Dabur rolls out Community Development activity in Rajasthan

Dabur rolls out Community Development activity in Rajasthan

• Adopts and revamps 3 government schools

Alwar, November 7^th, 2017: India’s Science-based Ayurveda major Dabur India Ltd today announced the formal launch of its Community Development initiatives in Alwar with the complete revamp of the infrastructure in three government schools in the district. Dabur had commenced its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity in Alwar earlier this year by adopting the government schools – Government Middle School Gugdaud, Government Primary School Haldina Umrai and Rajkia Adarsh Uchh Madyamil Vidyalaya Bagadh Rajput. The infrastructure in all the three schools were completely revamped, which included creation of new sanitation facilities for both boys and girls. The schools were today formally handed over to the local administration after undertaking a major revamp of the school facilities.

The revamped school was handed over to the school administration by Dabur India Ltd CSR Head Mr. A Sudhakar at a ceremony held today. The development work was carried out through Dabur’s CSR arm Jivanti Welfare & Charitable Trust and an independent development agency Yuva Unstoppable.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Sudhakar said: “The importance of education is undeniable for every individual. At Dabur, we believe that education is both the means to a better life and a key to ensure overall development of the society. In a bid to improve enrollment levels and reduce the dropout rates in rural and semi-urban schools, Dabur has taken up the onus of improving the infrastructure in schools and improving the learning experience for children in rural India. This revamp is part of this larger initiative.”

Dabur has been working towards improving the lives of people in Rajasthan through a variety of community development initiatives around Environment Sustainability. “In the year 2016, we had successfully rolled out a mega Water Conservation project in Newai, which has not only helped improve the ground water levels in the region but also helped meet the potable water needs of the community members in the area. We have now extended the scope of our community development initiatives in Rajasthan to cover Education-related projects. With the completion of development work in the three schools in Alwar, we will now be extending this to five new schools in the region,” Mr. Sudhakar added.

In the Government Middle School Gugdaud, with a strength of 396 kids (including 234 girls), the revamp exercise includes development of new drinking water facility and new dishwashing facility. In addition, the sanitation facility in the school has been completely revamped with the creation of three urinals and two water closets for boys and three urinals and three water closets for girls. In the Government Primary School Haldina Umrai too, separate urinals and water closets have been created for both boys and girls in addition to creating new potable water facility and a dishwashing area. This school has a strength of 102 students, including 39 girls. The Rajkia Adarsh Uchh Madyamil Vidyalaya Bagadh Rajput, on the other hand, has a strength of 524 students with 270 of them being girl students. In this school, the upgraded sanitation facility includes five urinals and two water closets for boys and three urinals and three water closets for girls.

The school revamp was undertaken after detailed discussions with the school authorities and keeping their specific needs in mind. “After a detailed survey of the region, These three schools were identified as the initial beneficiaries for our CSR interventions in Alwar. After discussions with the school administration and local authorities, we commenced a host of development activities in this school, which includes revamping the classrooms, repair and refurbishment of the existing toilet blocks in the school, creation of new facilities for drinking water and dishwashing etc. Our intention is to develop and support these school as Model Schools for the region,” Mr. Sudhakar said.

The school building and classrooms have been completely revamped and messages related to Health, Hygiene and Education have also been painted on the walls under the Building as Learning Aid (BaLA) programme. Access to basic education is the most fundamental right of any child. But an equally important right is access to basic and hygienic sanitation facilities and a healthy learning environment in schools. Going forward, Dabur plans to roll out a host of development initiatives aimed at improving the livelihood of rural populace, particularly women and children, in the region.

About Dabur’s CSR initiatives:

“What is that life worth which cannot bring comfort to others.” These inspiring words from Dabur India Ltd Founder Dr. S. K. Burman have been the guiding light behind Dabur’s social development initiatives. Dabur has been involved with community development work since 1994, endeavouring to bring about an enduring change in the lives of people and to create the right environment for driving the local economy. Through our Sanitation initiatives, Dabur has, over the past three years, helped construct over 2,500 household toilets and made 22 villages Open Defecation Free.