Our responsibility towards people, patients, communities and the natural environment override our business endeavours. To deliver exceptional outcomes and foster mutually beneficial relationships, we remain committed to make positive changes to the lives of our stakeholders. Our CSR initiatives act as an impetus for creating value for communities and the society at large.
Gland-Fosun Foundation was set up to broadly focus on serving the society by providing Education, Good Health, Safety, Conservation of Environment, Eco-Systems and Natural Resources.
In February 2021, in association with a healthcare provider, we conducted a ‘Comprehensive Health Plan’ for about 2000 socio-economically children from 26 government schools and orphanages in Hyderabad, to help them grow and develop to their full potential. After being screened through diagnostic tests, the children were counselled by health professionals on nutritional aspects, and treated with suitable supplements.
In June 2020, we contributed to LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), to help them procure PPE kits, gloves, masks, face-shields and sanitation material for frontline health workers in their 180 Eye Care Vision Centres in Telangana, AP, Odisha and Karnataka.
We have also contributed to LVPEI for the setting up of a dedicated ‘Centre for Elderly Eye Care’ at Hyderabad. Inaugurated on 1st June 2021, the Centre will provide diagnostic and treatment services to all those in need on a sustainable basis. Over the next three years, it will also provide surgical services for at least 3,500 people, as well as house-to-house screening services for 5,000 aged people.
In December 2020, we made a contribution to Lions Eye Hospital (Moula Ali, Hyderabad), to help them set up a ‘Modular Operation Theatre’ in their new Surgical Wing, and thereby expand their outreach to those in need of surgical procedures.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, we provide free breakfast for nearly 16,700 children of 84 government schools in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, as well as about 300 pre-school children / pregnant ladies / lactating mothers in 10 ‘Anganwadi Centres’ in Hyderabad. Most students of government schools come from extremely impoverished backgrounds. The parents of many of them are migrant workers employed as casual labour on a daily basis. They leave home very early in the morning in search of jobs, often leaving their children grossly underfed or hungry.
The children begin their day at school on a bright and happy note with a hot, nutritious and sumptuous breakfast (prepared by our implementing partner, the Akshaya Patra Foundation). We endeavour to provide a mouth-watering variety of breakfast to the children: idli-sambar-chutney, upma-chutney-pickle, khichri-mixture, pongal-sambar, tomato rice-raitha, pulihora-chutney-mixture, bisibele baath, etc. Our novel breakfast project has greatly improved the children’s general health, cognitive skills and academic performance. It has also significantly increased their attendance at school, and reduced school dropout rates appreciably, thereby receiving widespread endorsement from the teaching community and the Government’s Education Department.
With a view to providing a suitable learning ambience to government school children, we have undertaken extensive infrastructure development / renovation works (additional classrooms, staff rooms, laboratories, dining halls, kitchens, stores, assembly stage, toilet blocks, drinking water facilities, tanks, compound walls, playgrounds, etc.) at the following government schools in Telangana: 1) Primary School (Indrakaran), 2) Primary School (Narsapur), 3) Primary School (Saregudem), 4) Upper Primary School (Dommarapochampally), 5) Upper Primary School (Pashamylaram), 6) St. Paul’s High School and Orphanage (Nadergul), 7) High School (Patancheru), 8) High School (Gajularamaram), 9) High School-cum-Primary School (Ghanapur), 10) High School (Mallampet), 11) High School-cum-Primary School (Suraram Colony), 12) High School (Bollarum), 13) Primary School (Parklane), 14) Primary School (Dattatreyanagar), 15) High School (Nehru Nagar), 16) High School (Bhagat Singh Nagar).
We also provide ‘Vidya Volunteer’ teachers and other support staff to schools that face a shortage of them, and provide teaching boards, chairs, dual-desks, dining tables and other essential furniture.
