NEW DELHI: The Anil Agarwal Foundation (AAF), the social impact arm of Vedanta Limited, released its annual Social Impact Report for the fiscal 2022-2023. The report encapsulates the Foundation’s persistent endeavors and achievements to advance the well-being of individuals and communities across the country. It revealed that AAF dedicated INR 454 crores in FY22-23 across a diverse range of transformative initiatives reaffirming its mission to uplift and empower communities.

Over the past fiscal, AAF’s multifaceted program touched the lives of over 44 million people out of which 4.39 million people benefitted directly from social impact initiatives of AAF across 1268 Indian villages.

Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Chairperson, Hindustan Zinc Ltd, Non-Executive Director, Vedanta Ltd., & Anchor, The Animal Care Organization (TACO) said, “At Vedanta, we believe in doing business with a purpose. Social impact is at the very core of who we are and what we do. At the top of our list of priorities is the empowerment of women and the nourishment of children. Women are half of our population and their active participation in economic activity will transform not just families but also the country. And children are precious for our future. Giving back is a most cherished principle for our Chairman, Mr. Anil Agarwal. Our commitment to transforming communities and preserving our planet is unwavering.”

As per the Social Impact Report released, 4500 Nand Ghars were developed in the fiscal 2022-23 benefitting 1,80,000 children and 1,36,000 women through its high-impact services in early childhood education, healthcare, nutrition, and skilling. Another milestone that AAF reached through Project Nand Ghar’s nutrition pillar was the launch of multi-millet Nutri bars for children in Anganwadis to supplement the daily diet of children with the right nutrition thus improving their nutritional intake. Under the 6 months pilot project, 9 million bars are being distributed daily to 50,000 children in 1,364 Anganwadi centers including Nand Ghars across three blocks of Varanasi, namely Arajiline, Sewapuri & Kashi Vidyapith.

AAF collaborated with Nutri-hub, IIMR (Indian Institute of Millet Research) and TrooGood to develop these multi-millet nutri bars. The pilot project has already proved to be a huge success in boosting the cognitive development of children and reducing absenteeism in Anganwadis.

To improve the future of animal health and well-being, Anil Agarwal Foundation launched The Animal Care Organization (TACO) in April 2022, a unique animal welfare project guided by the principle of ‘One Health’ to provide top-notch infrastructure, veterinary services, training, and shelters. It focuses on six pillars of shelter, hospital, academy, wildlife conservation, disaster relief, and sectoral engagement. In less than a year, TACO had sheltered 115+ animals in its Faridabad facility and provided treatment and vaccination to over 384 animals and 500 dogs, respectively.

Aimed at eradicating malnutrition in the country, AAF’s parent company Vedanta joined hands with Procam to launch the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon and brought people together for the noble cause of #RunForZeroHunger. The cause gained momentum through other marquee sporting events as well such as the Vedanta Pink City Half Marathon held in Jaipur, and partnerships with the Mumbai and Bangalore marathons. For every kilometer clocked by the runners, Vedanta pledged a nutritious meal to a child in need through its Nand Ghar initiative. Over 50,000 people from across the world participated in the prestigious marathons, clocking more than 2 million kilometers and 2 million meals.

Dedicated to promoting sports and nurturing grassroots talent in India by establishing state-of-the-art sports infrastructure, training, and grooming programs, especially for football, karate, and archery, the Foundation created a massive impact on the upliftment of 0.35 million potential players. To further foster the sporting aspirations of our country, Anil Agarwal International Cricket Stadium is being built at Chonp near Jaipur which will be India’s second-largest cricket stadium.

The social impact report also showcases AAF’s community healthcare initiatives that includes providing critical access to healthcare services, essential medicines, and treatment at BALCO Medical Centre & Vedanta Hospital, instrumental in saving lives and improving the overall well-being of 2.7 million people in underserved regions. Additionally, AAF enhanced the lives of 0.62 million individuals through its various community infrastructure projects.

Skilling and livelihood projects across the Foundation empowered 44,000 women and developed them into community leaders. Furthermore, AAF improved the living conditions for 0.62 million people through projects ensuring access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities. Its focus on children’s education and well-being reached 0.55 million children, while its dedication to environmental conservation touched the lives of 0.40 million individuals. Its initiatives in agriculture and animal husbandry have brought hope to 94,000 individuals, thereby increasing livelihood opportunities.

For a detailed read of the Anil Agarwal Foundation Social Impact report, please refer to: https://www.vedantalimited.com/eng/social_impact_overview.php

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National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) then quickly allotted the organs as per their waiting list. One kidney was allocated to a 29-year-old male patient at `Manipal Hospital, Dwarka, and the other was allocated to a 60-year-old patient at Asian Institute of Medical Science, Faridabad the liver was allocated to a 59-year-old patient at Max Hospital, Dwarka. A green corridor was created on 29^th August at 8:06 AM by Delhi police from HCMCT Manipal Hospital, Dwarka to Max Hospital, Vaishali. Both the corneas were also retrieved by the eye bank.

