In this exclusive interaction with TheCSRUniverse, Prashanth Balarama, Senior Director of Communication and CSR at Honeywell India takes us through the vision and mission of Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF) and their extensive initiatives across domains. Since its inception, HHSIF has impacted over 71 lakh+ lives across more than 230 districts in 21 states. They work in multiple areas ranging from STEM education and women empowerment to deep tech research and holistic community development.
HHSIF has established Honeywell Centre of Excellence in Madurai and forged strategic alliances with educational institutions like ICT Academy and Avasara Academy to bridge the digital divide and promote STEM education. Their community development efforts are highlighted through the Adarsh Gaon Project in collaboration with Swades Foundation which has transformed numerous villages by providing essential amenities and promoting sustainable livelihoods. Their water resource development initiatives in Telangana and Karnataka with WOTR address critical water scarcity challenges through sustainable practices and innovative solutions.
Prashanth's insights into Honeywell's project selection process, resource allocation, and community engagement strategies offer a comprehensive understanding of how HHSIF ensures the effectiveness and longevity of its CSR endeavors.
Read the full interview for more insights:
Q. What is the overarching vision of HHSIF and the measurable impact HHSIF has achieved in its target areas?
A. Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF), the non-profit arm of Honeywell, is dedicated to deploying corporate social responsibility initiatives across India, with a focus on creating sustainable ecosystems and empowering communities. Our initiatives span across various areas, including STEM education, upskilling women and youth, supporting research endeavors in deep tech, facilitating holistic community development, and humanitarian relief.
Leading a change in the social development segment, Honeywell has forged many strategic partnerships to create a long-term impact. In the realm of education, skill, and research, Honeywell has collaborated with ICT Academy and Avasara Academy to help bridge India’s digital divide by promoting STEM education and equipping young people with advanced IT skills. In partnership with ICT Academy, Honeywell recently inaugurated the Honeywell Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Madurai, focusing on women and youth empowerment. The initiative aims to establish Centers for Women Empowerment (CWE) and Centers for Youth Empowerment (CYE) in 10 colleges across Madurai and Delhi. It plans to equip 500 underprivileged students with the skills needed to succeed in the modern workforce, targeting 60% job placement, while also training 20 faculty members as mentors.
Additionally, through a partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Honeywell supports the startup ecosystem in deep science programs and encourages R&D solutions with a direct impact on society, health, and the environment. Further, in collaboration with IIT-Dharwad, HHSIF has established a Global Center of Excellence for Affordable and Clean Energy (GCoE-ACE) to boost research and address energy-related challenges in rural communities.
To ensure holistic and sustainable community development, HHSIF has implemented the Adarsh Gaon Project and formed partnerships to build self-reliant communities and model villages. These efforts encompass building healthcare infrastructure, promoting sustainable rural livelihoods, initiating WASH initiatives, and conserving natural resources. Our commitment to offering solutions in the face of humanitarian crises is also evident through initiatives like the Plant the Future program, aiming to plant a million trees within this decade.
Since its inception, HHSIF has impacted over 71 lakh+ lives across more than 230 districts in 21 states working collaboratively with public institutions and non-profit organizations. Today we are present across most of the major cities in India and our efforts have led to sustained urban and rural welfare over the past 10 years.
Q. What are the primary objectives of the Adarsh Gaon Project and what factors have contributed to its efficient delivery of results within a short timeframe?
A. The Adarsh Gaon Project is a flagship initiative aimed at establishing model villages with a focus on providing essential services such as safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, economic development, education, and skill development. HHSIF in partnership with Swades Foundation has been executing this program to enhance the quality of life for communities in Raigad and Nashik district of Maharashtra.
Through a comprehensive rural development program, the project focuses on improving access to amenities like piped drinking water, household toilets, and solar-powered lighting for homes and streets. Additionally, it also contributes significantly towards youth skill development, women entrepreneurship promotion, and the creation of employment opportunities. We have also offered financial impetus through scholarships to students pursuing higher education or vocational courses.
