GHCL Foundation which is GHCL’s CSR division. GHCL Limited is a well- diversified group with ascertained footprints in Chemicals, Textiles and Consumer Products segment. The foundation was registered in 2007 and has been actively pursuing its goals since 2010. GHCL gives great importance on the needs of its surrounding communities and to achieve that it undertook a Baseline Need Assessment Study in April, 2011 with the assistance of Ernst & Young (E&Y).
The findings defined the company’s current focus areas which are professionally managed under the foundation. GHCL foundation offices are located at Sutrapada and Ahmedabad and its activities spread out in more than 70 villages of Gir-Somnath, Amreli, Bhavnagar and Valsad districts of Gujarat. Considering the community as the prime stakeholder in the development process, GHCL began its CSR intervention in areas of women empowerment, education & skill development, health, water & sanitation, and agro & animal husbandry etc.
Women empowerment
Women empowerment is the basis stepping stone to an empowered society. GHCL forms SHGs (Self Help Group) and conduct regular meetings and training for inculcating habits of saving and its linkage with credit institutions and banks. In addition to that the company organizes skill enhancement training for their income generation. The Foundation celebrates World Women Day with high enthusiasm and involvement of women from our rural community and make them aware about self-pride, rights and role in the development of their family, village and our nation. A total of 460 women in 32 Self Help Groups in 9 villages of Sutrapada were offered training programmes on various Income Generating trades. This included preparation of the Door Mats; Pickle, Bakery Items and Handicraft items. A few women have started their own small scale enterprises.
Agro and Animal Husbandry
The foundation interventions are directed towards improving the farmer’s incomes and resource efficiency. It includes promoting environmental friendly and nature based solutions to enhance productivity of farming activities. It covers capacity building on farming techniques, provision of high quality seeds/manure, efficient irrigation solutions, etc. While Animal Husbandry efforts are directed towards improving milk yield through better cattle management practices. Till Date 41000 Farmers benefitted
Drinking Water
Providing safe and potable water had been one our top priorities. With our CADP Swajaldhara Project we are confident that this initiative will help reduce the burden on women on and improve the quality of living of thousands residing in villages where potable water is scarce. GHCL Foundation Trust initiated a large scale partnership programme with CSPC in 2013-14. The programme has made important contributions since then. Drinking Water ATM is being planned to be installed in five villages. With high (Total Dissolved Solids) TDS and salinity in water, drinking water becomes almost unpalatable. Many households having no option but drink the high TDS water and suffer from the consequences of the same. Infrastructure in villages needs massive investment in order for village people to be self-reliant and empowered. GHCL foundation have helped in the construction of Crematoriums & Graveyards, Community Halls, Gau Shala, shade in school for mid-day meal, pure drinking water facility in school, amenities in Aanganwadi-Balwadi, road, temples and water facility in school and villages.
Sanitation
Infrastructure for health, sanitation and hygiene needs major work and investment in rural areas across the nation. The Foundation realizes that rural villagers are still traditional in their views and thoughts and do not understand the importance of sanitation facilities. Infect open defecation is prevalent even in financially well-off households. In consonance to the call of the nation, Swaccha Bharat Mission, GHCL Foundation Trust initiated a programme to realize this goal of Clean India. Since 2013-14, efforts in this direction have provided for construction of over 4500 households at three locations with the basic minimum facilities of a Toilet.
Infrastructure Support
Infrastructure in villages needs massive investment in order for village people to be self-reliant and empowered. We have helped in the construction of Crematoriums & Graveyards, Community Halls, Gau Shala, shade in school for mid-day meal, pure drinking water facility in school, amenities in Aanganwadi-Balwadi, road, temples and water facility in school and villages.
Vocational and Skill development
GHCL Foundation has taken up the challenge of imparting vocational skill at the grassroots level. Youths in rural location are not interested in carrying forward with their household professions hence, diversification of skill portfolio is essential and youths want to acquire employable skills and are all looking out for vocations outside the realm of their household vocations. With that in mind, the Foundation is diligently pursuing its goals in two locations. Till Date 9600 Students benefitted.
Healthcare
In alignment of Sustainable Development Goals (No 3: Good Health and Wellbeing), we extend primary health care services in the communities of our operation. We run Mobile Health Care, Health Camps, and Specialized Cancer Check Up Camps (For females) in nearby villages. Necessary support and help is also extended for advanced diagnosis and treatment wherever identified. Till Date 129000 Patients benefitted.
Education
At GHCL, we are of the opinion that working with children and helping in building the human capital of the younger generation will unfailingly pay off in the long run. Today, one may see that every village has a school and Government has been giving utmost attention to improving the quality of education imparted in each of these grassroots level schools. Every village with a population of 1000 will have a primary school. In the past few decades, the government has made a lot of expenditure on bolstering infrastructure in schools at every level. The area which required attention was the quality of education that was being delivered to the students in these schools. GHCL Foundation Trust realized the need to double up on this front.
