A lift to our spirits

On 27th October 2020, the Aditya Birla Group’s CSR work in Thailand received appreciation from the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) in the form of the CSR Excellence Recognition Award. A singular honour, it acknowledges our Group’s phenomenal contribution to the people of Thailand in the development sector.

Our Group companies in Thailand are involved in projects that foster education, healthcare, vocational training, sports and native festivals in the provinces in which they operate. This year, there was an active focus on addressing the needs of local communities during the COVID-19 crisis.

The award was presented to Mr. Sanjeev Sood, Country Head (Group Affairs) Thailand by His Excellency Mr. Michael George DeSombre, Ambassador of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Thailand. “We are happy to share that we are the only Indian Group to have been recognised by this prestigious industry body in this our Golden Jubilee year,” says Mr. Sood.

The award recognised the work we do through our dedicated skill centre Aditya Birla Knowledge Foundation (ABKC) located in Saraburi, our brand building programmes with Thailand universities and the provincial CSR activities handled by each of our nine Thailand units.

The Aditya Birla Group’s CSR motto is ‘Engage, Uplift, Empower’ and we reach out to 9 million people across the world through activities that cover healthcare, education, sustainable livelihoods, infrastructure and model villages.

In line with our Chairperson, Mrs. Rajashree Birla’s guidance and supported in its execution by Dr. Pragnya Ram, we textured all of our Group companies’ CSR activities in Thailand under the aegis of the Aditya Birla Group.  We routed it through the Aditya Birla Knowledge Foundation, with Mr. Sood, as the Chairman and all of our Unit Heads serving on its Board. In terms of sheer strength and volume, this unison has created a highly positive impact and enhanced visibility for our Group and the Aditya Birla Knowledge Centre (ABKC).

The ABKC skilling centre stepped up to play a strong role in supporting the community. Since its inception in 2010, ABKC has trained more than 9,200 local students. Over 13,300 hours of classes were held for 935 courses ranging from cooking, handicrafts, English speaking and computers to electrical courses. (The 2019 annual survey gave ABKC a 91.35% satisfaction score from trainees for the overall training experience.)

During COVID-19, the ABKC courses provided an alternate source of income as the trainees could sell their products, such as masks (which were in short supply) in the market.

The Indian Ambassador to Thailand Ms. Suchitra Durai sent a congratulatory message to the Group: “I am happy to learn that during this difficult COVID-19 pandemic period, initiatives by the Aditya Birla Group in the areas of capacity building and training of the local provincial population including internship programmes have continued. I take this opportunity to congratulate the Aditya Birla Group for the good work being done and I wish you continued success in all your endeavours.”

Another example of our teams’ work during the pandemic was supporting the Red Cross of Ang Thong, impacting over 280,000 people. We also aided the Ang Thong Hospital and Kaengkhoi Hospital with several requirements such as oxygen tanks, wheelchairs, medical equipment, patient beds and sleeping pads.

Other activities included donation of food and drinking water to communities in need, along with disinfectants such as peroxide and sodium hypochlorite.

The Group also provides opportunities for local university students to enrol in internship programmes. This was especially appreciated during the COVID-19 period when universities had shut down their classes. The internship programmes allow students to experience state-of the art manufacturing processes first-hand.

The Group’s CSR teams in Thailand are especially proud of the AMCHAM recognition and will carry out their work with greater enthusiasm. Thailand holds special significance for the Group as it was the first international foray and represents 50 years of our transnational operations. As Mr. Sood puts it, “We are proud to keep the flag of Thai-India partnership flying high in our Golden Jubilee year of operations in the Kingdom of Thailand.”