Relief fund and articles for Leh Flood victims in India

It was a new event meant for people who were left homeless after the cloudburst in North Indian region of “Leh”.

   • "GOONJ" An NGO that works for weaker sections of society or helps those in need.

A cloudburst has triggered raging floods in arid Ladakh on August 8th 2010, turning one of India most picturesque regions (Leh) into the face of devastation, with hundreds dead, home flattened and visitors marooned during the peak adventure-tourism season. The calamity has been one of the worst ever in a region known more for its wild beauty and Buddhist monasteries that draw thousands of western and Indian tourist, particularly hikers, mountaineers and adventure sports enthusiasts, with August as the peaks. We at NEC HCL System Technologies Ltd. with the help of Goonj organized a campaign to collect money and articles like food, clothes, woolens and medicines to send to these grief stricken victims of cloudburst in Leh. We were able to successfully organize the Leh Collection Drive for Cloud burst flood victims. We collected blankets, woolen clothes, food items and other goods for the affected people. We sent around 7-8 boxes and around INR 5000 in cash and cheques to Goonj, the NGO that we worked with to help the Leh flood victims.

Donation of Stationery to Gyan Jyoti School Run by NPO NATURE

   • Gyan Jyoti School run by NATURE (National Association Targeting Upliftment and Rehabilitation through Education)

On the occasion of a drawing, painting, and quiz competition, NEC HCL System Technologies Ltd. donated school stationery to Gyan Jyoti School run by NATURE, an NPO for the rehabilitation of economically disadvantaged children through education. The stationery donation was made possible through contributions from NEC HCL System Technologies Ltd. employees. NEC HCL System Technologies Ltd. employees have been proactively participating in CSR activities and have been providing financial support to Gyan Jyoti School and NATURE.

Distribution of Woolen Clothes to Rickshaw Pullers and Construction Workers

   • Poor rickshaw pullers and construction workers

North India is extremely cold during winters, which makes survival really difficult for the poor people who don't even have enough woolen clothes to keep themselves warm. So we collected used, but quite functional, woolens from employees and distributed them individually to people in need.
It was nice to see the smiles on their faces because they were assured of some warmth.

This needs to be done every winter. So we would like to do this next year as well.

"99999 Lights Out" - A Campaign to Arrest Global Warming

We had a nine-minute-long lights-out campaign from 9:00 am to 9:09 am on September 9th, 2009. The campaign was aimed at promoting the trend of reducing carbon footprints.
It was a nine-minute public display of unison, when everyone switched off their lights for 9 minutes at 9:00 am on the 9th day of the 9th month of the 9th year of this millennium in support of the fight against global warming.

   • All the employees showed great appreciation for the campaign. They enthusiastically participated in it, which was a significant
     step towards cutting down on wasted energy. (an employee)
   • With the success of the campaign, our company is thinking of taking up this initiative as a daily activity to reduce its electricity
     costs as well as save energy. (an employee)

The main reasons for the campaign were as follows:

   • It was a sign to show our responsibility towards saving energy.
   • The initiative was undertaken as a fight against global warming.
   • It helped induce a sense of responsibility among all the employees towards saving the world's energy resources, which are
     becoming scarcer each day.
   • It helped the employees better understand the utility of electricity and led them to take such steps at their homes, thereby
     reducing electricitybills at their residences as well.
   • The initiative, if undertaken as a daily activity, will help reduce the organization's electricity costs.
   • This initiative is an ongoing activity and employees have started behaving more responsibly, which is demonstrated by their
     switching off lights before leaving the washrooms and break area.

Donations to "Care for Cows"

   • Care for Cows

Monthly and annual contributions were being made by NEC HCL System Technologies Ltd. employees to provide feed and medical facilities for cows being given shelter at Care for Cows. The donations amounted to 50,000 rupees (about US$1,088). Currently, there are 160 cows that have been rescued from roads. And the majority of them had been in a major road accident and been left unattended. Some have been rendered handicapped by the accidents. Still, they look healthy and happy due to the affection and medical care the caretakers at Care for Cows liberally give them.
It is really heartening to see the honesty and dedication with which Care for Cows is taking care of the animals. It gives me an immense sense of satisfaction after having been able to contribute something towards this cause. (an employee)

This was the first time we got involved with this initiative, and the experience was absolutely divine and fulfilling. We had never received such an overwhelming response to any other initiative.

