The core philosophy at the largest glass company in India, Asahi India Glass Pvt. Ltd. (AIS) is ‘Doing good makes good business’. Corporate Social Responsibility is not another buzzword for them. They recognise that sustainable business development includes environmental and social considerations, which are an essential part of long-term business survival and growth – a belief shared by Youthreach.

In a unique initiative, AIS undertook several social and community development programmes that protect the interests of the communities in the vicinity of its manufacturing plants in both Bawal (Haryana), Roorkee (Uttarakhand) and Patan (Gujarat). In 2004, these interventions were clubbed together under the Integrated Community Development Programme (ICDP) as part of its CSR. AIS invited Youthreach to design, administer, and monitor the programme for over 5 lakh people from 120 villages surrounding its manufacturing units.

1. Key Intervention Areas in Roorkee, Uttarakhand

A. Women Empowerment
This is one of the major programmes under the AIS-ICDP and aims to empower women to make them active decision-makers in their families and help them start an enterprise for income generation. The Programme has touched more than 5343 families and has significantly contributed towards women’s upliftment.

a. SHG Formation & Enterprise Development
This intervention focuses on the process of SHG formation, providing micro-credits and assisting the women to set up their enterprise & maintain accounts and finances. Since the inception of this project, Youthreach has supported about 4256 women to own enterprises after availing of micro loans.

A revolving fund was created under the project with financial support from Asahi India Glass Ltd. Loans are provided to the SHG members from the revolving fund at 1% interest to help them set up an income-generating activity.

To improve the socio-economic condition of these SHG members, we need to link them with the different benefit schemes run by the government. Liaison with government officials to provide the Widow, Person with Disability (PwD), poor girls and labourers with the benefit of schemes they are entitled. To date, 1235 families have been linked to different government schemes helping them avail the benefits.

b. Adult Literacy
Adult literacy programme was started to improve the reading, writing and arithmetic skills of illiterate women and promote empowerment and self-sufficiency among the women.

An 18-month curriculum, developed by Nirantar, is implemented that focuses on basic reading, writing, and math skills.

B. Education

a. School Bus for girls
Nearly 1398 girls from eight villages have accessed the bus service since it started in October 2008 in Roorkee.

b. Self Defence Training Class
This course aims to provide girls with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to protect themselves and navigate the world safely. These classes cover techniques for physical defence, situational awareness, assertiveness training, and strategies for avoiding dangerous situations. More than 200 girls have been trained in the art of self-defense for their self-protection and fear free environment.

c. Educational Centre for class 2-5

Youthreach initiated educational centres for primary students in 2022, which aims to provide remedial education to the students who are attending primary government schools. Three Primary Remedial Education centres for the students who did not continue their studies during Covid-19 are running in villages named Makhdoompur, Bhagtowali and Latherdeva Hoon where 155 students are registered during 2023-24.

d. Educational Centre for Class 8-10
Youthreach initiated educational centres for girls in 2016 which aims to provide remedial education to the girls who are attending government schools and educational support for out-of-school (drop-out) girls. The out-of-school girls are enrolled under NIOS to help them appear for class 10th board examination. 476 girls from 16 villages have benefitted from this programme.

C. Skill Development

a. Cutting and Tailoring Training Centre
It provides rural women and girls with cutting and tailoring skills, enabling them to start their own income-generating ventures post-course completion. More than 2300 women have been provided skill training in order to enhance their income.

b. Digital Literacy Centre

Computer Knowledge is of paramount importance in the present competitive world but rural girls are still unfortunate not to avail even the basic knowledge. The unavailability of such centres at their nearby place and the handsome fee charge at the other places prohibited them from acquiring this attribute. A partnership has been formed with the NIIT Foundation to provide professional certification to the youth undergoing the computer course under this programme. We now run four-month NIIT-accredited digital literacy courses at our centres.

D. Water, Sanitation And Hygiene (Wash)

a. School Sanitation Programme
Under the school sanitation programme, 25 Government primary schools were selected for intervention. The objective of this program is to ensure cleanliness of the toilets in the selected school. Cleaning of toilet complexes has given more than 4340 students safe access to the toilets and provided a sense of security to the girls.

b. Renovation of Toilets in schools
Saraswati Government Girls Inter College at Jhabreda is the only girls inter college in Narsan Block and currently 1100 girls are studying there. The school had seven toilets for 1100 girls out of which only three were operational. Youthreach renovated the existing toilet complex in the school premises and constructed a drinking water and hand washing station for girls.

c. Workshop for adolescent girls
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) workshop was conducted with adolescent girls in sixteen project villages. The workshop primarily focused on menstrual hygiene management. The rationale behind conducting the workshop was that every adolescent girl must have awareness, knowledge, and information so that menstruation is understood and can be managed safely with confidence and dignity.