Future jobs will require candidates to have STEM (Science / Technology / Engineering / Math) skills. A holistic approach is needed to address systemic gaps that prevent school children from marginalized backgrounds from pursuing experiential STEM education. In association with Janyaa Foundation, we have implemented a ‘Janyaa Lab-In-a-Box’ (JLIB) program in 66 Government High Schools in Telangana: Alwal (Boys), Alwal (Girls), Athvelly, Babbuguda, Bachupally, Bahadurpally, Balanagar, Bhagat Singh Nagar, BK Guda, Bowrampet, Chilkanagar, Chitkul, Dabilpur, Doddialwal, Doolapally, Dundigal, Gagillapur, Gajularamaram, Gandhinagar, Girampur, Gowdavelly, Gundlapochampally, Habsiguda, Hasmatpet, Hydernagar, Indrakaran, Isnapur, Jagadgirinagar, Jeedimetla, Kompally, Kothapet, Kowkoor, Kukatpally, Lakdaram, Machabollaram, Mallampet, Mallapur, Medchal (Boys), Medchal (Girls), Moosapet (Boys), Moosapet (Girls), Muneerabad, Muthangi, Nagole, Nehru Nagar, Nizampet, Nuthankal, Pragati Nagar, Pudur, Qutbullapur, Rajabollaram, Ramanthapur, Ravalkole, RP Colony, Rudraram, Sanatnagar (Old), Sanatnagar (RT), Shamshiguda, Shapurnagar, Sreerangavaram, Suraram, Suraram Colony, Tirumalanagar, Uppal, Yapral and Yellammabanda.
Comprising 340 state-of-the-art science / math experiments, the ‘JLIB Kit’ empowers students with hands-on learning that can be applied to their daily lives and benefit their families / communities. Training is delivered to the schools’ teachers for onward transmission to students, who are also formed into peer learning groups to enhance collective learning / engagement. STEM models developed by students serve as additional learning resources. The JLIB project promotes problem-solving and creative thinking skills in the students, builds a strong foundation for STEM learning applicable to vocational pursuits, and makes them future-ready by teaching them demand-driven skills.
‘Janyaa Social Innovation Challenge’ encourages children to develop innovative scientific models to address real-life household / community issues (safe drinking water, water conservation, flood control management, rainwater harvesting, environmental / resource conservation, etc.). ‘Janyaa Nature Lab’ – with a kit comprising 60 experiments – enables children of Grades 7-8 to learn and apply curriculum-based Science / Math concepts in relation to nature (such as checking pH, seed germination, calculating areas, interest calculations, discounts and volumes). They also learn about Finance, Eco-Systems, Environment, Science, and Food and Nutrition.
Gland Pharma works with 321 Education Foundation to enable about 3000 students of 20 Government Primary Schools to attain the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) skills needed to succeed in the future, by supporting / empowering critical stakeholders (teachers / school leaders / parents). The schools covered are: Dattatreyanagar, Dundigal, Gagillapur, Gunturbasti, Indrakaran, Latchireddygudem, Mallampet, Muthangi, Naguloor, Narsapur, Nawabpet, Ramulu LT, Redya LT, Saregudem, SC Colony Gomaram, Sriramnagar, Suraram, Suraram Colony, Venkya LT and Vennelagadda.
The project is being implemented through a special educational model titled PARaM (Prepare teachers / students; Assess student learning over time; Remediate through effective learning tools provided to teachers; Motivate / celebrate the efforts of teachers / students), which will include: 1) Material Support for Teachers, Students, Classrooms; 2) In-Person Teacher Orientation; 3) In-Person School Visits; 4) Learning Sessions on Content and Pedagogy; 5) Tracking Student Learning Progress; Parent Engagement Through PTMs and Learning Showcases; 6) Customized Data Dashboard on Student Learning and Teacher Performance. To perceive a visible social impact, the project will be sustained for at least three years.
Gland Pharma runs 11 ‘MyAbhyasa Centres’ (after-school tuitions) for about 500 school-going children / dropouts in some urban slums of Hyderabad, in partnership with Sayodhya, an NGO. This accelerated learning environment will develop the children’s functional literacy, provide skill development to unemployed youth with the help of government and NGOs, reduce child-labour / abuse, curb illegal activities / gambling / alcohol / drugs, help their parents appreciate the value of education in today’s knowledge-based economy, encourage them to become partners in the children’s future, and enable them to avail of various government welfare schemes.
