During COVID-19, the ‘vibrant’ Anganwadis provided children with home-based learning materials and provided dry rations for malnourished children
HCL Foundation (HCLF), the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of HCL Technologies has transformed 76 Anganwadi centers across Gautam Buddha Nagar, a largely suburban district of Uttar Pradesh, into ‘vibrant centers’ that are better equipped to provide early childhood care and development. “The Foundation will now be scaling up this transformative work to an additional 125 Anganwadi centers in Gautam Buddh Nagar.”, the foundation said.
These Anganwadis are well equipped with wall paintings, health equipment and water facilities. They also have learning materials, first aid kits and reading corners. The key interventions of the foundation included: renovation of infrastructure, the development of Nutrition Gardens (‘poshan vatika’), and supporting learning and hygiene kits for children at the centres.
The primary objective of the interventions is to ensure that children under 6 years of age have access to a safe and stimulating environment for their holistic and optimal development. Besides preventing stunting and other forms of malnutrition in young children, the interventions are aimed at ensuring that all children achieve age-appropriate developmental outcomes. It also strives to boost school enrollment and enhance children’s learning outcomes. Through the vibrant centres, the foundation is also training parents as well as ICDS frontline workers and conducting awareness-building activities for them on different themes of health, nutrition, education, hygiene, and services for children with disabilities.
Benefitting over 4,700 children
HCL Foundation, through its urban flagship programme, HCL Uday, has benefitted over 4,700 children and over 8,700 parents, under the Early Childhood Care & Development vertical. HCL Foundation is all set to convert 125 more Anganwadi centers into vibrant centers soon.
During COVID-19, the ‘vibrant’ Anganwadis provided children with home-based learning materials and provided dry rations for malnourished children. The foundation has also supported ‘safety kits’ to nearly 200 Anganwadi workers and frontline workers of the government’s Integrated Child Development Services to help them mitigate the risk of COVID-19.
Plans to add new Anganwadi centers
The 125 new Anganwadi centers will also be transformed into bright, colorful and safe spaces for children. HCL Foundation will soon be taking up building renovation, capacity building, community awareness, parents development program, water and sanitation facilities, poshan Vatika and other required activities.
Early Childhood Development & Care
Nidhi Pundhir, Director, HCL Foundation says, “We are sincerely grateful to the Hon’ble Governor for taking a high level of interest in child development during the early years of life and providing technical guidance to the state-wise ICDS programme, herself. In HCLF programme districts, Hardoi, Lucknow, and Gautam Buddh Nagar, we assure full support to the Government of U.P., in establishing highest quality standards in the area of Early Childhood Development & Care.”
