Corporate Social Responsibility - A Bridge Connecting Underprivileged Students with Education. Meet NGOs to Welcome CSR Activities in Pune

Source: https://www.mahatmagandhischoolpune.org/

The level of basic elementary education in India has been going down just like the level of ground water in the country. 

No doubt, today we have become laced with technology driven solutions but are these solutions used legitimately? It seems like we are sitting at the needlepoint of dynamite which can be exploded anytime just on the grounds of being called as a super country of the world.

Russia-Ukraine War is the perfect example of this on-going exterminatory situation, where the technology driven car is going beyond the control of its driver and sometimes, it left me with un-settled questions to think about:

• Why technology led people are not humanity led anymore.  Have they forgotten the history or do they want to overwrite it?
• What was the aim of spending trillions of dollars on developing explosives? Have they forgotten that it was developed for Self-Protection or do they want to showcase their so-called bravery? 

And for all these issues, the solution is Be a Gyan Yogi and Karam Yogi Insan

According to Hindu scriptures, the act of smartness or hardworking is not enough alone, we have to become a right and conspicuous person first by taking right education and gain knowledge which thereby will decide the course of your action.

Corporate social responsibility can bring a drastic transformation in Indian education system by investing in elementary education and working with NGOs. CSR in the present can make the future brighter for generations to come. It is also worth noting that promoting education alone is not sufficient but moreover we do need to ensure their implementation at the grassroots as well.

Being a multinational corporate, we have to take persistent pledge to assist those children living in underprivileged circumstances and should help them to get their basic level of education completed up to the mark.

Companies, as a part of their annual CSR activity can collaborate with NGOs who’re working for deprived communities and provide them education assistance to get admissions in the schools along with the ancillary amenities, such as:

 

• Transportation Amenities (mobile vans, ambulances etc.)
• Stationary Amenities
• Lighting Amenities (arrange proper lighting in classrooms)
• Environmental Sustainability Amenities (Green/Red Bins, mobile toilets)
• Hygiene Amenities (sanitary napkins)
• Clothes and Shelter Distribution etc. 
• Education Counselling Campaign (by expert guidance)
• Career Counselling Campaign (via govt initiatives)
• Emotional upliftment (via social works)
• Vocational Courses for Upskilling

There are many NGOs who are working tirelessly in remote areas for the upliftment of needy people. 

Following is the list of 4 NGOs active in Pune, Maharashtra which are registered with government of India and you or your company can collaborate with them to contribute the time, effort and money for a social cause:

List of NGOs Active in Pune Area

1. Health N Care Foundation

2. AKET Foundation

3.  Tratr Foundation

4. Dera Sacha Sauda

1. Health N Care Foundation

It is an Indian non-governmental organization focused on providing healthcare services, child education and the upliftment of destitute people like handicaps, single parent students etc. Based in Dadar (East) of Mumbai, their volunteers are also supporting other charitable trusts in Pune with a strong zeal to promote the livelihood of people living in underprivileged areas. They are helping them in fund raising, managing operational costs and to expand the reach of their network across Maharashtra. For more details, please visit to their website: Health N Care Foundation (hncfoundation.in)

Let's talk about them below in brief: 

1. One Rupee Clinic 

2. MGS English Medium School

 

1. One Rupee Clinic

One Rupee Clinic is one of the initiatives which was started by Women's Club in Kharadi with an aim to provides zero-fee or free-of-charge healthcare services like regular health check-ups for pregnant women, diabetic patients, distributing free medicines to those who can’t afford the basic expenses. Health N Care foundation takes care of the operational costs (like doctors' salaries, electricity bills) of this clinic and has been successfully doing so for the last 8 months. I would like to appreciate their relentless efforts, passion and perseverance of doing social welfare activities.

2. MGS English Medium School 

Mahatma Gandhi English Medium School (MGS) is situated near Symbiosis college, Pune. Health N Care Foundation helps them for fund raising and providing teaching aid for imparting education to the children of prisoners, daily wagers, domestic workers, single mothers, orphans and sex workers or prostitutes residing in the slums of and area around Yerwada. 

I personally visited the school on Saturday evening to take a glimpse of this place and I met only a few students and the caretaker of the school because most of them were on their summer vacation. But it left me flabbergasted when I met with school captain - Harshita Mishra (student of class 8th) who took me over to the school's celestial environ and explained me everything in English with a great confidence. I also met Vaishnavi, who had drawn a beautiful painting on Mother’s Day for her single parent. It was such an amazing experience that I cannot explain in words alone. For more details, click here to visit their website.

Donor appeal 

     

MGS welcomes CSR activities:

• Registered under Income Tax Act, you can claim deductions 80G allotment letter
• 12A Allotment Letter
• Registration Proof
• Download certificates: www.mahatmagandhischoolpune.org

Contact Details:

• Address: Lane 2B, Plot no.52, Sanjay Park, Airport Rd, Pune – 411006
• Meet the founder: Vinayak Deokar
• Phone: 9822208529
• For more details, please visit https://www.mahatmagandhischoolpune.org/

You Must Know these Insights:

• 450+ students studying from nursery to class 8th
• Enough space for conducting CSR activity with a team of 100 people approx.
• Operated by 'Jeevan Mitra Educational Society - A charitable trust eligible for 80G deductions under Indian Income Tax Act 1961 
• Open to accept wishful contributions from anyone of all kinds, like: monetary donations, stationary amenities, food and shelter etc.
• You can also sponsor school fees and uniform expenses of children to gift them a good education for an entire year by opting one of the school plans
• Incorporated in May-2014 but the seed of serving society was sown in year 2002 
• For more details, visit school’s website

2. AKET Foundation

Source: https://aketfoundation.org/

AKET is also a non-government organization which is described for activities to eradicate poverty, upliftment of tribal population, women empowerment and distribution of basic necessities of life. They have different branches in Hyderabad, Pune and Solapur areas. Their vision is to develop a hunger and poverty free India that offers equal opportunities to all the genders. For more details, please visit website: https://aketfoundation.org/

What Activities does AKET conduct?

