Showing posts with label Vedanta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vedanta. Show all posts

Vedanta Advances Education, Healthcare and Opportunity for 5 Lakh Girls

Zinc All Girls Football Academy in Udaipur

Guided by a holistic, lifecycle-based approach aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals including SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), Vedanta supports girls through three key stages of their journey: building strong foundations in early childhood and schooling; enabling healthy, confident adolescence through education, health and sports; and unlocking opportunities for higher education, skills and livelihoods. These interventions are rooted in a simple belief that when girls are educated, supported and given opportunities, families and communities progress together.

Vedanta’s engagement begins in early childhood through its flagship Nand Ghar programme, which has reached over 2 lakh girls through more than 11,000 modernised Anganwadi centres across 17 states. By integrating early childhood education with nutrition, healthcare access and community engagement, Nand Ghars lay a strong foundation for learning, health and confidence while also empowering mothers and caregivers at the grassroots.

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As girls transition into formal schooling, Vedanta focuses on improving learning outcomes in government schools across its operational regions. At Vedanta Aluminium in Jharsuguda, Odisha, Project Vidyagraha adopts a digital-first approach to deliver structured lessons and academic support, enabling students to build confidence and improve performance. Students like Kashish Kalse, a Class 10 student who showed significant improvement in her board examinations, reflect the programme’s impact on academic continuity. Complementing this, Project VIDYA strengthens learning environments through improved student–teacher ratios and enhanced teacher capacity. Similar interventions—Project Shiksha by ESL Steel Limited in Jharkhand, Shiksha Sambal by Hindustan Zinc Limited in Rajasthan, and Project Vriddhi at Vedanta Sesa Goa—support foundational and secondary education through digital access, STEM exposure and scholarships, ensuring infrastructure and financial constraints do not limit girls’ educational aspirations. Notably, girls constitute 50 percent of Utkarsh Scholarship beneficiaries by Sesa Goa.

Recognising that education cannot thrive without health and dignity, Vedanta implements targeted interventions for adolescent girls across its locations. At Vedanta Aluminium in Lanjigarh, Odisha, focused programmes on Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health and Menstrual Health and Hygiene have reached girls through awareness sessions, anaemia screening, nutritional support, menstrual hygiene education and pad-making training, building confidence and self-reliance. Further in Odisha, FACOR’s Project Laadli is reshaping conversations around menstrual health by creating safe spaces through Kishori Clubs, distributing hygiene kits and engaging adolescent boys to challenge stigma. The initiative has reached community members, using dialogue, art and storytelling to build supportive ecosystems. The impact is reflected in stories like that of 13-year-old Sneha from Odisha, who credits FACOR’s Project Laadli and Kishori Clubs with helping her overcome menstrual stigma, access hygiene support and speak openly about her health with confidence.

As girls progress towards higher education and career aspirations, Vedanta supports structured academic and competitive preparedness. Programmes such as Unchi Udaan at Hindustan Zinc in Rajasthan and BALCO Connect in Chhattisgarh provide coaching for IITs, government engineering colleges and state-level examinations, enabling first-generation learners to compete nationally and pursue ambitious career pathways.

Beyond academics, Vedanta recognises the role of sports and skills in building confidence, discipline and leadership. From India’s first residential girls’ football academy at Hindustan Zinc to the Sesa Football Academy in Goa, where the senior women’s team has qualified for the Indian Women’s League 2026, these initiatives are enabling girls to challenge traditional norms, build resilience and excel on competitive platforms. At the Sesa Football Academy, players such as Aaroshi Govekar, who earned her maiden India team call-up in 2025, exemplify how structured training and mentorship are enabling girls from grassroots communities to compete on national platforms.

To mark National Girl Child Day and International Education Day, schools across Vedanta’s locations organised activities celebrating women achievers and inspiring students to reflect on leadership, aspiration and the power of education. These efforts reaffirm Vedanta’s commitment to empowering girls across their lifecycle and enabling them to realise their full potential.

Vedanta Limited, India’s leading metals, oil & gas, critical minerals, power and technology conglomerate reaffirmed its long-term commitment to advancing girls’ education, health and empowerment, having positively impacted over five lakh girls across its operational regions in India so far in FY26.

Nand Ghar, John Snow Inc, Rocket Learning collaborate towards strengthening early childhood education, health, nutrition across Rajasthan.

Vedanta’s Nand Ghar Joins Forces with John Snow Inc. (JSI) and Rocket Learning to Transform Early Childhood Development at Anganwadi centers in Dholpur, Rajasthan

Vedanta Nand Ghar, John Snow Inc, Rocket Learning collaborate to Transform Early Childhood Development

30th May 2025, New Delhi/Mumbai
: Nand Ghar, Vedanta’s flagship CSR initiative is reimagining anganwadis as modern centers equipped with smart education tools, BaLA (Building as Learning Aid) designs, LED TV, and child-friendly infrastructure to create engaging, safe spaces for children aged 3–6 years. They also facilitate fortified meals, healthcare services, and nutritional support for children and mothers, while empowering women through skill-building programs that promote sustainable livelihoods and community development.

