Philanthropy at its best - IBM CSC in Mumbai India

Being part of a company which identifies employees as a Global citizen and values community service as part of the job is a privilege for me and 12 of my IBM colleagues, who have come from 9 different countries to Mumbai India to help improve the education at different levels for unprivileged population. 
We are IBM Corporate Service Corps and we have dedicated 1 month of our time In-country to help various NGOs in and around Mumbai India succeed in their mission. I feel extremely humble and fortunate to be part of a sub team who is working with United Way Mumbai (beneficiary of our pro-bono consulting work) and Pyxera Global (our in country NGO partner) to help roll out an educational program for small (pre-school age)  children whose parents can't afford to send their kids to private nursery or alternative day care school. 

Why this is important?

1. As an IBMer, I am getting to work with top performers in my company across various roles and from different geographies. In addition, we have been challenged to solve tough problems specific to a culture and environment in such a short amount of time, which means we are learning leadership skills for  global
   
   operations. My team has been working with United Way executive team and the team on the ground to assess the situation and design a framework for BornLearning program. While working with them, it was fascinating to know that multiple NGOs in India are working together to solve one problem and they complement each other by layering their services. In addition, these NGOs bring the innovation that matters to their clients. Here is an example that teaches us to understand our users better so we can develop a practical solution for them. United Way as part of it's "Poshan" (eliminating Mal-nutrition) program wanted to roll out an innovative way for kids to learn the importance of washing their hands. They partnered with a company to design a Soapen that kids love to use to write on their hands and then wash their hands using 7 motions that they are taught. One soapen can be used for 60+ washes. 
2. The goal of the CSC engagement is to give back to the community. People served by the NGO partners benefit directly by our work. In our case, 36 Anganwadi and Balwadi centers across Maharashtra state are going to benefit from the Born Learning Campaign. This program will directly impact close to 3600 children and prepare them for 1st grade. We visited to meet Sevikas (ground workers who teach children in these centers and take care of their well being) and experienced their challenges first hand. 
   

What's next?

Part of this process is to gel to the community, experience their problems, talk to stakeholders and absorb the information. We are working as a team to design the technical framework for this campaign. While doing so, we are getting to know local culture, try local food and have fun. I will share our journey in the next of this blog series. Until then, Namste Mumbai !