Health
Ajuba launches ‘GRAM SEVA’, a unique CSR initiative addressing the alarming global concern on Food Wastage
The program was launched as a result of understanding that food wastage alone runs up to trillions of US dollars which includes right from the stages of post harvesting, packaging, storing and using it for edible purposes. At the time when Sub Saharan Africa as well as some parts of rural India is grappling with malnutrition related deaths, the continued deluge of precious edible food seems to stand out as a sin, not recognized or taken seriously by the global population.
Ajuba’s Gram Seva initiative is aimed at educating its employees on the impact of food wastage and to drive home the importance of avoiding food wastage by getting to the grassroot level. The program has been designed such that to help people understand the effort that goes behind a plate of food that comes on ones table, not by mere observation, but by action. What better way to understand than to live it practically?
The program was spread across two days and a group of 25 shortlisted employees participated in the pilot that was carried out at Vadakupattu village in the Thiruvanamalai District- a village with a population of about 150 people. The participants from Ajuba were divided into sub teams to handle logistics, safety & security, entertainment and photography, in addition to all being actively involved in agriculture.
From the hustle and bustle and the luxury of the city, Ajuba’s employees acclimatised themselves to the scorching heat, working in the fields, getting their hands dirty, sowing saplings, tending to agricultural residue, weeding the fields, bundling hay and feeding animals, cooking on wood fire and brick stove, among others.
“There is something very gratifying about this whole initiative. I extend my appreciation and thanks to the CSR team at Ajuba for having worked out a program to reach out to the farmers. As a community, this also calls for concrete efforts to be taken in line with the FAO’s agenda of the SAVE FOOD campaign. As an organisation we have always ensured our employees feel socially responsible citizens and initiatives like the Gram Seva is yet another commitment by us to the society we live in” said Mr. Tony Mira, Founder and CEO of Ajuba Solutions.
Sharing the successful completion of the pilot, Ms. Hema Parikh, Director, HR at Ajuba Solutions said, “Our passion of being in sync with the global agenda and the national calamity of food wastage resonates a strong signal of us supporting a definitive change. We are all set to put up a spirited fight against this inhuman act of food wastage and will do our best to educate our community on these lines”
“We loved the experience of living the life of a farmer, in his shoes. Though it was just for a couple of days, it has had a tremendous impact on our lives. This experience will definitely hold a special place in our hearts and will go a long way in making a meaningful difference in the way food is handled around us” said ……………… group testimony of those who participated in the Gram Seva outreach.
Commemorating their 15th anniversary with this noble initiative, Ajuba intends to carry this out as a long term project. The Gram Seva initiative will be adopted in phases, involving as many employees as possible, across various villages in and around the city. Ajuba has in the past been very passionate in their various CSR endeavours and have been recognised for their relentless work in the field of environment conservation and education.