Project Balvardhan is an initiative under Nand Ghar by the Anil Agarwal Foundation. It is focused on combatting malnutrition among children and enhancing the capacity of anganwadi workers. As per NFHS-5, 31.8% children under 5 years are stunted and 16.8% children are stunted in Rajasthan. Through the project, more than 800 Anganwadi centers will be developed into Nand Ghars across Dholpur in Rajasthan, benefiting over 80,000 children and 14,000 women beneficiaries, while largely impacting lives of more than 1,00,000 community members. The initiative using a 360-degree systems approach focuses on strengthening early childhood care and education (ECCE), addressing all forms of malnutrition, and ensuring the provision of quality supplementary nutrition as per the guidelines of ICDS Rajasthan. A strong emphasis will be placed on behavioral change practices to create a long-term and sustained impact on health and nutrition status for both children and women.

To build a holistic, community-driven development model focused on sustainability, scalability, and measurable impact, the strategic collaboration with JSI and Rocket Learning will help build a strong foundation for nutrition, health and education interventions at Nand Ghar.

CEO, Nand Ghar, Mr. Shashi Arora reaffirmed the program’s commitment and said, “At Nand Ghar, we believe that real change begins at the grassroots. Project Balvardhan is a significant step towards our dedicated efforts to combat malnutrition among children and empower anganwadi workers. Together with the Government of Rajasthan, JSI, and Rocket Learning, Nand Ghar is committed to drive this change from the grassroots and build a secure future for our future generation.”

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Under Project Balvardhan, JSI will lead interventions to improve maternal and child nutrition & health by enhancing the nutritional status of children under 6 years via strengthening Anganwadi services through infrastructural upgrades, digital growth monitoring and tracking (anthropometry), and promoting maternal nutrition awareness through evidence-based practices via systems-driven Nand Ghar model. These efforts will directly benefit children, pregnant women and lactating mothers, while uplifting the overall health outcomes in surrounding rural communities. Efforts shall also be concentrated towards enhanced capacity building of Nand Ghar Didis (AWWs), front-line workers and communities for sustained impact via behavioural change mechanisms.

Rocket Learning will capacitate anganwadi workers in delivering high-quality Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) by enhancing child attendance and engagement through interactive learning, developing state-aligned educational content, and training workers in modern teaching methodologies.           

JSI and Rocket Learning, in close collaboration with ICDS Rajasthan, are uniting their unparalleled expertise in maternal and child health, nutrition, and early childhood care and education (ECCE) to usher in a transformative era for Anganwadi services. Together, they are poised to deliver an integrated, systems - level approach that not only elevates service delivery standards at Anganwadi centres but also inspires a new vision of holistic child development.

The project is being implemented, with the blessings of Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Women & Child Development, Smt. Diya Kumari ji—a testament to the government’s strong commitment to child welfare and rural development. Project Balvardhan stands as a beacon of collaborative impact—driven by partnerships, powered by community, and rooted in sustainability.

Project Balvardhan, a collaboration between the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the Government of Rajasthan, and district authorities, builds on Vedanta’s Nand Ghar partnership with the Department of Women & Child Development. With over 5,100 Nand Ghars already developed in Rajasthan and a vision to scale up to 25,000, the initiative aims to transform Anganwadis into tech-enabled hubs offering integrated services in early education, nutrition, and healthcare. Designed as a scalable, sustainable model, the project combines proven interventions with technology, policy, and community engagement. It also includes ongoing training for Anganwadi workers and behavior change programs to empower mothers and caregivers in maternal and child well-being.

Nand Ghar, a flagship social impact project under the Anil Agarwal Foundation, is a model project working towards strengthening the Anganwadi ecosystem of the country. The 8300+ Nand Ghars are the enabler of change and sustainable development with a presence in 15 states across India and currently impacting more than 3.2 lakh children and 2.4 lakh women. Set up in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD), Nand Ghars are modernized ‘Anganwadis’ working to eradicate malnutrition among children, provide pre-primary education, primary healthcare, and empower rural women through skill training. Nand Ghars, the state-of-the-art Anganwadis, aim to transform the lives of 7 crore children and 2 crore women across the 13.7 lakh Anganwadis across the country.

The Anil Agarwal Foundation is the umbrella entity for Vedanta’s community and social initiatives. The focus areas of the Foundation are healthcare, women and child development, animal welfare projects, and sports promotion. Anil Agarwal Foundation aims to empower communities, transform lives, and facilitate nation building through sustainable and inclusive growth.