Techint Engineering & Construction employees at the Mumbai offices took part in a number of activities aimed at improving the quality of life of their neighboring communities.  

Corporate Relations activities are about fostering the active and voluntary participation of employees to get involved with the communities where they live and work. At the Techint E&C offices in Mumbai, India, the team has been carrying out a number of initiatives to achieve social and economic improvements and foster a sense of environmental stewardship among the people living near Shahapur. This lies in the Thane district, some 75 km from the company's offices, and the company’s efforts specifically concern the villages of Jalyachi Wadi and Pokalyachi Wadi.

Employees from Techint India visited the authorities at two local schools in these villages to get a feel for their needs and gauge the current situation of the institutions. They saw that the buildings had leaky roofs and generally lacked school supplies. Accordingly, the employees got together to repair and replace classroom roofs at both schools to enable children to attend classes without interruption when it rains. A major part of this initiative was the donation of clothes, books, school items and food.

Another initiative focused on the women living in local villages who want to support their families financially and improve their living conditions. The team organized a series of entrepreneurial activities in the village centered on the donation and plantation of jasmine plants which the women can cultivate, selling the flowers to different NGOs.

Also, company employees visited a local Institute for Children with Mental Health Issues to get to know the complex challenges facing them in their everyday lives. In this case, 25 children with special needs received support from the company, which helped to fund school transport.

“Shahapur is a really beautiful region, currently lush and green as we are in the rainy season, but during the summer, it becomes a barren, dry desert for the most part. Although they’re less than 100 kilometers from the city center, these villages have to struggle to cover basic needs as water, hygiene, sanitation and education,” explained Dinesh Hande, the Deputy General Manager of Layout and Piping. He explained that, “it was a moment of huge pride for us to be able to help these communities, and seeing the joy and gratitude in the eyes of these children filled us with satisfaction.”

Vijay Umate, Process Engineer, said that, “When I saw these kids sitting before me, I realized that it’s nothing less than our duty to help them become the responsible citizens of the future.”