2. Key Intervention Areas in Bawal, Haryana

A. Education

a. School Bus Service

School bus service has changed the lives of many rural girls by helping them avail better education in a safer environment. Currently, 600 girls from 45 villages are availing of this service annually for accessing higher and better education. A total of 9300 girls have enrolled themselves in higher secondary from the inception of the programme in 2004. Our school service has helped over 250 new admissions annually to classes 9 and 11 in our project villages!

b. Education Centres

AIS funds 20 Unnati Education Centres for remedial and dropout education and has reached out to more than 8550 students since its inception in 2006. Through the remedial educational programme tutorial support is provided to students enrolled at government schools. Drop-out educational centres provide an opportunity for youth who have dropped out of the regular school system, to complete their high school education through the Open Schooling system.

c. Government School Support Programme

This programme was initiated in 2021 to assist government schools in the Bawal block that face staff shortages while also establishing a solid foundation for primary-level students. So far, we have worked with 1181 students from 10 government schools. Our efforts have focused on fostering a fundamental and robust comprehension of the number system, basic mathematical principles, and alphabet recognition, as well as basic Hindi and English language skills. We have accomplished this through an assortment of enjoyable and educational activities and games.

B. Skill Development

a. Cutting and Tailoring Centre

Youthreach has set up tailoring and sewing centres as part of its livelihood support programme for women. Training is provided to girls and young women in cutting and tailoring over a period of 6 months and the USHA curriculum is followed for the same. More than 120 girls are trained annually at the vocational centre for sewing and tailoring. Since its inception in 2009, more than 1440 girls/women have been trained in more than 22 villages in Bawal.

b. Digital Literacy Centre

The programme aims to boost digital literacy among underprivileged youth. Since the inception of the computer programme, we have been able to reach out to more than 2420 youth. A partnership has been formed with the NIIT Foundation to provide professional certification to the youth undergoing the computer course under this programme.

c. Life Skills Programme
This programme is specifically designed to equip rural youth and students with the essential emotional, social, and intellectual tools necessary to achieve success and thrive in all aspects of life. This comprehensive program focuses on personal growth, effective relationships, community engagement, and professional development, preparing young individuals to excel in their chosen paths, whether in the workplace, entrepreneurship, or leadership roles. By fostering a holistic approach to development, we enable rural youth to unlock their full potential and create a brighter future for themselves and their communities.

C. Water, Sanitation And Hygiene (Wash)

This program aims to eradicate open defecation, promote behavior change, and ensure access to basic sanitation facilities in educational centres, enabling girl students to continue their education without barriers. We have made significant contributions to building and renovating toilets in individual households, educational centres, and schools, and educating students on the importance of cleanliness and hygiene. Youthreach is committed to providing safe drinking water to children enrolled in Government schools across Haryana, ensuring they have access to this basic human right. Through our WASH initiatives, we are transforming rural communities, promoting health, dignity, and well-being, and empowering future generations to thrive. More than 5100 students have benefitted from this initiative.

D. Health Initiative
Youthreach is dedicated to ensuring the well-being of rural communities by organising free health camps, providing primary healthcare services to those in need. Our mission is to promote community wellness and address the healthcare disparities faced by marginalised populations. Through these camps, we strive to:

• Provide accessible medical check-ups to rural villagers
• Bridge the healthcare gap for marginalised communities
• Educate individuals on healthy practices and disease prevention
• Empower communities to prioritise their health and well-being

By conducting regular free health camps, Youthreach is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of rural villagers. So far we have reached out to almost 6000 individuals.

3. Key Intervention Areas in Patan, Gujarat

A. Education

Youthreach works in the area of education and provides support to the government schools of 4 villages of Patan district – Gujarat. Under this programme English teachers are placed in government schools to provide educational support to the students. Since its inception in the year 2019, we have been able to reach out to more than 2100 students.

B. Skill Development

a. Beauty Parlour Training Centre

To provide skill-based training at the grassroots level and empower girls in the project area, we initiated our new initiative beauty parlour training centre in Mithadharva village. Under this programme, we provided a four-month course of beauty parlour training. We hired a professional beautician as a trainer for this programme. 23 women/girls completed this course in Mithadharva. After that, we shifted this centre in Ziliyavasana village. The AIS Unnati Beauty Parlor Training Centre is currently operational in Ziliyavasana village, where 26 students are attending training.

b. Digital Literacy Centre

This programme started in the year 2022. It aims to enhance digital literacy skills among underprivileged youth. A partnership has been formed with the NIIT Foundation to provide professional certification to the youth undergoing the computer course under this programme.

c. Cutting and Tailoring Centre

Youthreach has set up a mobile cutting and tailoring centre in the project area. This programme aims to empower women and girls through vocational training in tailoring and cutting. More than 200 girls/women have been trained under this programme since its inception in 2019.

d. Youth Employability

This programme was designed and implemented for the girls and women in the villages in Chanasma and it aims at enhancing their employability skills. Under this programme girls/women are provided life skills & workplace English courses which can help them to improve their employability skills.

C. Health

Youthreach organizes health checkup camps with a doctors’ team in the project villages of Patan district. Free health check-ups and medicines are provided to beneficiaries. To date, more than 1000 beneficiaries have been reached out to through our health camps.

D. Awareness of Government Schemes

Youthreach conducts several workshops to spread awareness of various government schemes in the project area and how people can best benefit from them. More than 1000 people have been impacted and benefited through this programme.