CSR: Canon and CII Foundation in furthering the COVID-19 vaccination drive for the underprivileged

Targets the lower-income groups and underserved communities across multiple locations in three states i.e. Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra

 NEW DELHI: Canon India, one of the leaders in the imaging space, has announced a community welfare initiative in collaboration with the CII Foundation to help support their COVID-19 vaccination drive aimed at targeting underserved populations in rural areas and urban slums, a statement said.

This is a step further to CII’s Project ‘Vaccine Nation’ that is strengthening the vaccination drive in the country. “The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Foundation, along with Canon India, will map the demand for vaccines to help vaccinate the required communities.”, the company said.

The 15-day vaccination drive starting 12th December and till 21st December will be facilitated across Defence Enclave in Noida (12th-15th), Vasai Virar industrial belt in Mumbai (16th & 17th) and South 24 Parganas in West Bengal (20th-24th), covering the vaccination for over 3.2K beneficiaries. To amplify the efforts of the ongoing vaccination drive, Canon India will support CII in mapping the vaccination requirement across states and will assist in setting up vaccination camps along with its members, reaching out to Tier 2 / 3 cities and rural areas. The initiative will adopt a multi-stakeholder approach where-in local grassroots NGOs and local authorities will partner to help mobilise and promote vaccination among the local communities.

Commenting on the partnership, Manabu Yamazaki, President & CEO, Canon India said, “In the past two years, it has become important more than ever for humanity to come together and support communities in need amidst the devastating impact of COVID-19. At Canon, we are driven by our corporate philosophy of ‘Kyosei’, which means living and working together for the common good. In line with this vision, we have introduced several COVID-19 relief measures in our adopted villages since the emergence of the pandemic. Strengthening our CSR endeavours, we are proud to collaborate with CII Foundation, in accelerating the vaccination drive and supporting them to target communities across India’s small towns and rural areas. Our inroads into deeper rural communities will not only help people get vaccinated but also educate them about the benefits so they become much more open towards it. We aim to have a wide outreach through the vaccination drive and bring across big smiles to everyone in the community.”

Commenting on the vaccination drive and the partnership with Canon, Seema Arora, CEO, CII Foundation and Deputy Director-General, CII, said, “The CII Foundation is focussing on vaccinating people in Tier II and III cities and rural India, especially the marginalized and underserved communities, by holding vaccination camps in urban slums and inaccessible areas in over 15 States. It is doing this by working closely with local governments, industry, medical authorities and hospitals, NGOs and grassroots community workers. The CII Foundation appreciates the commitment of Canon towards the cause and is happy to partner with Canon in accelerating the vaccination drive in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal. While the number of Covid cases has been declining steadily, we must not let our guard down and it is imperative to reach out to the underserved communities to vaccinate them.”

Last year, Canon India had commenced its COVID-19 relief efforts by donating essential ration kits to over 12,500 beneficiaries including the daily wagers and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in its adopted villages and sanitation items to children from SOS Children’s Village Family homes. Along with distributing essentials such as surgical masks, sanitizers, liquid soap, and home & surrounding cleansing items, informative and awareness sessions were also conducted for the children of SOS Children’s Villages in Faridabad & Hyderabad. They also provided over 732 PPE kits for healthcare workers of the country to safeguard the paramedical staff and to the government hospitals near their adopted villages in Mumbai, Haryana, and Bengaluru, ensuring the safety of health workers involved.

In addition to this, Canon India had conducted a vaccination awareness drive earlier this year and set up support camps in its adopted villages- Maheshwari Village (Haryana), Parivali Village (Mumbai), Kalyanpur Village (Kolkata) and Annadodi Village (Bangalore), to help them register for vaccination. To increase the preparedness of our adopted villages in any unforeseen circumstances of future COVID-19 surges, Canon also placed oxygen cylinders and related accessories in its adopted villages.

Canon’s corporate philosophy ‘Kyosei’

Canon India’s CSR endeavors are driven by their corporate philosophy of ‘Kyosei’, which mean the ‘spirit of living and working together for the common good’, which is considered foremost in the organization’s way of working and day-to-day operations. However, their definition of the word is much broader and encompasses “all people regardless of their race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together for the common good.” Moving forward with this philosophy, they believe in standing in unison when it comes to their commitment to the community and strives to make a positive impact on society and the environment. The organization is involved in various community welfare programs aligned with their 4Es CSR policy implying Education, Eye Care, Environment and Empowerment, to build progressive self-reliant communities. Along with the ‘Adopt a Village’ project, the organization is also associated with SOS Children’s Village across the country to encourage and support the overall development of children in these villages.

The CII Foundation

The CII Foundation (CIIF) was set up by CII in 2011 to undertake a wide range of developmental and charitable activities pan India by enabling industry for infusing inclusive development. CIIF works towards inclusive development by providing a meaningful bridge between marginalized communities and donors, especially corporates by providing strategic guidance on CSR and developing and managing high-impact programmes. The thematic areas of CIIF include Early Childhood Education; WomenEmpowerment; Climate Change Resilience; Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation.nIn this effort, the Foundation works together with corporates, governments, communities and civil society institutions to channelize their collective resources towards social and community development.