Going beyond business

Over the last few years there has been a systemic shift in the way organizations conduct business. Gone are the days when only profits were the motivating factors behind decisions. With section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 becoming effective from 01.04.2014 onwards, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) became a mandate for all corporates, wherein they had to spend a minimum of 2% of their net profit over the preceding three years on CSR initiatives. However, Allcargo Group, India’s largest integrated logistics services provider, has been giving back through its CSR arm, Avashya Foundation, much before this regulation came into force.

Through well-designed, inclusive initiatives across six focus areas – Education, Environment, Health, Women Empowerment, Disaster Relief and Sport, Avashya Foundation has been creating tangible on-ground impact. These are implemented through collaborations with partner NGOs, who are experts in their respective fields of change.

A dose of care

One of the key impact areas for Avashya Foundation is to improve accessibility and affordability of healthcare. Its projects Jeevan, and Jeevan – Coping with Cancer, have been making a significant difference.

Every Thursday, for the past decade, medicines have been distributed at Sion Hospital in Mumbai. Since medication for various ailments can be very expensive and can pose a challenge for families with low incomes to afford, this initiative comes as a relief, especially on account of the already high costs involved in patient care.

Enabling vision with Drushti

 Under another longstanding initiative – Drushti, which is specifically aimed at promoting eye health – regular eye check-ups are conducted for the benefit of underprivileged communities. Where needed, spectacles are provided, and those identified with cataract issues are connected to tertiary healthcare centres for surgical care.

In a recent Drushti camp, where over 400 individuals registered, other health parameters were also checked. By approaching communities with such initiatives, healthcare becomes a lot more accessible. Early screening of ailments and an accessible touchpoint for healthcare facilities where needed, have proven to be very effective in promoting good health.

Medicines being distributed at Sion Hospital under the Jeevan Coping with Cancer initiative

Drushti – caring for eye health through regular camps

Disha – giving a new direction to the youth. Over 300 scholarships were given to students in Mangalore recently

Encouraging young minds to learn – a summer camp in action at an ashram in Mangalore

Giving impetus to learning

Education being another important focus area for Avashya Foundation, a number of diverse initiatives are being supported to help promote learning. As part of the Disha scholarship programme, for instance, meritorious high school students receive scholarships which encourage them to study further.

While 300 scholarships were disbursed recently, overall, this initiative has helped a number of students to pursue their dreams.

In another novel initiative, a summer camp was supported for an ashram in Mangalore, where around 80 children gained knowledge on various subjects such as Vedic math, personality development, etc., as well as focused on sports, games, martial arts, skating, drawing, craft, arts, preparation of clay models, and entertainment games.

This not only helped engage children and build skills, but also gave them the opportunity to express themselves in a creative manner.

Powering digital literacy

Further, a digital literacy drive was also conducted, wherein through collaborations with IT companies, 500 laptops were distributed across Maharashtra.

Allcargo’s express distribution wing, Gati, supported this initiative as a logistics partner.

Through regular ongoing interventions for the welfare of the society and communities, Avashya Foundation reaches out with a helping hand, always keeping people at the centre, thereby empowering them to be co-creators of change.