Category: Latest At ANAND

On this day SNS Foundation Dewas was recognised by Gram Panchayat, Village Siya, located about 15 kms from Gabriel India(GIL), Dewas, for its contribution towards the development of the 5 government schools in the village over the past 5 years. Between the years 2015 and 2020, MINR 5.7 under the GIL CSR has been contributing towards developing the schools’ infrastructure which includes construction of new classrooms, washrooms, kitchens, drinking water facilities, safety measures etc. GIL’s CSR contribution has been complemented by MINR 1.0 from the District Dewas Administration towards upgrading the schools’ infrastructure. Other honours accorded to the village’s education infrastructure include visits by former M.P. State Minister for Skill Development, Technical Education and School Education, Shri. Deepak Joshi, thrice during the year 2017. In 2019, SNSF was also recognised by the District Education Office, Dewas, for its efforts at Siya.

The upcoming model village of Chalkewadi, located about 30 kms from SIPL, Satara, moved a step further towards developing unity and camaraderie among fellow residents. On the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti, self-help group (SHG) members organised a ‘Haldi – Kumkum’ festival, in spite of their usual busy schedule filled with household chores and agricultural duties. Almost 80 women gathered on the grounds of the village school to perform the rituals of the festival. This was an opportunity to create awareness among members on how to utilise their collective strength to work for the development of the village on aspects of health, education, employment generation, and applying for relevant government schemes. The women enjoyed the much-needed break from their daily routine, and the festival ended with the fun-filled activity of musical chairs.

SNSF organised a one-day training workshop for members of the self-help groups (SHG) of Village Neerasagar, located in the vicinity of Dana Anand India, Jodhalli, on book-keeping and other financial management practices. The training was conducted by resource persons from Karnataka Central Cooperative (KCC) Bank Limited, Dharwad, the bank in which the SHG members have their accounts. A ‘Swachh Ghar’ or ‘Clean House’ competition was held for the SHG members, and 12 individuals received awards for the cleanliness of their homes, with special focus on washrooms, kitchens and storage facilities. Aspects of natural lighting, ventilation and clean surroundings were also taken into account before the awardees were selected. All the SHG members drew rangolis outside their homes, giving the village a festive look.

A new washroom facility for boys was constructed by SNSF under the CSR arm of MAHLE ANAND Filter Systems in a partner government school near the MAFS facility in Chengalpet. Till then, Government High School, Sithandimandapam, did not have proper sanitation facilities for the male students subjecting them to open defecation during school hours. The facility was inaugurated by Mr. Aneet Raina (Plant Head, MAFS, Chengalpet) and Mr. Chandru (Plant HR Head, MAFS, Chengalpet) in the presence of school authorities and high-level representation from the government education fraternity comprising Mr. Murali (Divisional Education Officer, Madhuranthakam Division, Chengalpet District) and Mr. Veeramani (Asst. Education Officer, Madhuranthakam Division, Chengalpet District).

Contributions from MAHLE ANAND Thermal Systems’ CSR wing enabled SNSF partner government school, Government Higher Secondary School, Padalam, to construct two new classrooms and refurbish their washrooms. A colourful function organised by the school alumni was held to inaugurate the new facilities. Senior dignitaries from MATS, Chengalpet facility, Mr. Durai Pandian (Plant HR Head) and Mr. Thiyagarajan (Maintenance Manager) attended the event, which also saw the presence of high-level representatives from the local government education fraternity and Public Works Department (PWD), under whose supervision the works were carried out. The school alumni association, Padalam panchayat, the headmaster, teachers and students attended the event to show their appreciation.

SNS Foundation, Parwanoo, has been awarded membership to the Himachal Pradesh State AIDS Control Society’s (HPSACS) Executive Committe and Governing Council. This honour comes after almost 15 years of work as an implementation NGO partner of HPSACS. SNSF’s project team has touched the lives of more than 1 lakh individuals belonging to various vulnerable groups, including transport sector workers, commercial sex workers, migrant labours, by creating awareness about HIV/AIDS and other medical facilities. This recognition will help the Foundation to strongly put forth concerns related to the challenges faced in project implementation by all NGO partners, thereby improving the quality of service delivery for the target population.

Smt. T.S. Raji Gain, Chief General Manager, NABARD, Madhya Pradesh, visited Tejaswini Mahila Bahu Prayojan Sahkari Samiti, a women’s cooperative society facilitated by SNS Foundation, Dewas, which sells handicrafts, soft furnishings among other items. The members received training in these skills from SNSF’s Dewas team, under NABARD’s Livelihood and Enterprise Development Programme (LEDP). It was a proud moment for the cooperative society members and the SNS Foundation to welcome the highest ranking donor official in their midst. Smt. Raji Gain appreciated the quality of the products, and also encouraged the women to continue taking such bold steps towards self-empowerment.

Some 40 self-help group members from Chalkewadi village participated in this training workshop, which covered the 3 thematic areas of dairy farming, backyard poultry and goat rearing. Field experts from the Department of Animal Husbandry, Satara Block, as well as officials from UMED – Maharashtra State Rural Livelihood Mission of Satara Block – participated in the event. Following the training, 25 individual businesses are expected to be launched in the coming months.

To promote the economic development of women, 7 SHGs with a total membership of 70 women were formed between September and December 2019. Guided by the SNSF team, the groups successfully put into practice the training they received from UMED-MSRLM (Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission). In October 2020, each group was awarded a loan of 1 lakh to start micro-enterprises in several areas including poultry and dairy, by the end of the financial year 2020-21.

Taking advantage of the recent monsoon season, residents of Rohile village, Nashik, embarked on a drive to increase the green coverage in the village by planting seeds and saplings across 2.5 acres of land donated by the Department of Forests. Additionally, mango, golden duranta, black ficus, golden ficus saplings were planted to beautify the village. This endeavour received support from SNSF team members along with the local government.