Under the soft, grey, Goan skies, Soroptimist International Bangalore (SIB) received the Special Jury Mention Award (Others Category) for its Fistful of Grains project, an ongoing, sustainable scheme to fight extreme hunger, poverty and malnutrition.
The glittering function of the ‘11th Corporate Social Responsibility Summit and CSR Times Awards 2024’ was organised by CSR TIMES (a periodical on corporate social responsibility) along with the Goa CSR Authority, on August 22. There were 92 awardees among 20,000 entries.
Dignitaries at the ceremonial handover included Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and Sadanand Shet Tanavade (Member of Rajya Sabha), Subhash Phal Dessai (State Minister for Social Welfare) among other business leaders and CSR professionals.
The Fistful of Grains (FOG) project, which was seeded by SIB in 2012, more than a decade ago, has spread its branches to benefit hundreds across India, as it was adopted as a NASI national project.
SIB distributes reusable bags to elite schools and asks students to fill them with nutritious foodgrains. After a month, SIB collects the bags and donates the grains to orphanages, remand homes or schools for the underprivileged.
The thrust is to link donors with deserving donees.
It was designed, firstly, to provide balanced, nutritious meals to underprivileged children and secondly, to instill compassion, generosity and a sense of social responsibility among privileged children. It has also helped to give employment to women making jute bags.
The following services have been rendered by FOG:
- The grains collected focus on nutritional support, including essential carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins. It aims to address malnutrition, stunting and wasting, developing immunity, reducing illnesses and enabling children to attend school regularly.
- The thrust on food provides enhanced cognitive development for success and economic well-being.
- The scheme promotes social equity and inclusion, ensuring that children from disadvantaged backgrounds get equal access to nutritious food.
- It gives support for families, alleviating some financial burden, so that they can redirect their limited resources to healthcare and education, improving the overall quality of life for the entire family.
- It ensures long-term economic, social and community benefits. Well-nourished children are more likely to become productive and contributing adults, breaking the cycle of poverty and improving social cohesion.
- FOG also teaches privileged children to empathise, sensitise and become emotionally intelligent. It fosters personality development and conflict resolution, as the students become more supportive, cooperative and resolve conflicts with understanding, instead of aggression. It also helps to bust their own stress, anxiety and depression.
The project addresses the following SDGs:
SDG 1: No poverty; SDG 2: Zero hunger; SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being; SDG 8: Decent .Work and Economic Growth, SGD 10: Reduced Inequality, SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 17: Partnership