Helping Place Needy Children in Caring Homes

   • SATHI (Society For Assistance To Children In Difficult Situations)

We have begun assisting a non-profit organization called SATHI to help provide better living conditions for children found at railway stations. SATHI was established in 1997 and works with children at the stations, who often can only stay on the platforms. SATHI rescues them from the instability of station life and provides shelter and care until the child is safely placed in a home. So the core activity of SATHI is home placement.
Its operations are spread across the major train junctions in India, for example, Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi, Kanpur, Patna, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Hubli. SATHI ensures that the children are put in preparation facilities and then reintegrated into society and, ideally, reunited with their families (or otherwise placed with foster families).

   • This approach improves the standard of living of poor children who are separated from their families. And our arrangements
     with SATHI help our company';s employees guide these children in a better way and make their lives worth living.
     (an employee)
   • After our assistance on August 11th, we had a meeting with one of the SATHI coordinators about extending our help in every.
     possible way We are expecting to hold another meeting with them in a week's time, which will involve the showing of a.
     documentary film The film will enable our employees to better understand the work of this NPO. (a manager)

The main reasons for the arrangements with the NPO are as follows:

   • It is a great step towards helping the weaker members of society.
   • We have specifically chosen SATHI because its core activity is to provide home placement for children who have been away
     from their places for a very long time.
   • Our involvement and support will help make the children's lives better.
   • Volunteers from our company will speak to the children, inspire them, and spend time with them.
   • The volunteers will also reunite them with their parents, if possible.
   • There has been a great deal of enthusiasm shown by the employees for this activity. We are planning to help these children
     through donations as well, such as giving them clothes. We are already planning to assist again next month.

Recycling Blank Side of Printed Paper

We have been reusing all printed paper by writing or printing on the other side. Previously, all the employees used to throw paper in the trash after using only one side.
Our company now makes a concerted effort to avoid wasting paper by reusing it. This initiative has helped to significantly reduce paper waste and contributed to evoking an eco-friendly spirit among all the employees at NEC HCL System Technologies Ltd..
   • This is really commendable because it avoids wasting paper and contributes to environment preservation. (an employee)

The main reasons for recycling paper are as follows:

   • One-time use of paper led to a huge pile of garbage, and disposal of it became tedious.
   • Reusing paper is a great example to show how paper can be used for alternative purposes.
   • Throwing away paper that is still usable increases company costs.
   • Because new paper was readily available to employees, they used it indiscriminately.
   • Reusing paper helps create a sense of responsibility towards the environment among our employees.
   • The approach is very easy to follow and helps curb the waste of daily paper to a great extent.
   • This is an ongoing activity in our company. Now, all the employees collect the paper used on one side, and a bundle of it is
     put in one place. The paper is used to make notebooks. Whoever needs a notebook uses one of these instead of taking a
     new one.

Donation of Spiritual and Motivational Literature at Home for the Elderly

   • Janak Sewa Samiti, 1162 Sec19, Faridabad

The majority of the residents in the Janak Sewa Samiti home for the elderly are living in a state of acute despair and depression. Due to a lack of family support and minimal interaction with the outside world, these people either lose the desire to live or tend to become more and more negative.

Amidst our own busy schedules, it is not possible for us to do much for them. But books are man's best friend. So we gave them spiritual and motivational books worth 5,000 rupees (approximately US$109) that can provide them support and guidance.
This initiative may not bring immediate relief to them. But the recipients are likely to have a positive change in their thinking in the long run. This will probably also help bring down the crime rate in the home. (an employee)

• This was again a new initiative for us and gave us an opportunity to interact with the old people, who need our time and support in addition to the literature. In fact, it would be ideal if we could spare some time for them and read inspirational passages to them from the donated books.