Infosys Foundation

It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it.

– Albert Einstein

The Infosys Foundation was set up in 1996 with the noble intention of supporting the underprivileged sections of the society and enriching their lives.

Promoted by Infosys Technologies Limited, the Foundation started small, but has now spread its work across various parts of India. A small but dedicated team of the Foundation has sustained and nurtured developmental programs across the most needy areas. The Foundation’s activities range from making healthcare accessible, to spreading education, sponsoring the arts and rehabilitation of affected communities, especially in the rural and underdeveloped regions of India.

The key focus areas of the Foundation are :

• Social rehabilitation and rural uplift
• Learning and education
• Healthcare
• Arts and culture

The highlights of some of the projects the Foundation was involved in during 2010-11 are :

Learning and education

Education is a strong empowering factor in improving the quality of life of the underprivileged and to bring about grass root socio-economic change. The Foundation believes that by providing the platform to support primary, secondary, higher education, vocational and professional learning through public and private agencies, we can empower our people to realize their full potential. Some of the work that the Foundation has done in this field during 2010-11 are :

• Distributed Kannada and English illustrated story book series – Chandamama in 3,158 schools across rural Karnataka
• Awarded a cash reward of R 10,000 to each team that participated in the Olympiad Science Congress through the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
• Awarded scholarships to 4,000 meritorious students from economically weaker backgrounds
• Awarded 10 scholarships to meritorious Ph.D students in various faculties at Gulbarga University
• Supplied books and education materials to the Door Step mobile school that provides free education to underprivileged children in Pune
• Helped in part in the construction of school buildings and toilets in Andhra Pradesh, Chennai, Maharashtra, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh
• Donated furniture to colleges, schools and libraries in Maharashtra and Karnataka
• Donated computers to schools in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra
• Assisted in the renovation of the library at the Gokhale Institute of Public Affairs that houses 50,000 books
• Through the Manohar Grantha Mala, helped publish the unpublished works of writers of yesteryear for the purpose of documentation
• Sponsored the first International Sanskrit Book Fair held in Bangalore

Healthcare

Developing countries such as India face an acute need in the areas of accessible and affordable healthcare. The Infosys Foundation regularly supports programs that address this need. In 2010-11, the Foundation has supported the following initiatives and programs :

• Completed the construction of Standard Care & Rehabilitation Centre for mentally ill homeless persons run by the Chittaprakash Trust in H. D. Kote, Karnataka
• Supplied mobile incubators to different hospitals on an experimental basis for the care of poor patients
• Supplied food to in-patients suffering from leprosy, tuberculosis, HIV and eye conditions in rural Karnataka

Arts and culture

With rapid urbanization and advances in technology, local crafts and arts are becoming endangered, and the lack of sponsorship and support is making their survival even more difficult. The Infosys Foundation identifies, nurtures and promotes rare and vanishing folk arts of the country, and supports them through various scholarships. In the year, 2010-11, the Foundation supported the following initiatives :

• Sponsored the publication of a book on Kantha embroidery that speaks of the tradition of Kantha and its evolution into a highly valued art form
• Sponsored Yakshagana Puppet Shows by Kogga Kamath and Sri Gopalakrishna Yakshagana Bombeyata Sangha, Kasaragod and Surabhi troops from Hyderabad
• Sponsored stage theatre events and shows by various troupes, both local and international, for a year
• Sponsored music concerts by 50 musicians through the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
• Sponsored the publication of Karnataka Kala Darshana through the Navakarnataka Publication Pvt. Ltd.
• Sponsored the publication of Kannada plays, short stories and novels by Masti Venkatesh Iyengar by the M. V. J. K Trust (Reg.)

Social rehabilitation and rural welfare

The Foundation works closely with partners and communities that strive towards the mitigation of social inequality. In the year 2010-11, we were involved in the following activities :

• Constructed 2,541 houses for flood victims in Raichur and Yadgir districts
• Donated sewing machines to 500 destitute women in rural Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and helped them earn a living and lead respectable lives
• Supported the rehabilitation of 914 street children in Delhi through the NGO, Sathi
• Supported the rehabilitation of 920 devadasi women and 1,240 devadasi children
• Sponsored the training of 300 tribal persons in agriculture, horticulture, sericulture, floriculture bee-keeping, farm machinery operation and maintenance, fishery, dairy and poultry farming, welding and carpentry
• Supported orphanages and schools for the physically handicapped, the visually impaired and the hearing impaired in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra
• Provided support to development work in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh through the Sri Kottala Basaveshwara Bharatiya Sikshana Samiti Sedam
• Empowered over 7,50,000 women in three districts in Karnataka by training them in hygiene, health, nutrition, infant care, livelihood, literacy and sanitation through an experimental program called Jnanavikasa.