Local youngsters (Class 10 / Intermediate qualified) are capacity-built as ‘community tutors’ by academic advisors, trained to deliver academic plans and monitor the children’s progress. The MACs project seeks to ensure that by the end of their 6th Grade the children are fit to get into government schools and continue their formal education. The ‘community tutors’ are also given financial assistance to continue their own education and become role models for others to transform their lives through education. To obtain a discernible social impact, the project will be sustained for at least 3-5 years.
Gland Pharma provides funding support to ‘Vanavasi Kalyan Parishad’ (VKP), which strives to preserve tribal communities’ identity by retaining their cultural moorings and age-old customs / traditions, and aiding in their inclusive economic / health / educational development. Protecting the tribal communities’ roots and lifestyle also helps in conserving our forests and ecological balance.
VKP runs ‘Ekal Vidyalayas’ (single-teacher schools) in 84 tribal villages in Adilabad and Bhadradri-Kothagudem Districts. These ‘bridge schools’ impart non-formal education (Math tables, Telugu writing / reading, story-telling), tribal folklore singing and simple games / sports. Locals who have studied up to Class X are selected as ‘single teachers’, trained in skills required to teach children, and provided with the requisite syllabi, teaching aids, study material and other stationery. The teachers undergo regular training sessions, and also given a medical kit to help ailing people, to help them forge a close bond with the village community. The parents are counselled on their children’s academic progress. The ultimate aim of these Ekal Vidyalayas is to get the children interested in academics, and motivate them to attend regular schools. To obtain a visible social impact, the project will be sustained for at least three years.
Sannihita: We support this NGO that runs four homes for destitute children from vulnerable communities (homeless beggars / rag-pickers / migrant families), giving them education, shelter, food and healthcare. We are also building infrastructure to improve the inmates’ living conditions.
Aadarana: We support this NGO that cares for neglected sections of society by providing them with education, food and clothing. It runs ‘Amithabha Aadarana Vidyalaya’ (Nursery to Class X). Equipped with digital classrooms and a library, the school also conducts classes in dance / music / karate / drama, and also organises sports / games for the children.
Asha Kuteer Foundation: We support this NGO that runs a home for orphaned children, creating an atmosphere for them to learn, improve and break free from the cycle of discrimination and deprivation. It provides them with education, food, clothing, shelter and healthcare, and engages them in various activities, projects, hobbies, recreational activities and life skills.
Swayamkrushi: We have supported this NGO that shelters mentally challenged women, and addresses their special needs through vocational training, therapeutic services, music, yoga, speech and physiotherapy. We have contributed to the construction of a ‘Vocational Training Centre-cum-Residential Block’ for the inmates, and have also procured / installed jute bag-making machines to assist in their vocational training.
In December 2022, we helped an NGO, Jana Vignana Vedika, conduct a science fest called ‘Chekumuki Science Sambaralu’, which drew nearly 6.5 lakh high-school students from 8,500 schools across Telangana.
A few months after the lockdown had come into effect, we developed an alternative way of reaching these children by distributing ‘Happiness Boxes’ at these schools, through their teaching / support staff. A ‘Happiness Box’ contains: 1) a Nutrition component (biscuits, wheat flour, fortified salt, whole green mung, desi chana, sambar masala powder, turmeric powder, cinnamon sticks, jaggery, peanuts), 2) an Education component (notebooks, activity workbook, pencils / pens) and 3) a Hygiene component (toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, sanitizer bottle). We distributed over 41,000 ‘Happiness Boxes’ during the year. They were extremely popular with all the beneficiaries, and drew appreciation from the Governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, as well as from the Central Government.
When government schools in Telangana cautiously reopened for a brief period in early 2021, we distributed over 16,500 ‘Swatha Saala’ (Sanitisation) Kits at 110 government schools of Medchal-Malkajgiri District, to help the children observe adequate sanitary precautions. Each comprised 1) a non-invasive thermometer per school, 2) two wall-mounted solution dispensers per school, 3) two facemasks and one-litre plastic water bottles per child, and 4) gloves and caps for personnel serving meals.
We sponsor teachers and non-teaching staff (helpers / security staff / scavengers) in several nearby government schools that are facing a shortage of them, thereby doing our bit in ensuring quality education for these children. We also provide notebooks / workbooks to needy children of some government schools.
