APA Issue 4, 2021
HOME AND AWAY We take a closer look at a handful of headline grabbing corporate social responsibility initiatives taking place in the Asia-Pacific region and across the globe. NEW CAMPUS TO PROVIDE SHELTER AND EDUCATION FOR 300 GIRLS Bengaluru Kempegowda operator, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), and main shareholder Fairfax have joined forces with the Sparsha Trust on an initiative designed to provide accommodation and education to 300 girls whose families have been devastated by the COVID pandemic. More accurately, BIAL’s corporate social responsibility arm, Kempegowda International Airport Foundation (KIAF), Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited and Sparsha Trust are to open a residential and learning facility for girls within a purpose built campus being built by the trust close to Kempegowda International Airport. Sparsha Trust is a Bengaluru-based NGO that is working towards creating a safe space for vulnerable children by providing them with care, protection and education. The new facility will be called Chinnara Dhama, which in English translates to ‘A sanctuary for young children’, and will be managed under KIAF’s flagship education programme (Namma Shikshana). BIAL says that the initiative will provide food, safe and secure lodgings and education at one of its adopted
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schools as well as social and psychological support to girls aged between six and seventeen. “Many children across the state have been deprived of their parents and their emotional and financial stability can be threatened if they do not receive timely support,” said BIAL’s managing director and CEO, Haru Marar. “As a responsible corporate citizen, it is our primary responsibility to help the most vulnerable amongst us in their time of need. We hope this initiative can help reshape the lives of 300 girls so they grow up to become responsible citizens.” The project is being monitored by an independent team of governing volunteers consisting of entrepreneurs, corporate executives, defence veterans and social luminaries. SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUPPORT FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES Queen Alia International Airport operator, Airport International Group (AIG), has officially launched a new foundation to act as the executive arm of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.
