Mumbai, January 27, 2017 – Mondelez India Foods Private Limited (formerly Cadbury India Ltd., makers of India’s favorite chocolate brand – Cadbury Dairy Milk), has completed two successful years of its National CSR programme – “Shubh Aarambh”. The programme has a footprint in seven States, touching lives of about 100,000 beneficiaries including children, youth, mothers and teachers in and around the company’s manufacturing and cocoa operations in the States of Himachal Pradesh (Baddi), Madhya Pradesh (Malanpur), Maharashtra (Induri & Thane), Andhra Pradesh (Sricity), Telangana (Hyderabad), Tamil Nadu (Pollachi) and Kerala (Adimali).
Ophira Bhatia, Director – Corporate & Government Affairs, India & South East Asia said, “Good values and good business go hand in hand. Our National CSR programme, Shubh Aarambh has touched about 1,00,000 beneficiaries in a short period of two years and has symbolised new beginnings for the youth across seven States. Young people have had the opportunity to access health & nutrition education, participate in play & sports activities leading to social development & education; while kitchen gardens have enabled them to grow their own fruits and vegetables, helping create self-sustenance. Our goal is to build a healthy, educated and productive next generation by closely working with them in their schools and communities. We have tremendous support from local governments and communities and would like to thank them for their efforts.”
Since its inception, the Shubh Aarambh programme has made significant progress within the communities it operates, thanks to the collaborative efforts along with its partner NGOs Save the Children, Magic Bus and AFPRO. Keeping the needs of the children at the centre of the program, Mondelez India works with parents and teachers to provide health and nutrition support at an early age, education, physical and social development through sports-for-development, and skills and livelihood programmes to make young people more employable. The programme also focuses on water and greening as one of the key initiatives.
Milestones:
- Enhancing overall nutrition intake of families by developing over 110 community kitchen gardens and 800 individual kitchen gardens.
- Physical education through sports sessions is being undertaken to help children become physically more active and attentive in school. For this purpose, 29 well-equipped safe play spaces have been developed.
- The youth development programme has helped to enrol over 800 youth and complete their sessions. They are now successfully placed either in jobs, are pursuing higher studies, or have started their own business.
- Under the water and greening programme, a 1.5 kms pipeline and another 740 ft. GI pipeline were constructed; and three RO (Reverse Osmosis) systems have been installed thus enabling access to clean drinking water.
- Over 7000 forestry trees and homestead fruit trees have been planted in homes, schools, anganwadis, panchayat and forest lands.
- Three parks have been developed and a school lawn has been beautified in Induri and Baddi.
- With over 6500 patients being treated during the year, the medical centre located at Induri is gaining a lot of popularity.