Since its inception in FY 2021-22, the Adarsh Gaon Project has made a significant positive impact benefiting 51000+ rural lives across 80 villages. This success can be attributed to various factors, including effective collaboration between HHSIF and Swades Foundation as well as collaboration with Americares Foundation, meticulous planning and execution, community involvement, and the mobilization of resources to address critical needs. With the partnership with the Americares India Foundation, HHSIF is also implementing another project where we have successfully facilitated enhancements of healthcare infrastructure and educational facilities, with a combined investment of over 6 crores in FY 2023-24, 48 PHCs and 6 schools across Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, and Haryana. Overall, with an investment of nearly 17 crores, 104 primary healthcare centers (PHCs) and 10 schools has been upgraded so far, benefiting over 40 lakh rural residents.
Additionally, Honeywell, along with Americares Foundation, has adopted villages located near Honeywell facilities with the objective to improve basic amenities such as access to quality education, clean energy, safe drinking water, and sanitation. With this holistic approach and shared commitment, we were able to drive sustainable development and enhance the well-being of rural communities.
Q. What specific challenges is HHSIF addressing through its water resource development initiatives in Telangana and Karnataka?
A. Globally and in India; water scarcity, climate change, and biodiversity loss have become critical challenges for economies. India, which is home to 18% of the global population and yet holds only 4% of the global freshwater resources, is at the cusp of a severe water crisis. Also, around 70% of the freshwater withdrawals go into agriculture. Multiple states including Telangana and Karnataka, amongst others have been facing water concerns.
To address these challenges, HHSIF has partnered with the Watershed Organization Trust (WOTR) to tackle specific issues related to water resource development in Telangana and Karnataka. These challenges include the depletion of rural water bodies, declining water tables, and looming water scarcity issues within these regions. HHSIF's approach involves implementing initiatives aimed at replenishing rural water bodies and increasing the ground water table. By doing so, we aim to mitigate the impact of water scarcity and ensure sustainable access to water for rural communities, thereby safeguarding their agricultural activities and livelihoods. Moreover, to ensure communities adopt sustainable agricultural practices to reduce water consumption, the project also emphasizes training farmers on organic and eco-friendly agricultural practices.
Moreover, recognizing the need to diversify income sources in regions vulnerable to water scarcity, the project focuses on promoting livelihood opportunities for farmers and women. We are committed to developing sustainable ecosystems through multi-sectoral interventions, including measures to conserve soil health, biodiversity, and water resources.
The project kicked off in FY 2022-23 and nearly 6 Crores have been invested including the current financial year to achieve the targets. The project has cumulatively impacted 60,000 rural lives and is going to impact another 30000 in FY 2024-25.
Q. What factors guide Honeywell's decision-making process in selecting projects, allocating resources within different priority areas and implementing partners?
A. The geographies are selected basis the presence of Honeywell facility in that particular state enabling not just the monetary support in terms of CSR grants but also effective employee engagement towards the community development activities, which benefits the communities and instills the spirit of giving back to the society among our employees. The project will be planned and implemented by our implementing agencies, who are experts in the development sector, and our on-ground partners. They conduct thorough study on the requirements of the communities through need analysis study and base line assessments.
HHSIF follows a well-defined and structured process for partner selection. Non-profit entities and institutions submit proposals and budgets, which are rigorously assessed for eligibility based on predefined criteria. Only those deemed eligible progress to the next stage for fitment analysis. NGOs that resonate with Honeywell's vision and mission undergo further scrutiny through desk reviews conducted by both a third-party agency and the HHSIF team. Approved proposals are then presented to the HHSIF board for final approval.
After the initial evaluation, a thorough three-tier validation process ensues. This includes on-site visits, verification of establishment credentials, and an assessment of the NGO's track record. Additionally, a stringent cost validation and benchmarking process ensures financial responsibility in project budgeting and management. Maintaining a commitment to integrity and compliance, Honeywell's Integrity and Compliance team conducts due diligence on potential partners. Furthermore, a third-party auditor conducts a comprehensive review of partners' reports and records, including field visits to project sites.
Q. What strategies does Honeywell employ to build trust and encourage active participation from the communities it serves?
