The CSR volunteer program is part of a larger corporate social responsibility strategy. It encourages employees to volunteer their time and give back to their community. It is about finding joy and meaning in making a difference in other people’s lives and one’s own.
As part of their CSR activities, corporate teams have been volunteering at Visthar. We are thus far impanelled with Cisco, Dell, Intel, and Thomson Reuters. Our most successful volunteering engagement so far has been with Cisco. Pre-Covid we have had 800 Cisco employees as volunteers. After the pandemic break, Cisco has resumed volunteering at Visthar and we have had 350 volunteers from December 2022 till April 2023.
The volunteering events held at Visthar offer employees opportunities to engage in meaningful eco-friendly, sustainability initiatives. The activities include hands-on work in farming, waste management, composting, recycling paper, pottery, and gardening. The volunteers are engaged in regular garden and farming work including clearing the land, preparing vegetable beds, planting, composting, weeding, harvesting, etc. The Srujana recycled is another important and favored work area for the volunteers. They also enjoy working with papier mache and other paper products, which we use to generate income.
The program offers us access to committed and passionate volunteers for a full day. They come in batches ranging from 30 – 100. It offers a meaningful win-win scenario for all the stakeholders involved. Volunteers have reported how working on the land has contributed to developing their eco-consciousness and sense of well-being. And, working in groups from different departments has strengthened their team spirit.
Over the years we have gained experience in offering several impactful volunteer opportunities for corporate employees. These activities help leverage the volunteers’ passions and skills. The conversations facilitated during the volunteering day helped in building awareness about community issues and improved understanding between sectors within the corporates.
The funds raised through the CSR volunteering go to support our educational initiatives for children and youth from marginalized and underserved communities in Karnataka.
