The pandemic has highlighted how little acts of kindness can uplift and inspire us. Be it stories of common people reaching out to help the needy or organisations extending a helping hand to communities.
While our circumstances might have been different, our collective experience during the pandemic has taught us that as a society, we have the ability to impact those around us with compassion and care.
Delivering a cleaner, healthier, and better life in the communities around us
At AM International and all our group companies, we’ve focused on addressing the prerequisites for primary health, such as safe water, hygiene, nutrition and education.
Advancing our efforts during the lockdown, we conducted a philanthropic needs assessment. We found that access to food and hygiene products has decreased significantly. Therefore, across our group companies – be it Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation (SPIC), Manali Petrochemicals Limited (MPL) or AM Foundation – we have redoubled our community efforts.
Our group entities partnered with the local government authorities and distributed food kits, along with health and hygiene essentials like face masks, sanitisers, and spray pumps. We supported both our frontline warriors and the communities around us. We’re proud that our employees were actively involved in organising such programs and ensuring their success.
Some of the areas where we worked:
Nutrition
MPL partnered with the Executive Magistrate, Tiruvottiyur Taluk in Chennai, to support people with disabilities. Aimed to support communities in the vicinity of our premises in Manali Industrial Area, Chennai, the food kits comprised of essential supplies like 5 kg of rice, 1 litre of cooking oil and 1 kg of lentils.
Through SPIC, our flagship entity, we joined forces with the government and district administration to provide around 1,000 food kits to the most vulnerable sections of the society. In the august presence of Mr Kadambur Raju (Information & Publicity Minister, Govt. of Tamil Nadu) and Mr Sandeep Nanduri (District Collector), our team, led by Mr SR Ramakrishnan (Wholetime Director), distributed these kits to communities in Kovilpatti village, Thootukudi district.
Further, SPIC donated 1,250 kg of rice to marginalised communities in Thootukudi, in the presence of district administrative officials, including Mr Sandeep Nanduri (District Collector), Mr Arun Balagopalan (Superintendent of Police) and Mr VP Jayaseelan (Corporation Commissioner).
To support daily wage earners who have been severely affected during the lockdown, SPIC also contributed 1,250 kg of rice to Thoothukudi Corporation. In addition, the company partnered with the local police department to distribute food packets to 250 people every day.
Through such initiatives, we strove to ensure that our communities can sustain themselves during the lockdown.
Healthcare and hygiene
In these challenging times, supporting the ecosystem of healthcare workers and public caretakers in the communities we operate in, remains a key focus.
To combat the scarcity of hand sanitisers, we commenced the production of alcohol-based sanitisers at SPIC’s manufacturing facilities and distributed them to local authorities engaged in community sanitisation efforts. This included the offices of Ms Kanimozhi, Thoothukudi Member of Parliament, the Superintendent of Police of Thoothukudi, and the government fire department.
Along with hand sanitisers, we contributed over 6,500 face masks to various departments along with 5,000 masks to the District Collectors’ office. These face masks are for their use as well as for distribution among the members of vulnerable communities.
Further, to augment our sanitation and hygiene efforts in the context of COVID-19, we joined hands with Thoothukudi Corporation. The district’s Public Health Department has been utilising SPIC’s high-pressure jet pump to disinfect public places as a part of its routine cleaning schedule.
Scaling up healthcare infrastructure is another critical priority. To ramp up the availability of beds at Thoothukudi Hospital, SPIC contributed INR 2,00,000 for mattress procurement. The cheque was handed over to Mr Kadambur Raju, Information Minister, Tamil Nadu.
Creating powerful ripples of positive change
Going forward, working with local communities with a sense of purpose and mitigating their daily challenges will be a critical social responsibility for every organisation. When we emerge on the other side of this crisis, we will look back on this time with a sense of pride, in how we lent a helping hand to the needy, how we were kind and compassionate to one another and how we faced hardships together.
As an African proverb goes, “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Despite our physical distances, our shared experiences and care will forge stronger bonds in the new normal.
