On 25th of February, Hand in Hand celebrated its 10 years of service to the community in a function in the shore temple town of Mamallapuram. Its CEO, Dr. Kalpana Sankar is a member of BBG Chennai.
Hand in Hand India is a grass root level NGO serving in 8 States in India and 7 countries across 3 continents. It has an integrated program of poverty elimination and women empowerment through various programs. With the support of its dedicated team comprising 2,500 employees of whom 65% are women, as well as 52,000 volunteers, Hand in Hand India has involved 8.5 lakh women in 57,000 Self Help Groups. It has also mainstreamed nearly 1.65 lakh children , after eliminating them from child labor.
The theme of the meet on 25th Feb was “Learning through reflection and looking forward” and Hand in Hand took the opportunity to felicitate all its 2,500 dedicated employees for achieving the following milestones:
Creation of 1.3 million jobs. This was a 5 year programme, scheduled to conclude in 2014. Due to the indefatigable energies and commitment of the Hand in Hand family, the goal was achieved in January 2013, which was 14 months before target date.
Crossing the threshold of Child Friendly Panchayats. A panchayat is designated as “Child Friendly” once child labor has been totally eliminated and all the children there attend school.
The program was graced by a galaxy of dignitaries which included Mr. N. Sanyal, IAS, Special Secretary – ministry of Women & Child Development, Govt of India; Ms. Jennifer McIntyre – U S Consul General : Guest of Honour; Mr. Siddharth Varadarajan – Editor : The Hindu – who delivered the Presidential Address; Representatives from the leadership teams of various Hand in Hand arms across the globe, viz. UK, Sweden, South Africa, Kenya, Afghanistan; Board of Trustees of Hand in Hand India and all employees of Hand in Hand India from rural interiors across all 8 States where they serve.
Dr. Kalpana Sankar, CEO, and the force behind Hand in Hand India, while felicitating all employees as well as thanking all donors, partners, well-wishers and supporters, made a presentation on the overall vision as well as the plans on going.