• Spreading hygiene awareness
• Doing tree plantation
• Gifting education material for children living in tribal areas
• Distributing Covid help and relief campaigns for front line workers
• Food donation for senior citizens
• Animal feeding and many more

Contact Details:

• Address: Office No 3, Ground Floor, Siddhi Apartment , Bavdhan Khurd, Pune – 411021
• Phone: +91 9067344334, +91 7972456303
• Email:  aketfoundation@gmail.com
• Website: https://aketfoundation.org/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aket-foundation/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdYO_cqAxrQV7WOC_NMLrUQ/featured

3.  Tratr Foundation

Tratr is a women led foundation operated by a teacher who’s dedicated her life to educating children in rural parts of Maharashtra.  According to Sonia (one of the volunteers), Tratr is a Sanskrit word which means savior and their social activities include spreading awareness of menstrual hygiene, upskill the labor class and eradicating malnutrition. For more details, please visit: https://tratr.org/

Campaign run by Tratr:

• Period Positive: Distributing hygiene kits containing sanitary napkins and other aids
• Education for Life: Spreading awareness by educating illiterate people
• Medicare and animal welfare activities

4. Dera Sacha Sauda – The Confluence of All Religions 

Dera Sacha Sauda is a renowned name in the world of humanity, social welfare works, serving holy sermons, Eradication of poverty and prostitution from this world. They celebrated their 75 years of establishment on 29-Apr-2023. The current leader is Saint Dr MSG – who’s the chief of Dera Sacha Sauda and teaches meditation to people from all walks of life. He has assisted billions of people to understand the presence and importance of God, who exists within us all. 

He is also an author, inventor, scientist, an athlete, writer, multi-lingual orator, scholar, musician, theologian, physician, philosopher, philanthropist, peace activist and the ultimate humanitarian who is serving his services since 1990 to Dera Sacha Sauda, after Saint Shah Satnam Singh Ji. 

Till current date, Saint MSG has secured 22 Guinness World Record which are entitled to himself, his organization and the Green-S-Welfare force.

According to Wikipedia: DSS was established on 29-Apr-1948 by Mastana Balochistani an ascetic follower of Baba Sawan Singh (the second Satguru of Radha Soami Satsang Beas). He laid the foundation of main Ashram in 1948 and coined the expression of hailing "Dhan Dhan Satguru Tera Hi Asra" which means only God (Om, Allah, Waheguru, Ram, Parmatma, God, etc.) is worth praising and we are solely dependent on HIM and only HE can help us in all challenges. 

The Maharashtra branch of Dera Sacha Sauda is situated in Kalote, Mokashi with the name of Shah Satnam Ji Param Sukh Ashram. Anyone can visit there and join hands for bringing social change in society. They encourage people to donate time, efforts and money for those who are in need with open-heart and happiness.

DSS welcomes CSR activities:

• Contact 1666238251, 1666238250 to Plan for CSR
• Address: State wise address given below
• Maharashtra: Shah Satnam Ji Param Sukh Ashram
• 72 km away from Mumbai on Mumbai-Pune highway, NH 4, Kalote Rayati, Maharashtra 410202
• Haryana: Shah Satnam Ji Dham, Sirsa
• Shah Satnam Ji Marg, Sirsa-125055, Haryana

 

Top Initiatives by Dera Sacha Sauda:

• Novel And Transformative Initiatives  
• Crown of the Linage – for gender equality
• Shubhdevi (Bane removed by Boon) – For Prostitution Eradication
• The Braveheart Devout Warrior – For Motivating Independent Women To Marry Handicapped Persons
• Sukhda (3rd gender) – For the Community That Prays For The Well Being Of All
• Flight of Spirit – For Treatment & Marriage of Girls Who Suffers from Hostile Acid Attacks
• Worldwide Campaigns
• Kul Ka Crown – Where husband moves to his wife’s house after marriage
• Mega Cleanliness Campaign – Where the cities and states are cleaned in few hours
• Royal Shelter – For the hopeless and orphan boys
• Royal Daughters – With an aim to counter the menace of female foeticide and gender-based discrimination of girls
• Clean Earth Movement – For promoting cleanliness and hygiene by encouraging people to keep the environment clean
• Depth Campaign – Drug eradication PAN-India Throughout Health and Meditation
• Free Medical Camps
• Blood Donation Camps
• Tree Plantation
• Disaster Relief Operations
• For more initiatives, please visit website: https://www.derasachasauda.org/humanitarian-works/

Thank you for reading my opinion piece. See you in the next article :)

At the Bottom Line

If we want to become the role model for someone then we have to keep igniting ourselves to bring a good change in the world and not only in a specific country, community or an area. We are in the intense need of a right Guru under the benevolence of which we can be redirected on the righteous path of humanitarian activities and not destructive activities.