Vodafone Foundation Drives Inclusive Growth Through World of Difference Programme in Delhi

-- 9 employees work with 5 NGOs on projects to enhance capacities, address technology gaps and empower women in Delhi

-- Apoorva Mehrotra, Business Head – Delhi, Vodafone India visits NGO Breakthrough to monitor progress

Ashish Bansal, Marketing Manager from Vodafone Bihar Circle, has taken a break from his regular job for 8 weeks to help develop an online marketing strategy for Delhi-based NGO Breakthrough. While Chetna Tripathi, a customer service executive from Vodafone’s UP East Circle, is working with Breakthrough to prepare a strategic business plan.  Breakthrough is a global human rights organization working against prevention of violence against women and girls.

Ashish Bansal and Chetna Tripathi are amongst the 9 Vodafone India employees working with 5  NGOs in Delhi as  part of the 4^th edition of the World of Difference programme. 

The World of Difference (WOD) is Vodafone Foundation’s flagship programme that takes corporate giving beyond the traditional ‘cheque book’ approach.

In 2015, WOD has 50 qualified Vodafone India employees, drawn from different work streams, working with 25 diverse NGOs for a period of 8 weeks to enhance capacities, address technology gaps and resolve issues impairing women empowerment.

Over the years, Vodafone Foundation has consistently introduced elements to the WOD programme to deepen employee engagement. All stakeholders, including senior management, HR and business teams come together to collaborate for the programme’s success. Introducing the team volunteering concept, selected WOD volunteers this year will be divided in smaller groups to work on parallel projects at the assigned NGO. The projects and NGOs are selected basis the gaps identified from research on mGovernance and mHealth. Vodafone Foundation has also designed an ‘Annual Sustainability Programme’ to ensure continued engagement between the NGO and WOD volunteer beyond the tenure of the project.

As a part of the WoD programme, Apoorva Mehrotra, Business Head – Delhi, Vodafone India today visited NGO Breakthrough to understand the projects undertaken by Vodafone employees and monitor their progress.

Commenting about this visit to the NGO, Apoorva Mehrotra, Business Head – Delhi, Vodafone India, said “The WOD programme adds immense value to Vodafone’s commitment to contribute to society in the most meaningful way and gain from the rich experiences and learning that employees bring back following their stint. I am particularly delighted that 5 employees from Vodafone Delhi Circle are WOD champions this year. I am equally privileged to have Vodafone employees from other Circles associated with WOD programme working for Delhi based NGOs. I believe WOD provides all Vodafone employees a great avenue to enhance their professional skills at new or challenging environments, gain a better understanding of the diverse socio-economic landscape that prevails across India, and have experiences of a lifetime.”

Operating in 22 countries worldwide, the WOD programme is Vodafone’s unique way of corporate giving which goes beyond the traditional ‘cheque book’ approach. The WOD programme in India runs in partnership with Dasra, India's leading strategic philanthropy foundation. Dasra's role in this program is to analyze and match the skills & acumen of the participants with the nonprofit organizations. Dasra also plays a pivotal role in orientation of the employees to ensure positive outcomes.

Since 2011, 78 skilled employees have donated over 38,500 man-hours working on 73 different social projects with diverse NGOs on defined projects. While working with NGOs, the employees continued to receive their salary and all related benefits from Vodafone India and came back richer with the experience gained of working first hand with communities, trying to address real social issues and challenges.

- Glimpse to WOD 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd54LuvJwl8

- To know more about the WOD programme, please visit us on www.vodafone.in/foundation.

About Vodafone Foundation

The Vodafone Foundation in India recognizes the power of mobile technology to address some of India’s most pressing challenges relating to education, health, equality and access. We are committed to enable people and technology to drive innovation, disseminate knowledge, and create shared value to improve lives.

By leveraging our mobile technology in the four areas of m-women, m-education, m-health and m-agriculture, we work in partnership with key charities, development agencies and the community to drive social change on a large scale in India. As part of our social investment programme, the Vodafone Foundation in India also focusses on disaster relief and implements the World of Difference programme, a unique employee engagement.

In countries in which Vodafone operates, a unique footprint of 27 Vodafone Foundations operate to deliver our social investment programme. These programmes are directed and chosen by the Foundation Trustees and receive funding from the Vodafone Foundation in the UK as well as their local Vodafone company.

For more information, please visit www.vodafone.in/foundation

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About Dasra:

As India's leading strategic philanthropy foundation, Dasra actively shapes the process of social change by forming powerful partnerships with funders and social enterprises. Since the last 15 years, Dasra has been working towards building a 'thriving ecosystem' that enables knowledge creation, capacity building, strategic funding and collaboration in order to touch and transform the lives of 800 million Indians. Over the years, Dasra has trained more than 500 non-profits and social businesses, engaged with 1,000 corporates, foundations and philanthropists, channeling INR 264 crores towards the social sector and impacting over 10 million lives.

For more information, please visit www.dasra.org