Issue 1
Heard of this equation before?
June 2011
the energy is limitless, the enthusiasm truly inspiring. And I always
wonder what makes such people different?
The instances I have seen of care and concern for the less-privileged
haunt me each time… The government school teacher who earned a
pittance and decided to take early retirement. Reason? To provide
education to the less fortunate, using his meagre personal savings. The
school began 10 years ago in a community whose family average
income is USD 100 per month. About 25 children studied in two rooms,
with tin roofs that leaked during rains. Today, the school has a strength
of over 1,400 students, the number of classrooms have increased from
two to eight - a few computers and a WNS Cares Foundation library.
The roofs are still made of tin sheets but with a dream - which now
includes setting up a junior college with WCF’s help. I see hope and the
determination to pursue a dream in such situations.
Dear Friends,
Assume:
11= The Power of One Individual;
E3= Educate, Empower & Enrich.
What does the equation mean for you and me?
It means “Each one of us has the power to Educate,
Empower, Enrich.”
A fine example can be seen in many people who have amply
displayed this power of ‘ONE’
People no different from you and me.
Over the years, I have observed people who make a difference –
quietly, but effectively. Two years ago, a meeting all of ten minutes in
the middle of a noisy press conference, a polite conversation that
ended with the usual, ‘We must work together’. Never spoke to the
person until October 2010, about WNS Cares Foundation (WCF).
Surprising but true… by mid-November, a school for less-privileged
children was identified, computer teachers were appointed, curricula
was fixed and the classes had begun. All because of the efforts of this
one person and one who had nothing to do with WNS! Why did he do it?
I know of someone who is in WNS and fighting a debilitating illness.
Trips to the hospital are interspersed with visits to WCF centers.
Someone, who in spite of personal physical pain, is able to empathize
with the pain of survivors, (who lost their homes in a devastating fire)
and even volunteered to spend a day at the make-shift fire rehabilitation center. I see in such people the power of working for a cause –
For internal use only
Another recent example, is of one who had the ability to chart WCF’s
course into new lands by introducing an innovative program that is
now being replicated across WCF chapters. Simple ideas, with
incredible impact! I see passion and dedication to further a cause
with such efforts.
Who are these people? What are they made of? Where do they come
from? Why do they do what they do? Are they different from you and me?
The answer is NO. They are ordinary people doing extraordinary
things with their lives.
These people inspire us with the power of ‘ONE’.
Each of us has that power to be the One: to Educate, Empower, Enrich.
Visualize the impact of over 21,000 WNSites believing and acting on
this power of ‘ONE’!
The first issue of PULSE is a kaleidoscope of WCF-news,views across
geographies, celebrating volunteers and giving you an opportunity to
be a change agent.
WCF can be a success, only, when you make it YOUR program.
Step forward and see the difference you can make to a life with your
smallest of efforts.
Best Wishes,
Shamini R. Murugesh
Honorary Chief Mentor
WNS Cares Foundation
Issue 1
June 2011
Latest News
WNS Cares Foundation chapters have been mushrooming, at lightening speed
ever since its inception in January, 2011. Nothing has deterred nor daunted its
volunteers - be it travelling eight hours on gravel roads, even driving through a
jungle to reach a distant war struck village in Sannar, Sri Lanka, having to
educate parents of first generation school goers, in Bangalore, India, persuading
them to send their children to learn rather than earn, labelling and packing 1000
dictionaries, shuttling 42 boxes of books to one of NYC’s busiest commercial
loading docks at Grand Central Station in NYC, North America.
The next few months promise to be exciting, as well, with UK and the
Philippines working feverishly to join in and multiple volunteering opportunities
across locations being rolled out. Keep watching this space for more!
Speakers Corner - Leader: R. Swaminathan, Chief People Officer
Dear Friends,
When I started my first job
many years ago as a fresher, I
thought
corporate
social
responsibility was about being
responsible at the workplace!
And I naively thought to myself,
“Well, I am an adult and a
responsible person, and I
assume all employees in the
company would be too. So why
would a company need a separate CSR Strategy?”
It took me a while to understand that I had a lot to learn. Gone are the
days when business is about making a little more money today than
what you made yesterday. Leading organizations all over the world
strive to bridge the divide between the haves and the have-nots. And
this effort has nothing to do with philanthropy as many would call it! It
is about creating an impact around, as much as you create within…in
simple words, strive for the communities around as much as you strive
for the job on hand.
The first time the importance of this concept hit me was in a meeting I
had with a leading global retail client. The question I was asked was on
my / my team’s participation in the CSR initiative of the organization.
Like most, I had always believed that this was a ‘corporate’ function
and some higher-ups would be involved with it. That meeting made
me think twice.
Years down the line, and may be losing a bit more hair in the process,
For internal use only
I understand that there is a direct correlation between corporate social
responsibility and corporate reputation; so the more a company is
perceived to do ‘good’, the better is its reputation.
