The ARGO-HYTOS Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative now also supports a center for people with disabilities in Podanur Junction, close to the city of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu (South of India).

“You can tell a lot about a society by the way it treats the most vulnerable.” True to the word from the former German President Gustav Heinemann, ARGO-HYTOS is committed to support the Families for Children initiative. The NGO maintains facilities where specially trained educators care for children with physical and mental disabilities. Families for Children even offers vocational training for destitute women and young people who have not been able to obtain a regular degree.

The CSR initiative is currently identifying what is needed at the Families for Children centers and how ARGO-HYTOS can get involved in line with these needs. The CSR initiative first organized a birthday party to take action. Members of the CSR committee led by the General Manager from ARGO-HYTOS India, Shrikant Bairagi, celebrated together with 23 children as well as Dr. Dirk Linden, Head of Group Technology & Production, and Anke Kraus, Head of Group Quality Management at ARGO-HYTOS. 215 individual cakes were distributed to the children and women at the center. The celebrations quickly brought smiles to the children’s faces.

“The foreign entities are much more than just an extended workbench for us,” emphasize Anke Kraus and Dr. Dirk Linden. “We are constantly checking where and how we can make life a little better within the scope of our possibilities. Our special thanks go to Ms. Kaliselvi, Manager at Families For Children, and her team who actively supported us at our event.”

Last year the CSR initiative supported a school located near the Coimbatore plant in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu (as reported in FLASH 25). The building was completely refurbished with funds from the ARGO-HYTOS CSR initiative and equipped with a modern smart TV and audio system. A renovated kitchen and a new water purification system ensure a contemporary standard of hygiene. The expansion of the sponsorship project focusing on another school in Kovilpalayam is already in the planning.