised on the vision that every child, irrespective of his/her socio-economic conditions has full and equal rights to access proper educational and nutritional support. The 3 centres for the distribution of these kits were – Valmiki Mandir Dusghra village, Chaupal, C Block, Budh Nagar and Sonia Gandhi Camp, Loha Mandi. To the existing relief efforts of the AAP government, the foundation contributed stationery kits comprising a notebook, pencil box, colour set, etc., and nutrition packets to ensure sustenance. Under the coronavirus guidelines, the kids were ensured to be given masks and sanitizers beforehand following social distancing.
National Spokesperson and AAP MLA (Rajinder Nagar), Raghav Chadha, commenting on the distribution stated, “We are facing challenging times with the onset of the pandemic. There are so many students and kids from the Anganwadis that depend on school and meals to nourish their bodies and minds. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all these educational and nutrition-related measures delivered through schools. We are happy to join forces with Zeal Foundation in our on-going relief efforts in Rajinder Nagar Legislative Assembly with the distribution of stationary and nutrition kits to these kids.”
Commenting on the distribution, Nipun Anand, Founder, Zeal Foundation said, “COVID has affected many kids and families especially the ones belonging to underprivileged sections of the society. It’s important that we all come together to help those most in need in this critical time. By supporting the dedicated efforts of the AAP Government who continue providing much-needed access to food and education, we’re helping ensure that the Anganwadi kids can spend more time focusing on their wellbeing and education for a brighter future.”
With the support of the government, the Foundation has ensured the continuous need of food resources to these people. Earlier, they distributed more than 10,000 meals to people from underprivileged sections of society in the Rajinder Nagar area.
Fujifilm India
Fujifilm India Private Limited, a pioneer in imaging and healthcare technologies, in line with its ‘Don’t Just Take, Give’ motto has pledged to spread positivity and joy in these unforeseen times with its new campaign ‘Connecting Hearts’, a CSR initiative to help improve the disconnect between patients and doctors. To reduce anxiousness among patients and help them combat COVID with congeniality and affection, Fujifilm has introduced a unique patient-focused program by sharing instax cameras and films at hospitals to spread smiles across doctors and nurses working on the frontline during these times.
The digital film titled ‘Connecting Hearts’ dives into how healthcare heroes treating COVID-19 patients are required to wear a significant amount of personal protective equipment (PPE) to safeguard themselves from the threat of the disease. The film conceptualized in association with m/SIX India highlights that in many cases, doctors and nurses treating patients have to obscure everything but their eyes, which in turn results in not being able to form a proper connection with their patients. The video iterates how healthcare professionals all over have been trying to find ways to connect better with patients in order to lessen the anxiety and stress induced by the disease.
With Fujifilm stepping up in providing instax cameras and films, this initiative lets the doctors use the simplicity and accessibility of instax instant photography to help easily distinguish themselves on their PPE. With Instant cameras, doctors or nurses can now effortlessly take a photograph and quickly attach a credit card-sized instant photo print of themselves to their medical gowns.
Commenting on this, Haruto Iwata, Managing Director, Fujifilm India Pvt. Ltd. said, “In line with our initiative to spread joy with our Instax range of cameras, this program is our subtle way of releasing stress in these unprecedented times. While photography may not be able to help in curing patients or protect healthcare staff, at Fujifilm, we believe it may actually cultivate a closer engagement between doctors and nurses and the patients they are treating. With this, we can share friendly faces of our health warriors from behind their PPE and remind them that there is a human on the other side of the gown, gloves, goggles and N95 mask.”
Adding to this Tribhuwan Joshi, Lead Brand Communication, Public Relations & CSR said, “With our campaign ‘Connecting Hearts’ we wish to pay our salute to the healthcare professionals all over India fighting the battle at the frontlines to minimize the growing nervousness for COVID-19. With our initiative quickly revealing the happy and comforting face behind the PPE, healthcare staff and patients have noticed a sense of calmness, relaxation and empathy in the most challenging of circumstances that these patients are currently facing. With this we aim to take our motto, ‘Never Stop Believing in Smiles’ forward and spread a ray of positivity and hope among the people combatting each day with the unparalleled disease.”
