Education is another key CSR areas of interest for Ford India.
CHENNAI (India CSR): As much as it cares about giving you the finest in automobiles, Ford India also cares about the world we live in. The company is committed to making a difference – for itself and for future generations. Being volunteer-driven programmes, Ford India’s CSR activities have seen tremendous support and huge enthusiasm from employees.
Ford India CSR activities are focused primarily on the community around manufacturing facility in Chengalpattu, Chennai and are focussed in four key areas: road safety, education, healthcare, and environment.
Here are some of the key Ford India initiatives in 2010:
Driving Skills for Life (DSFL)
A regional initiative to raise awareness about safe, economic and eco-friendly driving through a free-training program that mixes classroom learning with practical hands-on sessions, Ford Motor Company’s DSFL program has enjoyed enormous success in Asia Pacific and Africa markets. Reducing the toll of road traffic accidents across the region is a key objective of the program. The World Bank estimates that the number of deaths from car accidents globally will rise to two million annually by 2020, from roughly 1.1 million in 2010.
Road accidents
The Indian Transport Ministry estimates that the number of annual fatalities from road accidents will climb to 150,000 by 2015 because of the rapid growth of vehicle ownership in India. In 2008, road accidents in India claimed more than 118,000 lives.
After being introduced in Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, China and Taiwan, the DSFL program was launched in India in August 2009, with an initial focus on training employees and related drivers at the company. Over 300 participants were trained in DSFL in 2009.
The year 2010 saw an exponential expansion in DSFL to driver groups outside Ford India employees and drivers. Whilst ongoing employee sessions continued, the program also started including customers, Traffic Police personnel and college students, among others.
Ford Business Service Centre
In 2010, the trainer base for the DSFL program was also extended to include a total of 13 experts from Ford India, Ford Business Service Centre and Program Partners, Hubert Ebner (India) Pvt Ltd, a road safety education and training organisation. These 13 experts went through extensive `train the trainers’ sessions extensive ‘train the trainer’ sessions by driving experts from the German Road Safety Council, global DSFL partners with Ford Motor Company. During the year, Ford India conducted DSFL training sessions for over 1400 participants.
Some of the key sessions conducted in 2010, in addition to ongoing employee training sessions were:
Road Safety Week
Participation in the Society for Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) Road Safety Week 2010 with a session for 80 Delhi Traffic Police personnel. Introduction of the program to several social media automotive experts during a special session for bloggers. This has helped Ford India introduce DSFL among the online community as well as spread the message of safe, economic and eco-friendly driving among hundreds of fans and followers.
DSFL Campus outreach for nearly 250 students from Stella Maris College, Chennai, RV College of Engineering, Bangalore and Lakshmibai National University of Physical Education, Gwalior.
Special sessions for the members of the community MCRT Round Table and Madras Club members, drivers from Orix Auto Infrastructure Services Pilot the program to conduct regular sessions at the MPL Ford showroom in Perungudi, Chennai for Ford customers .
Blood Donation
Blood donation is a noble cause having a huge impact on healthcare and is a frontline volunteer-driven activity supported by Ford India for over a decade. The blood donation program at Ford India has seen strong encouragement from all sections of the employee base who have come forward to donate blood in large numbers, year after year.
Ford India was named the largest voluntary blood donor in the industrial sector in Tamilnadu for ten consecutive years and has been the recipient of the permanent Red Cross trophy. In October 2010, Tom Chackalackal, vice president, Vehicle Operations, Ford India, received the trophy from Shri. Surjit Singh Barnala, Governor of Tamil Nadu. Ford India employees have donated a total of 6848 units of blood since 2000 to Red Cross Society. In 2010 alone, donated 1663 units of blood.
