Ford India today announced the launch of its Happy School program in 21 schools across Chennai. The Happy Schools program will work towards improving access to holistic education in primary schools by addressing identified gaps in academic support, health, nutrition and infrastructure. This event marked the beginning of ninth annual Global Week of Caring in India.
More than 13,000 volunteers from Ford operations across six continents – ranging from Australia to the Americas, Africa, Asia, Middle East and Europe; the Global Week of Caring will see more than 80,000 hours of expertise being invested in more than 300 community service projects around the world. Close to 2,000 Ford of India employees from its manufacturing and global business services, spread across Chennai, Coimbatore, Sanand and Gurgaon, will volunteer for this event.
Under Happy Schools, Ford is partnering with NGOs working in the field of education. In the first phase, the program will be implemented in 21 government primary schools in close proximity to Ford’s areas of operations in Chennai, and will soon be replicated across Gujarat and Haryana as well. During the Global Week of caring, the Ford volunteer teams will also work in areas specific to education, health, safety, environment, women’s empowerment and humanitarian support.
Highlights from the week-long series of volunteerism activities around Chennai, Sanand and Gurgaon will include:
- Special Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) sessions
- Awareness camps on prevention and control of pollution
- Ophthalmology and medical awareness camps
- Science-based workshops for children
- Campaigns on the importance of waste segregation
- Empowering women in the community with tailoring
- Mobile van demonstration of numerous science-based concepts
- Planting of tree saplings and distribution to customers by dealerships
- Installing RO purifiers in nearby communities
- Building Toilets for the Girl Children in Schools
- Installation of Sanitary Napkins and Incinerators in schools
- Clean-up and restoration of water bodies close to Ford’s areas of operations in Chennai