Speaking on the campaign, Saket Sinha, Senior Vice President and Head of m/SIX India said, “The last few months have been very challenging and overwhelming for every individual globally. We are all coping with the ‘new normal’ and adapting to a ‘masked’ life together. We had the opportunity to work with Fujifilm India and as part of this collaboration, our teams reached out to multi-speciality hospitals across Delhi and Bangalore and connected with the health workers. Our team along with Fujifilm did a stellar job in capturing the happy faces of the health workers just to put a smile on their faces when they needed it the most. Amongst us all, they are the ones who are fighting at the frontlines to save people’s lives. The m/SIX content plus team and Fujifilm with this small video shed light on our warriors through this great initiative and proved that humanity can still be alive while facing a pandemic.”
The instax products offered so far have been prioritized to healthcare teams working in intensive care units and care on the Coronavirus frontline. Till date, approximately 20 instax cameras and 400 instax prints have been shared with hospitals in Delhi and Bangalore, and there are plans on extending this number further. Fortis, Vasant Kunj, Hindu Rao hospital, Sarvodaya Hospital, Faridabad and Maharaja Agrasen hospital are some on the hospitals in Delhi and Medirad diagnostic, Whitefield, Chinmaya mission hospital, St. Martha’s hospital are some of the hospitals in Bangalore where Instax cameras and prints have been contributed, among other reputed hospitals.
List of the hospitals Fujifilm is sharing joy with:
| S.No. | Delhi | S.No | Bangalore |
| 1. | Sarvodaya Hospital, Faridabad | 1. | Medirad Diagnostic, Whitefield |
| 2. | Yashoda Hospital, Kaushambi | 2. | Chinmaya Mission Hospital |
| 3. | IBS Hospital | 3. | St. Martha’s Hospital |
| 4. | Hindu Rao Hospital | 4. | Bhagwan Mahavir Jain Hospital, Vasanth Nagar |
| 5. | Maharaj Agrasen Hospital | ||
| 6. | Fortis, Vasant Kunj |
ZEE Entertainment
India’s leading Content Company, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEE), in line with its national level CSR drive against COVID-19, officially handed over critical healthcare equipment to the state of Tamil Nadu, further strengthening its fight against COVID-19. In the presence of the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Shri Edappadi K Palaniswami, the first batch of 18 ambulances was handed over to the Tamil Nadu Government. Additionally, ZEE has donated 12,500 PPE Kits, 5,000 Face Shields, Surgical Masks and Sanitisers each, to the State and its police force.
Over and above the support towards healthcare relief, ZEE has also partnered with Akshaya Patra Foundation to provide 80,000 daily meals which will support migrants across the city of Chennai for a month.
Speaking on this initiative, Punit Goenka, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, ZEE said, “ZEE is committed to providing strong support to the Tamil Nadu Government in its fight against COVID-19, with a key focus on strengthening the overall healthcare infrastructure. We also stand together with the dedicated police force of Chennai who has been at the frontline in this fight against the pandemic.”
In the handover ceremony presided by the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Shri Edappadi K Palaniswami, the government expressed its gratitude to ZEE for handing over the first set of 18 ambulances for COVID-19 relief. The Hon’ble Chief Minister also acknowledged the gesture from ZEE on his official twitter handle.
In its national level CSR drive towards enhancing the country’s healthcare infrastructure against COVID-19, ZEE had committed to donating 240+ ambulances, 46,000+ PPE kits, 90+ oxygen humidifiers and 6,00,000 daily meals. The donation to the state of Tamil Nadu is in line with this national level CSR drive.
At a national level, ZEE has also financially supported over 5000 daily wage earners working directly or indirectly with the Company. Further, 3400+ employees have contributed towards PM-CARES Fund. The amount generated was matched by ZEE, and the collective proceeds were donated to the said Fund.
As a responsible Media & Entertainment player, ZEE continues to take strong steps needed in further intensifying its fight against COVID-19.
Cognizant
IT major Cognizant’s COVID-19 relief efforts have touched more than 12,94,000 lives across eight States in India. Led by Cognizant Outreach, Cognizant’s employee volunteering programme, the efforts have been focussed on providing food, protection kits and other critical supplies to migrant labourers, daily wage earners, frontline workers, persons with disabilities, and marginalised communities.