Dr. Anurag Saxena, Head of Neurosurgery, HCMCT Manipal Hospital, Dwarka said, “After stabilization of his condition an urgent CT scan was done which revealed that he has suffered from a massive brain hemorrhage after which he was put on a ventilator. Despite intensive treatment under the care of Neurosurgery and Critical Care teams, he could not recover and was declared brain dead on 28^th August 2023.”

Dr. (Colonel) Avnish Seth VSM, Head, Manipal Organ Sharing & Transplant (MOST) said, “The team worked closely with the patient’s family, providing them with the required information and support so that they could make an informed decision. The family was very keen to donate all his organs. However, the lungs and heart could not be retrieved as they were unfit for transplantation. The liver and kidney were retrieved by our hospital team and transported for a successful transplantation. The family saved the lives of three patients in critical condition and gave the gift of sight to two others.”

Ms Viji Varghese, Director, HCMCT Manipal Hospital, Dwarka said, “The family’s decision to donate organs made a difference in the lives of others. The legacy of the donor will live on through the lives he has saved. Donating one’s organs is a gift of life, it is an opportunity to give someone else a second chance in life. We strongly encourage everyone to think about organ donation and to register as an organ donor. We can save lives if we work together.”

There is a wide gap between patients who need transplants and the organs that are available in India. 1.8 lakh people suffer from renal failure every year, however, only 15,000 renal transplants are done. An estimated 25,000 to 30,000 liver transplants are needed annually in India but only about 2000 are performed. Similarly, of several thousand who suffer from heart failure, only 200 get a heart transplant. In the case of Corneas, about 25,000 transplants are done every year against a requirement of 1 lakh.

The noble act of organ donation highlights the pressing need for organ donations in India, as there is a significant disparity between patients awaiting transplants and the availability of organs. Increasing awareness and participation in organ donation can bridge this gap and offer hope to countless lives in need.

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The Saving Lives and Livelihood is a $1.5 billion partnership between the Mastercard Foundation and the Africa CDC designed to purchase COVID-19 vaccines for nearly 65 million people, enable vaccine delivery and administration to vaccinate millions more, develop a workforce to support continental vaccine manufacturing, and strengthen the Africa CDC. To date, the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative has enabled over 6 million people in Africa to access COVID-19 vaccines, while helping to accelerate vaccine uptake in countries facing the risk of mass vaccine expiration.

Speaking at the flagging-off event in Zambia, President Hakainde Hichilema welcomed the Saving Lives and Livelihoods vaccination drive to Southern Africa alongside several African Heads of State and Ministers of Health. “We’ve gathered here today to kick off the Saving Lives and Livelihoods COVID-19 vaccine acceleration program in Southern Africa’s 10 countries, as well as to celebrate our partnership with Africa CDC and the Mastercard Foundation,’’ the President said.

In Zambia, the Saving Lives and Livelihoods program is currently operating or supporting a total of 174 mobile vaccination sites, including deploying vaccinators, data entry clerks, and community mobilizers. Moving forward, the initiative onboarded an additional 4,000 community-based volunteers (CBVs) to conduct door-to-door community sensitizations and mobilization across the country.

The Saving Lives and Livelihoods’ new phase of vaccination in Southern Africa will reach several additional countries including Namibia, Lesotho, Malawi, and Botswana. It will include support that enables countries to conduct vaccine safety surveillance (pharmacovigilance), COVID-19 vaccination capacity strengthening (CVCS), and risk communication and community engagement (RCCE).

The Acting Director General of Africa CDC, Dr. Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, stated that “Our ambitious target is to vaccinate 70% of the African population by the end of 2022. As of 10 November 2022, the overall coverage is 25.2% of people fully vaccinated. Most countries have coverage below 30 percent (total population) – compared to a global average of 60 percent. Additionally, in most African countries where data is available, the COVID-19 vaccination coverage among the high-priority population, including health workers, elderly people, people living with co-morbidities, and children remains low. Here is an opportunity to scale up COVID-19 vaccination with a focus on achieving 100 percent coverage among high-risk groups”.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect lives and livelihoods in Africa. According to the World Bank, each month of delay in effective vaccine deployment costs Africa $13.8 billion in lost GDP. In contrast, faster vaccine deployment would boost continental growth to 5.1 percent in 2022 and 5.4 percent in 2023, as containment measures are eased and spending increases.

“It is important that we get behind African public health institutions and support the expansion of Africa’s public health workforce—two key pillars of the New Public Health Order for Africa, which are mirrored in the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative. Moving forward, we will accelerate our work on these priorities to enable economic resilience across Africa,” said Reeta Roy, President, and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation.

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