World Vision, Hand in Hand India and Coca-Cola empower 39 villages in Tamil Nadu through Community Development programs

Chennai: Reiterating its commitment towards building sustainable communities, Coca-Cola, together with its partners- Hand in Hand India and World Vision India successfully implemented the Rehabilitation Project to restore communities in 39 flood-affected villages in Chennai and Kanchipuram districts of Tamil Nadu. The company had announced commencement of the program in May 2017, sanctioning a grant amount of US$ 389,000 towards the initiative.
Post the torrential floods in 2015, there was a strong need to construct new Anganwadis or Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) centers and reconstruct the affected ones in Kanchipuram and Chennai districts. By partnering with World Vision, Coca-Cola has revitalized 32 Anganwadis to facilitate a safe and healthy environment for children in the community. More than 500 children below 5 years of age now have access to a safe environment, clean drinking water, outdoor play area, play material, and a kitchen garden. The Anganwadis are equipped with facilities to provide early childhood care and education services to the children. Additionally, capacity building programs are also conducted by health workers to ensure that the community members receive education on health and nutrition.
Mr. Cherian Thomas, CEO and National Director, World Vision India, said “Collaboration with Coca-Cola has enabled us to provide a safe and healthy environment for children to play, learn and grow. The parents now feel happy to send their children to these centers as they fulfil the WASH (Water, Hygiene and Sanitation) requirements”.
Coca-Cola collaborated with Hand in Hand India to restore livelihoods in villages of Thiruvallur and Kanchipuram districts. Community members were provided support to restart their livelihood and skill trainings in areas such as Agriculture, Poultry, Milch Animal Management, Tailoring, Handicrafts, and Car Driving. The program has been beneficial in generating income for the beneficiaries, especially for women in rural and slum areas.
Dr. N. Jeyaseelan, Group CEO, Hand in Hand India, said, “We are thankful to Coca-Cola for their support in making this project a success. Enabling communities to generate livelihood is an essential step towards socio-economic development of a nation, and this project has been instrumental in paving the way for their better future”.
Mr. Ishteyaque Amjad, Vice President, Public Affairs and Communication, Coca-Cola India & South West Asia, said, “Coca-Cola has always been at the forefront of creating sustainable communities and actively engages with its partners to ensure better quality of lives of the community members. This is a great