On 15th October 2024, REACHA participated in a workshop titled “Creating an Impact of CSR Initiatives through Social Media”. The event took the form of a focused group discussion led by Prof.  Shallini Taneja  and Prof.  Dr. Rakhi Tripathi . The professors engaged with participants from various NGOs—ranging from well-established organisations to those just beginning their journeys. Prof. Taneja sought our insights on CSR operations, while Prof. Tripathi inquired about social media strategies. Both expressed their appreciation for the contributions made by NGO members and enriched the conversation with their own expertise. It was a valuable experience, and we hope that the insights we shared will contribute to their ongoing research. We look forward to participating in more such discussions at the  FORE School of Management, New Delhi .

IIFL (India Infoline Group)  Foundation organized an online Pizza Making Training session for the students of Hospitality Program, Kupwara, Kashmir.  The session was led by Chef Dhiren.  We thank  Madhu Jain  Ma'am and IIFL Foundation team for the innovative things that they bring to the table for the youth, and for their support to train them through IIFL's CSR intervention.  Such sessions provide invaluable market insights to the youth.

The theme of the song is on Environment and Climate Change.  Strings of Baramulla was formed in 2020 with support of Genpact and  Indian Army  and since then they have now been performing pan India. The youth who have made the band come from remote areas of Kashmir and were introduced to music training at Chinar Yuva, Baramulla, Kashmir.  This has given them an opportunity to earn a livelihood by promoting their local music and culture, and pursuing something they are passionate about.

REACHA  showcased its work across India, taken up with its partners at the The 'National Conference and Exhibition on Aligning CSR with SDGs' held on 02 – 03 October 2024 by the  Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs  - IICA (an autonomous institute under the  Ministry Of Corporate Affairs , Govt. of India in New Delhi.  The event was organized to commemorate the very first Annual CSR Day in India on the Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi to promote the Trusteeship philosophy in the CSR initiatives and to promote CSR alignment to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.  D.G. , IICA Dr Ajay Bhushan Prasad Pandey highlighted the pivotal role of corporate responsibility in shaping a resilient and inclusive India Dr  Auguste Tano Kouame  from World Bank praised India's growing leadership in integrating CSR with national development priorities.

REACHA  tech team  vasu sethia  delivered a 5 days deep dive course at Gurukula Kangari University, Haridwar, Uttarakhand as part of  IBM  SkillsBuild (Sept 30 to Oct 4, 2024). The course was delivered in physical mode where students delved into developing backend application using spring boot.  IBM  volunteering was integrated throughout the delivery of 5 days course. We thank Gokila Govindraj, Augustine Anand, and Vanithapriya D from IBM for the sessions. Key Topics covered included - Object oriented programming and its concepts, Introduction to spring and spring boot, Spring IOC/ dependency injection, REST API development using spring boot, Introduction to postman, Spring configuration, Relational Database (PostgreSQL), Spring data JPA, Redis for the caching, Authentication and authorization (jwt) using spring security. These were closely worked out with Professor  Mayank Aggarwal , and we thank him for his support.  The sessions took place for students who come from far flung areas of Uttarakhand and are very keen and aspire to explore their career in tech.

Genpact , United Way Delhi supported Cell for Livelihood Enhancement Initiative Kashmir under guidance of  Indian Army  - with  REACHA  as implementation partner. Genpact's support is enabling and giving the youth of Kashmir (aspirational districts of Baramulla and Kupwara - remote and near border) to stand on their own feet and start their enterprises, self help groups taking them towards income generation. Recycling Unit: Team has successfully designed and produced a range of innovative products - Handbags, Laptop Sleeves, File Covers, Embroidery Pouches, Embroidery Handbags, Fabric Bags, Ganesh Portraits and Carry Bags. They have generated about INR 90,000 since last year. Printing Groups Coding: Printed Designs on t-shirt's, mugs and handbags. These have been coded and created by youth. Generated a total order value of INR 1,13,000 since last year. Secured a substantial bulk order for the DC office in Baramulla. Food processing Unit - Generated a total order value of INR 22855 - produced jams, juices etc. Fashion Group - Kupwara - Female are getting regular orders from the local Kupwara market. They have generated about INR 51,850 since last year.  This is also in line with Indian Army's operation Sadhbavana initiative to empower the youth of Kashmir valley so they can stand on their own feet and earn a livelihood for not only themselves but also for their families.

