PwC India Foundation, in association with Gram Vikas handed over water storage systems and refurbished sanitation facilities to close to 300 families of the Daruthenga Gram Panchayat in Odisha, which was severely impacted by Cyclone Fani. These facilities were reconstructed by the community members themselves under the guidance of Gram Vikas and were inaugurated by Chief Guest Suresh Kumar Routray, MLA, Jatni Constituency in the presence of Shyamal Mukherjee, Chairman, PwC India.
This project is part of the PwC India Foundation’s efforts to provide support to disadvantaged communities in times of natural disasters.
As a part of the intervention, apart from providing safe drinking water, masonry training camps were also organised to help participants, 60% of whom were women, find sustainable livelihood opportunities.
Corporate Responsibility initiatives
Shyamal Mukherjee, Chairman, PwC India said, “As part of our Corporate Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, our aim is to identify the communities that are most in need, provide timely relief and make a difference to them in a meaningful way, providing what they need the most.”
“Through this project, our two-fold objectives are to provide safe drinking water, which is one of the most basic human needs – and to help create secure, sustainable livelihoods for the people of the three villages. It is not about big or small steps, every step counts. We believe these steps will help the men, women and children of these villages in the most direct manner.”, he said.
Serving in innovative ways
Ever since its inception, PwC India Foundation has been committed to provide relief and rehabilitation support in times of natural calamities, looking at innovative ways to address them, providing immediate relief and restoration to those affected and supporting the local authorities, undertaking pro bono advisory projects to understand the on ground challenges and devising disaster mitigation strategies . So far, PwC has reached out to 13 regions in the sub-continent.
Liby Johnson, Executive Director, Gram Vikas said, “Our aim was to reach out to the rural communities in the periphery of Bhubaneswar City affected by Cyclone Fani, who have been neglected so far. The support from PwC India Foundation was timely and enabled us to rebuild the best possible infrastructure and rehabilitate communities, schools and anganwadis.”
(Copy Right @ India CSR)