A. Encouraging active participation from communities is vital for the effectiveness, longevity, and social impact of CSR endeavors, allowing organizations to meaningfully tackle grassroots challenges. At HHSIF, our strategy revolves around fostering partnerships and community engagement. For example, Swades Foundation ensures each community member is involved in the process of creating village development plan to make their village as model village. The committees exclusively named as Village Development Committees (VDCs) are formed including a mix of children, youth and women, who are encouraged to voice their needs and demands. The action plans are designed and evolved by these VDCs towards, education, employment, basic amenities, and beautification of the village.
Through our collaboration with WOTR, our approach integrates community involvement and knowledge sharing. Here, local residents are empowered to spearhead project interventions related to natural resource management, climate-resilient agriculture, sustainable livelihoods, and participatory governance. This inclusive strategy ensures that our initiatives are customized to meet the unique needs and preferences of each community. Furthermore, by involving community members in decision-making and project implementation, it cultivates a sense of ownership and dedication to the initiatives.
Q. What are the most persistent challenges encountered by HHSIF, and how have these been addressed? Can you share examples of instances where Honeywell had to adapt its approach or make course corrections during project implementation?
A. HHSIF revisited its thematic focus in FY 2021 to make it more relevant to India and Indian communities. In this context, we shifted our thematic focus to Education, skill, holistic, and sustainable community development which focuses on providing quality education to rural and underserved children, upskilling youth to drive demographic dividend, and promoting inclusive growth by ensuring rural communities are served with required basic amenities.
This was a paradigm shift, which was slightly challenging in the beginning, however smoothly transitioned to effectively cater to the requirements of the communities. HHSIF was able to identify the right partners, onboard them and effectively design programs that had a meaningful impact on the local communities.
Ever evolving CSR policy landscape and adopting ourselves effectively to the same to stay compliant and drive the required change on ground is HHSIF is acing at and this is the much needed adaptability for any corporate foundations.
Q. What suggestions would you offer to policymakers, businesses, and NGOs to enhance the effectiveness of CSR projects and maximize their impact?
A. The convergence of efforts between the government, NGOsand the development sector presents a unique opportunity for large-scalesocial innovation and impact. Through collaborative efforts, we can optimize the effectiveness of CSR projects and foster positive social and environmental transformation, firmly grounded in transparency, accountability, and stakeholder engagement.
Firstly, policymakers can play a pivotal role by creating an enabling regulatory environment that encourages CSR initiatives. This includes streamlining regulations, providing incentives such as tax breaks or subsidies for CSR activities, and facilitating public-private partnerships.
Secondly, businesses can enhance the effectiveness of their CSR projects by adopting a strategic approach. This involves aligning CSR initiatives with the company's core values and business objectives, conducting thorough needs assessments to identify target areas for investment, and implementing robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to measure impact. Furthermore, businesses can leverage their expertise and resources to foster strategic collaborations with NGOs and other stakeholders to implement sustainable and impactful CSR projects.
NGOs, on the other hand, can enhance the effectiveness of CSR projects by building strong partnerships with businesses, leveraging their grassroots knowledge and networks to identify and address local needs, and advocating for policies that promote sustainable development. At Honeywell, through our CSR arm - HHSIF, we have forged strategic partnerships with organizations like Avasara, ICT Academy, Swades Foundation, WOTR, IISc and Americares Foundation. These partnerships exemplify the potential of collaborative efforts between the NGO and corporate sectors in driving positive, lasting change.
Q. What is the future outlook for HHSIF, and how do you envision its role in driving positive change in communities?
A. As we look ahead, our vision for HHSIF is one of expansion, innovation, and unwavering commitment to positive change in communities across India. We are determined to broaden our reach and deepen our impact through strategic partnerships, innovative initiatives, and a steadfast dedication to our core values. Our focus remains on key areas such as education, skill development, research, healthcare, and environmental sustainability, where we aim to address pressing societal needs and foster holistic community development.
By nurturing collaborative relationships with stakeholders, promoting community participation, and remaining agile in our response to evolving challenges, HHSIF will continue to serve as a catalyst for positive change, creating lasting benefits for the communities we are privileged to serve.