In this light, I have to mention that the WNS corporate social responsibility effort has grown from a fledgling WNS Cares initiative into a
full-fledged WNS Cares Foundation (WCF), and within the first quarter it
has already managed to accomplish what it set out to do. This is indeed
a commendable effort by the WCF team.
Launching ‘WCF Pulse’, the WCF newsletter, is a superb endeavor in the
right direction – to showcase our CSR efforts for the quarter across all
locations within WNS and among all its stakeholders, and to build a
concerted effort towards volunteering (which I am proud to say WNS is
well-known for).
I urge you to read your copy of the ‘WCF Pulse’ and reach out to the
WCF team to pledge your support towards this initiative. I believe that
this embodies our values of “Collaboration” and “Respect” for the
communities around us.
In our race to the finish line, let’s ensure that we don’t lose out (both
individually and collectively) on our responsibility towards the communities around us. How we run the race is far more important than
reaching the finish line!
Regards,
Swami
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Issue 1
June 2011
Speakers Corner
VOLUNTEERS
"I never thought when I walked out from "Sunshine", the newly built play
school in Sannar, I will be this rich in terms of memories of innocent, happy
smiles of people who have suffered a decade of war. I treasure every
moment that I spent in Sannar and owe a BIG “thank you" to the WNS and
WNS Cares Foundation team for, every drop of sweat they shed, every
minute and cent shared on this invaluable project.
The inauguration of the WCF library and computer center is the most memorable event of my life and I am looking forward to many more such events.
A little help can make a big change in someone’s life. The enthusiasm of the
students, volunteers and core committee members was great.
Hemant Pagare
Nasik, India
Chamila Cooray
Colombo, Sri Lanka
GUESTS
‘WCF is currently educating as many as 15,000 children. We hope this
number only grows until e-literacy replaces illiteracy completely. Our
partnership has been the reason for many underprivileged kids to be able
to read and become computer literate. The additional real life skills
program of WCF adds immense value to these children.’
Prem Yadav
Pratham InfoTech Education Foundation, Mumbai, India
‘It has been a pleasure to associate with the outreach activities of WCF.
WCF's child development activities in Chettiar Agaram, is holistic in design
and intensive in implementation. The activities cater not only, to the
intellectual needs of a child but address a spectrum of concerns from
personal hygiene to community living. The library and computer center,
sponsored by WCF, has greatly enthused, the not so privileged children to
spend more time in learning.’
S. Alfred Devaprasad
President & CEO, Alpha Group of Institutions, Chennai, India
‘On behalf of the children and families of HCZ, we
thank the WNS Cares Foundation, for its donation of
500 new dictionaries...’ to ‘..students of our Promise
Academy Charter Schools.
Thank you again for helping us to change the odds of
children in Harlem.’
Mindy S. Miller
Vice President For Development, Harlem Children’s Zone, New York, USA
Excerpts from HCZ, Thank you letter
For internal use only
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Issue 1
June 2011
“LIVE WIRES”
Outstanding Contribution Made By A Person To WCF
• Introduced a new program / project
• Led an initiative with minimum support
• High level of participation in CSR activities
• Ensured involvement of maximum number
of volunteers
• Inspired other volunteers to participate in WCF
Amit Kesharwani
David Spencer
“The WNS Cares Foundation initiative
carefully selects opportunities wherein
not only the underprivileged benefit, but
the people who associate with the
program as well. They emerge as, even
more beautiful human beings and grow
both professionally and spiritually.”
Volunteering Opportunities Next Quarter
Monthly
Activity
June
• Mural Painting - WCF Computer Centers
• Impact Day
• Sports Program
“Kicking off the N. America
Chapter of the WNS Cares
Foundation with such a successful
project was both gratifying and
humbling. I look forward to our team
building on this momentum with more
impactful efforts!”
"Happy To Welcome A Volunteer"
INDIA
Mumbai: Erica Dsouza; Shabina Ansari
[email protected]; [email protected]
Pune: Farzana Engineer; Amit Kesharwani
[email protected]; [email protected]
• Dictionary Project
• Volunteer Workshop
• Educational Trip
Nashik: Hemant Pagare; Nigar Shaikh
• Career Counseling
• Dictionary-based activity
• Personality Development
Chennai: Jeenex Hilton; Hagini Reddy
Weekly
• Reading Sessions
GLOBAL
Daily
• Computer Based Learning
Costa Rica: Guissella Zuniga
July
August
[email protected]; [email protected]
Gurgaon: Gaurav Priyaraj, Desh Deepak Sharma
[email protected]; [email protected]
[email protected]; [email protected]
Bangalore: Reshma M P; Oliver Ireland
[email protected]; [email protected]
[email protected]
The Philippines: Rommel Regino; Rowena Mendoza
[email protected]; [email protected]
Romania: Cristina Ceobanu
Your Feedback is
Welcome At
[email protected]
[email protected]
Sri Lanka: Dayanthi Samaranayake; Diyana Solomon
[email protected];[email protected]
UK: Ritu Motashaw; Rodney Barkworth
[email protected]; [email protected]
USA: David Spencer; Natalie Woodward
[email protected]; [email protected]
For internal use only
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