Sanjeevi Health Center
With Ford India’s continued focus on reaching out to neighboring communities, the company celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Sanjeevi Health Center situated near the Ford India manufacturing facility at Chengalpattu, Chennai in 2010. The Sanjeevi Health Center is a primary health care clinic providing medical counsel and treatment to patients from villages near the Ford India manufacturing facility. The clinic also regularly organizes health check-ups and specialty health camps. With its ongoing medical camps in neighboring villages, the clinic helped in 16240 consultations and held 13 camps in 2010. These camps included screening for ailments such as tuberculosis, paediatric, cardiovascular, diabetics and gynaecology diseases.
Global week of Caring (GWC)
The Global Week of Caring is celebrated across Ford Motor Company markets globally in the spirit of responsible corporate citizenship and to give back to the society. Ford employees’ participation across regions in several voluntary-driven and socially beneficial programmes during this week has touched the lives of hundreds around the world, and India team’s spirit is no different.
The 5th Annual Ford Motor Company Global Week of Caring was observed from 4th to 9th September 2010, when Ford volunteers across the world reached out to address specific needs in their local communities. As part of Global Week of Caring 2010, Ford India conducted seven high-impact CSR activities in seven days around the global theme of ‘Environment’. During this period, Ford India saw the highest-ever participation in three years, with approximately 3330 hours spent by 1060 volunteers. Due to the efforts of the volunteers, the Global Week of Caring CSR team was nominated for the Ford Motor Company’s Global Inclusion and Diversity Award in 2010.
The highlights of Global Week of Caring 2010 included:
1. Planting of 1500 saplings on the GST Road in Chengalpattu by over 1000 volunteers from all three Ford entities in India – Ford India, Ford Business Services Centre and Ford Technology Services.
2. Organizing a Children’s’ Day Out for several AIDS-affected children at the Vandaloor Zoo, Chennai.
3. Inaugurating of a fully stocked library at local Maraimalai Nagar School with donations from Ford India employees.
4. Conducting two comprehensive lung screening camps at the Sanjeevi Health Center for nearly 300 villagers from the community.
5. Conducting an interactive and informative DSFL session for 100 Chennai Traffic Police personnel by Ford India trainers and volunteers.
6. Organizing a teaching-through-fun “Go Green” painting competition for 300 school children on the global the theme of ‘Environment’.
7. Distributing 1000 bags, 1000 writing kits and 2000 note books to local schools around the manufacturing facility.
Other activities
Education is another key CSR areas of interest for Ford India. Apart from other initiatives in this field, and in order to help ensure safety and security in neighboring village schools, the company also helped in conducting counseling an dmotivational talks and supported infrastructure needs of the construction of compound walls around two local village schools at Keezhkarnai and Tirkachur.
Ford Business Services Centre and Ford Technology Services have also conducted a number of socially responsible activities in 2010. One such example is at the “Ford-Rotary Computer Donation Programme” event held on August 16, 2010, Joginder Singh, president and managing director, Ford Business Services Centre announced a donation of 150 computers to support the Rotary Club of Madras Midtown (RCMM) Digital Literacy (DL) programme in the presence of Dr. Poongothai Aladi Aruna, Minister for Information Technology, Government of Tamil Nadu and Rtn. G. Olivannan, district governor of Rotary International.
The 2010 beneficiary groups attached to the PC donation program include:
1. Government Ponneri Library
2. Organisation for Eelam Refugee Rehabilitation
3. Midtown Digital Literacy Centre
4. MS Swaminathan Research Foundation for Village Knowledge Centres
5. Andhra Mahila Sabha
6. Women’s Voluntary Service
7. Centre for Empowerment of Women, Anna University
8. MCN High School
9. CORD – Chinmaya Organisation for Rural Development
10. India Sudar
Through the 20-hour DL programme, the participants received a basic introduction to computers and the Internet. They also learned about e-mail and how to use common software packages such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
In the months and years to come we will make use of every opportunity to reach out in a socially responsible way; through interventions in AIDS awareness, road safety and education among the communities we work with. We look forward to continued support, cooperation and enthusiasm from our employees and partners to make these social initiatives a success.
(Sourced from Ford India)
Updated on August 17, 2022
