HCL Foundation (HCLF), the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of HCL Technologies has been felicitated by Smt. Anandiben Patel, Governor of Uttar Pradesh recently, for transforming 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.
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, 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 aim 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 disability.
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.
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.
Quote from Ms. Nidhi Pundhir, Director, HCL Foundation
“We are extremely proud and honored by the recognition bestowed on HCL Foundation by Smt. Anandiben Patel, the Hon’ble Governor of Uttar Pradesh, for reforming 76 Anganwadis centres in Gautam Buddh Nagar. Such acknowledgement not only motivates us but also enables our team to set new benchmarks for greater success and better outcomes. We are sincerely grateful to the Hon’ble Governor for taking high level of interest in child development during 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.”