With the mushrooming of NGOs in our country, very often we are not certain whom to trust for collaboration or donation. Therefore, it is necessary that we do a fully fledged comprehension on the initiatives and activities of the NGOs that we come across in order to find ourselves inspired or lend our helping hand for such organisations.
Moreover, there are many NGOs that fail to implement their innovative ideas and sustainable development projects due to lack of sufficient funds. Considering these as the primary concerns, HCL Technology’s CSR arm – the HCL Foundation -– has implemented HCL grants for 10 meticulously filtered NGOs that do path-breaking works and contribute in the overall nation-building.
Currently running on their third edition, the foundation hosted their first symposium in Kerala at the Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Kalamassery, in Kochi the other day. Around 85 people including representatives of various NGOs and civilians attended the event. It included panel discussions led by experts and sessions on activities of the HCL Foundation in order to create awareness among everyone about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and to mine out the good NGOs and empower them nationally whereby encouraging them to apply for the upcoming grant in 2019.
Ms. Nidhi Pundhir, director and CSR head of HCL Foundation, addressed the opening session at the event. “As the corporate social responsibility, we are working through an integrated community development to support NGOs that do phenomenal activities in the areas of education, health and environment. The award goes out nationally and we have been doing this for the past four years,” Nidhi said.
About those NGOs that couldn’t win the grant, the HCL Foundation creates photo stories and publishes them as well as links them with other potential donors. An effort to acknowledge the contribution of the civil society, one of the aims of HCL grant is to recognise the work done by these NGOs, and not just award them but also make a compendium about the organisations that are working in rural areas for the welfare of society.
Nidhi believes that there are gaps that still need to be filled in the investment of areas like education, health and environment. “We can always do an online application or have a press release, but then the goal behind these symposiums is that we personally talk to them about the provisions of CSR law, about the sustainable development goals and how to approach for corporate funding. Our previous grant recipients also participate and interact with the present year applicants to share their experiences and give them guidelines.”
Nidhi opines that although Kerala is perceived as a developing state, there are communities that are left out and require further survival support. “As many as 99 NGOs applied for our grant last year which, I think, is moderately low and it would be better if it improves,” she concludes.
