Intel in India has a tangible and enduring commitment to the community that it works and lives in. Positively impacting the community and its people through a wide spectrum of programs, Intel has contributed volunteer hours and resources to programs focusing on environment conservation, HIV AIDS, empowerment of the differently abled and bringing the benefits of technology to the most underserved and marginalized sections of society.
Some key initiatives include:
Centre for Economic Empowerment of Intellectually Challenged (CEEIC) Differently abled persons with a focus on the Intellectually challenged constitute a Special Interest Group for Intel. With over 3.8 million such persons across the country, with minimal access to professional care coupled with a community psyche that wrongly labels them as misfits, the outlook for them is largely a quagmire of social rejection and family apathy. Realising that a coherent, consistent effort was required for their upliftment and that not one intervention across the country used technology in any form to impact them towards income generation, the development and advancement of this group has been a key focus task for Intel.
In the first of its kinds initiative in the country, Intel chose to focus on the most underserved group among the differently abled — the intellectually challenged — and in partnership with an NGO AMBA created a successful model whereby this special group too could learn technology skills and be a part of the knowledge economy.
The Centre for Economic Empowerment of the Intellectually Challenged uses specialized training to help the intellectually challenged learn computer skills, work towards a given objective and enhance their potential IQ to overcome their disability. It then helps procure job work from various companies for these special persons, thereby generating a regular income for them leading to economic empowerment, acceptance and dignity. This scalable initiative has now grown to 5 centres across the country in both urban and rural areas.
HIV/AIDS Realising that HIV/AIDS is a global crisis and constitutes one of the most formidable challenges to development and social progress and that it requires a concerted effort from the government, civil society and the corporate sector, Intel has started a program for raising awareness levels on HIV/AIDS not only within its own employees but also reaches out to high prevalence areas in its neighbourhood with awareness campaigns through partnership with NGOs and voluntary counseling and testing agencies.
Environment Conservation Intel believes that climate change is a serious economic, social and environmental challenge that warrants an equally serious response from all sections of society. While it has taken significant actions to reduce its own "climate footprint" , with the communities it works in a concerted manner to raise awareness levels specially among children who are our common future and passionate change agents in their community through special campaigns. Some of these are celebration of the Global Earth Day, World Environment Day and the Environment research contest where children along with Intel volunteers identify and undertake action programs to solve environmental problems or improve the surroundings in their locality.
Intel employees have planted and taken care of more than 6000 trees in and around Bangalore in the last 5 years. Intel for a Better Bannerghatta project resulted in a plastic– and litter–free biological park, and also created a learning space for the local community with the setup of information kiosks. A Solid Waste Management Program in partnership with TERI (The Energy Resources Institute) is currently underway at Annasandrapalya, Bangalore.
Technology and training support Intel provides technology & training support to underserved institutions in its neighbourhood such as the Bangalore Central Prison, Bangalore Corporation Schools, and the Government school at Deverabeesanahalli.
Tsunami Village development project in Nagapattinum The Tsunami that devastated parts of India brought about a swift response from Intel volunteers. While the volunteers promptly sent emergency goods for immediate relief, Intel contributed to the Red Cross to provide relief and medical attention to the survivors and help them with their trauma.
Realising that the survivors needed support to rebuild their lives after the disaster, Intel undertook a longer term rehabilitation project in Arkaduthurai village near Nagapattinum. The project focused on infrastructure development during the first year which included rebuilding a class 1 to 10 school building with a vocational training center, computer center, play school, and a community center. The second year focused on education, environment and community programs, and activities that imparted necessary skills to the children, youth, and the community in general and enabled them to pick up the threads of their lives with dignity.
Volunteer Matching Grant Program The program encourages Intel employees to invest time in identified K–12 schools. The time invested is matched with a grant from Intel Foundation in the ratio of 20 hours: USD 80. Currently 28 schools are part of this program in Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai including 7 schools for Children with Special Need. Employee participation has doubled over the last two years with 75% of the employees participating and contributing more than 18,000 hours for activities like learning enhancement of students and infrastructure improvements.
Outreach programs Holiday Giving campaigns, Annual blood donation drives, Fund raiser programs, Waterfall equipment donation program, Diwali Melas, etc.