Between April 2020 and August 2020, Cognizant donated well over 75,000 grocery kits, 182,000 meals, and 33,000 protective gear and hygiene kits in support of the causes referred by more than 100 charitable organisations. Cognizant recently honoured these organisations that partnered with the company in executing the relief efforts.
“We are pleased to have had an opportunity to support marginalised and underprivileged people hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Deepak Prabhu Matti, Global Head of Cognizant Outreach. “The collective resolve and efforts of Cognizant employees, charitable organisations and implementation partners such as Round Table India Trust, Bhumi, Rotary Club of Madras East, United Way of Hyderabad and NASSCOM Foundation have helped make a significant difference in communities struggling not just to navigate a crisis of unprecedented proportions, but also to adapt to the new normal.”
In addition to supporting a wide array of initiatives ranging from providing grocery to transgender people at the tsunami-resettlement colony in Chennai, to supplying hand sanitisers at the SSLC exam centres in Karnataka, Cognizant employees have also been volunteering virtually by operating helplines to provide meals and medical information to people in need, teaching students online, enabling teachers to conduct digital lessons, and empowering NGOs to use digital technologies to make their social work more effective and efficient.
“Our association with Cognizant as the primary executing NGO partner has helped us reach out to a large number of beneficiaries through 88 requesting organisations in Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kochi, Coimbatore, Mysore, Mangalore, Noida, Mumbai and Pune,” said Priyesh Shah, National President of Round Table India and Managing Trustee of Round Table India Trust.“In working with Cognizant to support people impacted by the pandemic and lockdown, we have also been able to create employment opportunities for small and mid-scale vendors, personnel involved in the packaging, loading and unloading of relief material, transporters and truck drivers, and cooperatives involved in preparing grocery kits.”
Anannke Foundation and DSGMC
Anannke Foundation, the CSR arm of Saba Group Holdings (a commodity company headquartered in Asia) & an advocate for underprivileged, partners with Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and donate 10,000 kg of dry white rice in the first phase amid COVID-19 response. Anannke Foundation will continue supporting DSGMC programs with 10,000 kg of dry white Rice every month and make sure no one goes hungry in the national capital Delhi while it fights the Coronavirus pandemic. In the program ‘Langar on Wheels’ trucks carrying cooked meals from Gurdwaras in Delhi are parked outside slums, government hospitals, old age homes, shelters, etc., and people queue up to get a free meal for themselves and their families.
India is the third-worst affected by COVID-19, which has claimed around 62,700 lives and infected more than 3,461,240 people so far. The pandemic affected more than 1,68,000 people and took over more than 4,370 lives in Delhi. As per the 2015 report by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Delhi has about 6,343 slums with 1.02 million households, ‘Langar on Wheels’ is favourable for people who cannot make it to a Gurdwara or don’t have one nearby. In the fight against the COVID-19, one of the tools is social distancing which is not feasible inside the Gurdwaras hence the food is delivered to people directly while taking necessary precaution, till now DSGMC is been able to feed more than one crore people in Delhi.
Dr Malini Saba, Founder & Chairman, Anannke Foundation says, ‘’Rich people can stay home, as they have a store well-stocked with food, the vulnerable population that do not have savings to last even for a day are completely dependent upon external help as they are the hardest hit due to the pandemic. This is the need of the hour; where many people becoming jobless, it doesn’t matter what you have, what matters is what you give. I am confident this partnership will help people to overcome hunger and humanitarian crisis in this medical emergency.’’
Manjinder Singh Sirsa, President, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee says, “We promise Delhi; no one would sleep empty stomach; this generous support from the group will enhance our initiative towards feeding the needy and helpless in different parts of Delhi. We serve meals to all, regardless of caste, class, religion, gender, social or economic status or political consideration – especially at a time when it is most critical.’’
Apart from the immediate response, Anannke Foundation will continue giving long-term support for the most affected communities and help gradually move towards normalcy. The goal of the foundation is to help at least one billion people around the world to gain access to basic healthcare, give education and opportunities that allow them to break the cycle of poverty and eradicate illiteracy about human right issues.