Disaster Response - Andhra Pradesh - TATA Sustainability Group

Cyclone Hudhud made landfall on 12th October 2014 causing immense damage to the port city of Visakhapatnam and its neighbouring districts. The most severely impacted districts were East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagram and Srikakulam.

Relevant group companies took up the task of assisting affected populations; Tata Projects cleared debris and provided safe drinking water through RO plants, Tata Power provided solar lights and helped restore power lines in the city, while Tata Chemicals provided Swach kits. As part of the ongoing rehabilitation phase the Tata group has worked on providing safe drinking water to 110 villages in Srikakulam through RO plants, covering about 11% of the villages in the district which is estimated to have benefitted 1.9 lakh people.

In rural Visakhapatnam, 221 people with disability have been provided with essential aids, machines and other support to help them recover. The success of the project has led to Phase II being initiated to help an additional 200 people with disability. The group has also completed its project on reducing disaster risks in the urban slums in Visakhapatnam city and reached out to 28,000 women belonging to the Dhan Foundation federation.

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Currently, the committees formed under the project have created a separate fund that is used to not only support members during accidents/ fire incidents, etc. but also to support families impacted by disasters in other regions in India. During the COVID-19 lockdown, these women utilized their federation's saving to help those in their groups who were finding it difficult to meet ends.

Skills training has been provided to 1,440 youths by Tata STRIVE and its partner, in profiles like assistant electrician, automobile sales consultant, automobile service technicians and bar bending.

IMPACT STORY

Nookaraju

Hailing from a fisherman's village, Nookaraju has a challenge of stunted growth. Despite being faced with social stigma, he pursued schooling and completed his graduation too. Having been refused jobs, he didn't give up, but started conducting evening classes at his village, to help school children.

When he heard about the residential tailoring program being held for the physically challenged at Bhagavatula Charitable Trust, he packed his bags and enrolled immediately. A very hardworking and smart learner, he would often stay up till 10 pm so that he could gain mastery over the tailoring machine.

Soon after finishing the program, he went back to his village and set up a tailoring center, earning Rs. 5, 000/- per month. This helps him augment his tuition income. He did his bit by stitching and distributing masks in his village to curb the spread of the pandemic.

Self Employed

Monthly Income - Rs. 5, 000/-

IMPACT STORY

Jeevitha Nagubandi

33-year-old, Jeevitha Nagubandi is a graduate and a mother of two. Meeting her children's educational needs was hard and she wanted to start contributing financially for her family. The short-term training on BFSI - BDE at Tata Strive Extension Centre, Visakhapatnam not only helped her improve domain knowledge but also converted her into a confident salesperson with excellent presentation and people skills. She soon managed to get a placement with a reputed telecommunication company as a customer relationship officer.

While she loved her job, the pressure of handling both family and work got the better of her, and she contemplated quitting her job. This is when Tata STRIVE team stepped in again and through various counselling sessions encouraged her to continue working. She has now successfully completed one year in the organization, received a hike of about 25%, and currently earns Rs. 17, 000/- pm. Now, her children also encourage her to continue working! Most of her earnings goes towards their education.

Employer - Airtel

Net Monthly Salary - Rs. 17, 000/-