As part of the vision of strengthening community-led rural development for positively impacting the lives of people, Nestlé India in collaboration with SM Sehgal Foundation launched the second phase of Project Vriddhi. This three-year old project was launched in 2019 in the village of Rohira in Nuh district, Haryana.
In its second phase, the initiative is expanding to the villages of Naharpur and Gabanspur in Punhana block, Nuh for improving the lives of the locals through holistic rural development.
Project Vriddhi focusses on an integrated approach of well-being, including education, sanitation, water conservation and improving farm livelihoods. The initiative has touched the lives of 1500 beneficiaries till date, promoting water-saving irrigation practices, digital literacy and life skill center, increasing awareness on nutrition, enhancing farm productivity and providing healthy learning environment in schools by improving hygiene and sanitation practices.
Commenting on the expansion of the project, Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and Managing Director, Nestlé India said, “At Nestlé India we strongly believe that an organisation’s purpose and values centre around doing good for communities today and for generations to come. As part of our commitment to building a healthier society, we launched Project Vriddhi, focussing on aspects that are crucial to rural welfare, for positively shaping lives.”
“We are now expanding this initiative to two more villages and will be working closely with the local communities for their well-being. In addition to the ongoing initiatives, we also stepped up to the challenges of the ongoing pandemic by conducting virtual awareness sessions to provide information about COVID-19 to the local residents and sanitized the entire village.’’, he added.
Jay Sehgal, Trustee, S M Sehgal Foundation, added, “We are proud to continue our partnership with Nestlé India to strengthen and enhance ongoing initiatives that will lead to positive outcomes for rural people. Since its inception, Project Vriddhi has empowered the locals through initiatives such as construction of community water storage tanks, sanitation awareness drives, transformation of schools, provision of animal nutrition and irrigation kits, animal health camps and delivery of key government programmes among other benefits. We have been working in this sector for decades and hope to bring about a difference in the lives of people in Naharpur and Gabanspur as Rohira.’’
Project Vriddhi 2.0 will focus on building awareness on COVID-19 and its precautions for safety of the community, empowering and engaging village youth through digital awareness, increasing awareness about balanced diet and nutrition through an E-nutrition ressource centre and promoting use of renewable energy alongside the existing initiatives from the first phase.