REACHA  invites companies to participate in a pre-placement drive for Imperial Auto CSRs “Industrial Upskilling of ITI Students Training Programme.” This programme has equipped 111 ITI Faridabad students with market oriented skills in trades like Machinist, Fitter and Welder relevant to the automobile industry.  If your company is interested in recruiting trained talent, please comment on this post or contact us directly by sending an email to:  archna@reacha.org .  We shall soon share details about date, venue and timings.

August and September 2024 Key Updates from  IIFL (India Infoline Group)  Foundation supported Homestay Host Training Program at Tezu, Arunchal Pradesh under guidance of  NATIONAL CADET CORPS - India , with  REACHA  as implementation partner  On 15/9 the team conducted a reunion and counselling interaction with trainees from our year 1 - 1st to 4th batch. Some trainees and their parents also joined us virtually for the event.  It was good to see all students come together and share their experiences from the training program. Students after successfully completing the program are giving placement interviews, and we are happy to share, so far, 29 of the trainees have been selected and gotten offers by  Sterling Holiday Resorts Limited  across - Mussoorie, Manali, Kufri, Ooty etc. locations. We thank Mr.  Vikram Lalvani  and his team for the support. Final Assessment was conducted for students from our last batches by  Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council  in September first week. This project has been a big turn around for the youth of Arunachal who earlier were very hesitant to participate, wanting to just stay in Arunachal. Through this, trainees from the program are emerging as role models and guide to other youth, a lot of them have also taken the bold step of moving out of Tezu, Arunachal to be able to start their career, and now through their learnings are guiding other youth. These efforts strongly align with  Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region  to strengthen the youth of northeast and enable and empower the region.

REACHA  is happy to release its first Quarterly Newsletter - REACHA Ritambhara. The first edition is dedicated to Shri. Jagdish Chandra Pant who founded and started REACHA on 9 March 1992 during his service days as an IAS Officer.  The word REACHA holds a connection to Vedic Wisdom, derived from the word Richa - which refers to the sacred verses of Vedas. These verses embody - divine knowledge, truth, and the cosmic order - principles that guide our mission to foster sustainable development, education and empowerment within communities. The word Ritambhara is a fusion of "Rita" representing cosmic order or truth, and "Ambhara" meaning a vessel. Together the word aligns with our vision where we strive to be carriers of truth, knowledge, and positive change in society.  We thank our partners, mentors, team members and all who have directly / indirectly been a part of this journey and we look forward to building upon the same! The newsletter in future aims to bring case studies, and findings and learnings from ground from remote and tough locations where we carry out implementation work with support of our partners!

Students in action - learning computer and soft skills at the  Imperial Auto Industries  supported CSR upskilling project in Faridabad, Haryana.  REACHA  team also conducted detailed job readiness orientation session, first week of September for the ITI Alumni students. The team is getting them ready for the upcoming placement drive / opportunities so they are able to access opportunities in market, and enhance their livelihood. Students from local communities near by have also been mobilized and are being given training, and exposure to basic computer skills at Imperial Auto supported training center.

The teams are closely working with partner institute, and faculty to deliver these day long workshops, covering topics like - AI, Cybersecurity and Job Readiness Courses.  The team is further integrating IBM mentorship sessions. Also below is a Snapshot of an interactive IBM mentorship session by  Moiz S. Barodawala  for Gurukula Kangari students, Haridwar on careers in AI. We thank him for his continued support.

The initiative marks the beginning of a deep effort aimed at promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education for girls. This program aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and will provide foundational coding training to 400 girls across four schools in Pune. The inauguration was marked with the presence of the following esteemed dignitaries - Brig. D. G Patwardhan, Chairman APS Kirkee and his team,  Sarang Shelke , Group Director and Pune Site Head from Cadence Design Systems,  Mohammad Asim Khan  (Cadence India CSR Lead), and Cadence team, Teachers and Principals (Army Public School Kirkee, Mhalsakant School Akurdi, Kudalwadi PCMC School, and Army Public School Dighi), Mr.  Nikhil Pant , Chairman and CEO, REACHA and Brig(Dr) PM Bali, Veteran Advisor Strategy and Projects and REACHA team.  All the guests motivated the teachers and students, and laid the vision of the program which is to bring coding skills to students from remote background, and also extend the benefit to students who belong to Army families whose parents are at forefront in protecting the country. The teachers who completed the Kojo training by REACHA team were facilitated at the inauguration event. This project with a focus on "STEM for Girls," represents a significant step forward in bridging the gender gap in technology and empowering young girls with essential skills for the future. (Kojo is made in India and is created by  Lalit Pant )