Hyderabad-based ‘Sannihita Homes’ is an NGO that runs four orphanages (three for girls and one for boys), looking after nearly 400 destitute orphans from vulnerable communities (badly abused backgrounds with no care / homeless / beggars / rag-pickers / migrant families). These destitute children are given shelter, food, education, healthcare and protection.
We have undertaken to renovate these orphanages, in order to improve the living conditions of the orphans. We are also providing funding support to the NGO to help meet some of their regular personnel and administrative expenses.
This Hyderabad-based NGO shelters mentally challenged women and addresses their special needs through therapeutic services, music, yoga, speech and physiotherapy. It also 1) sensitises the community to the special needs of the mentally challenged, 2) works with families, the community, voluntary and government agencies, and 3) runs courses in Special Education and Caregivers’ Training.
Under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS), we have contributed Rs 1.2 Cr to a ‘Community Cattle Centre’ set up by the Government of Telangana at Siddipet. Serving as a ‘cattle hostel’, the Centre pools in the milch cattle of individual farmers of surrounding villages. With centralized nurturing / medical facilities for the cattle, the Centre enables dairy farmers to supply to nearby procurement agencies and explore better marketing incomes. It also improves sanitation in the villages, and processes animal dung into manure and vermicompost.
Our funding support was utilised to 1) build a compound wall around the campus, 2) a shed for delivery/birthing and sick animals, 3) feeding channels, drinking water bowls, internal/external drains, 4) a clinic-cum-training hall-cum-cooperative store, 5) 10 mini-sheds to keep farmers’ belongings, 6) two staff quarters, one security room and one milk collection room and 7) a 25000-litre overhead tank.
Our funds have also been used to procure 1) a feed-chopper, 2) a dung-log making unit, 3) a khova-making machine, 4) dung-collection trolleys, 5) CC cameras and music system, 6) four heavy-duty cleaning machines and 7) 15 solar lights.
We contributed Rs 20 Lakhs to Nehru Zoological Park (Hyderabad) for the upkeep of its numerous wild birds and animals. It was warmly welcomed by the zoo authorities as well as several wildlife conservationists / animal lovers, who acclaimed it as a much-needed CSR gesture during this lockdown period, when gate collections are badly depleted.
Further in October 2021, we have donated Rs 20 lakh for the construction and maintenance of the kangaroo fence in Nehru Zoological Park.
The unforeseen countrywide lockdown imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 traumatised innumerable slum-dwellers and daily-wage earners by forcing them out of work, leaving them clueless as to when and where they would get their next meal. During those extremely difficult times, Gland Pharma distributed tens of thousands of ‘dry ration’ bags, each containing packets of rice, dal, sugar, oil, potatoes, onions, tamarind, etc. The company also served cooked food to thousands of migrant workers and other impoverished people in slums and villages. We also provided N-95 face masks to doctors, hospital staff, healthcare workers and police personnel battling COVID-19 at great risk to themselves, as well as to students and other sections of the public. Gland Pharma also contributed Rs 1.2 Cr to the Governments of Telangana and AP. In addition, 1000 groceries packets were made over to Vizag Police Commissioner, for distribution to the poor and needy.
Under the AP Government’s ‘Connect to Andhra’ Project, we distributed PPE kits, N95 masks, 3-ply masks, and sanitizer bottles in the State’s Krishna and West Godavari districts. We also provided PPE kits, N95 masks, 3-ply masks, sanitizer bottles, infrared thermometers and oxy-pulsemeters for several Primary Health Centres in Sangareddy and Medchal-Mallkajgiri districts of Telangana.
We distributed nearly 150 ventilators to various government / charitable hospitals in Narayanpet, Karimnagar, Bodhan, Jangaon, Warangal, Mulugu, Nirmal, Kothagudem and Sircilla districts of Telangana, as well as to Osmania General Hospital, Quarantine (Fever) Hospital and NIMS Hospital in Hyderabad. In addition, we contributed critically needed multi-channel monitors, HDF, ultrasound and ECG machines to Osmania General Hospital and Niloufer Hospital, Hyderabad.
