By Dr. Rana Singh
CALICUT, Kerala: Hailing from Calicut, with education from USA, Faizal Kottikollon, Co–founder of Faizal and Shabana Foundation and Chairman of KEF Holdings, an infrastructure, healthcare and investment development major, today shared his philosophy of giving back to the society while addressing a press conference here in Calicut.
He emphasized that his feeling of giving back to the society has always remained intact inside him during all his times from no wealth to good wealth. He said, “When I made wealth or no wealth, I wanted to give back to society.”
He said, “Giving back is not just through money, you can also give back by helping people. Giving back is also smiling at people.”
“We can give back to society knowledge, skills, competence or at least a smile to ignite the spirit of happiness amongst others.” He further added.
“Making money is part of our life but it is equally important to give back and impact others in the society. Smile will heal the opposite person.” Faizal said.
Faizal emphasized his intent to bring impact in the life of others including employees and members of the society.
He shared the beginning of his journey of giving back to the society since 2007 and shared the success of Faizal and Shabana Foundation during the last 10 years.
Elaborating his early initiatives he said, “When I started to do well in my early business in the foundry business, we decided to build a community centre for our employees with an investment of 50 crores which was the profit of last two years.”
“The mission of the Foundation is rooted in a set of values that span social justice, service, inclusiveness, relationship, integrity, competence and collaboration.”, Faizal added.
The Faizal and Shabana Foundation, social development arm of KEF Holdings, has reached a milestone, celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Faizal and Shabana foundation is dedicated to the cause of delivering excellence in the process of giving back to the society.
Shabana Faizal, Co-Founder of The Faizal and Shabana Foundation and Vice Chairperson of KEF Holdings Said “Giving back has been a part of the philosophy and our Faizal and Shabana Foundation has strong values which has been inherited from our families.”.
She strongly works towards teaching and integrating the strong values in the process of giving back to the society.
Shabana Faizal, said, “Our programs are designed to create value for the people in our local and rural communities by improving their quality of life and empowering them for better opportunities.”
“For the past decade, we have worked relentlessly to stay committed to our vision and have been able to directly and positively impact our society, economy and environment.” she added.
Over the past 10 years, since its establishment in 2007, the Foundation has embodied itself in over 25 programs and projects which has impacted thousands of lives in India and the Middle East through 20 million USD (Rs. 127 Crores), which is phenomenally more than the mandated allocation of 2 percent as stipulated by the government of India.
In response to a question from Rusen Kumar, India CSR Network; Faizal responded that his company allocates in the range of 10 to 15 percent or even more for the various CSR related activities and initiatives being carried by Faizal and Shabana Foundation.
Foundation has been working in six areas of development: Education and Youth Development, Healthcare and Wellness Support, Regenerative Sustainable Development, Humanitarian Aid and Assistance; Community Outreach and Support; and Art and Culture Development.
