Author: Group Communications

SNS Foundation partnered the American India Foundation to conduct the ‘ABLE’ (Ability Based Livelihood Empowerment) programme in Gurugram.

The programme focused on providing skill development training to enhance the employability of youth with speech and hearing impairments. SNSF has trained >300 such youth, of which >200 are working in the hospitality, retail and manufacturing sectors. The year 2017 was special one for the SNS Foundation as it was able to bring the e-commerce behemoth, Amazon India, on board for hiring ‘ABLE’ graduates. By the end of the first year, ~20 ‘ABLE’ graduates were working in four warehouses of Amazon at Tauru and Bilaspur (Haryana), Okhla (Delhi) and Jaipur (Rajasthan). The graduation ceremony of ‘ABLE’ in January 2018 was graced by the presence of several dignitaries from Amazon India. It also saw the participation of the main sponsors, American India Foundation as well as co-sponsors ANAND CY Myutec Automotive and Dana Anand India. ~20 graduates received their course completion certificates from the various dignitaries and shared their experience of being a beneficiary of the ‘ABLE’ programme. The chief attraction of the event was a bharatanatyam performance by ‘ABLE’ graduate, Banavath Rayamallu. He is presently working in the F&B department of Lemon Tree Hotels, Aero City (New Delhi).

Through the months of December, January and February, SNS Foundation teams across Nashik, Dewas, Jodahalli, Chennai, Hosur and Pune conducted two- day-long personality development workshops for its MEDHAVI scholarship awardees. In these workshops, the awardees, most of who were in their first year of diploma engineering set their goals for 2020 to become ‘good working engineers.’ The workshops followed a uniform pattern and encouraged participants to reflect on their time management skills as they were going through many firsts in their lives – staying away from their homes in hostels, studying and appearing for exams in English language, being exposed to subjects like engineering and drawing, among others. Secondly, the workshop tried to instil in the participants a never-say-die attitude as they were likely to face many challenges in the pursuit of their 2020 goals. The workshops also included interaction and presentations to representatives of ANAND Group companies that had donated to the MEDHAVI scholarship programme.

Differently-abled students of the SNS Foundation presented the National anthem in sign language as part of the World Disability Day celebrations at India Gate, New Delhi. The students, with speech and hearing impairment, were undergoing training in packaging and inspection at SNS Foundation’s Gurugram centre. This year’s World Disability Day was especially significant from an Indian context as it marked the first anniversary of the promulgation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, which recognised 21 different disabilities. The event saw cultural performances by differently-abled individuals and showcased their indomitable spirit. The event, followed by a ‘Walk to Freedom’ involving all the participants, was jointly organised by the American India Foundation and the National Council for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People and sponsored by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation of India.