Arohan Financial Services Limited | Annual Report 2022-23

part of its social responsibility commitments, Arohan undertook the following initiatives: 1. Education and Child Development • STEM Mini Science Centres: Arohan, with its implementing partner Samabhavana has established STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Mini Science centers in schools of West Bengal and Rajasthan catering to around 3200 students. Each science lab has 80 plug & play models, which helps students to learn using modern scientific methods. Also, in order to cater to the needs of specially-abled students, Arohan has installed additional STEMmodels at the Calcutta Deaf and Dumb School. • Hearing Screening & Intervention for Early Identification of hearing loss: Arohan has partnered with Vaani Deaf Children’s Foundation for screening and early detection of hearing impairment. Through this programme, Arohan has helped 1600 newborns in the Shrirampur area of Hooghly District in West Bengal, with early detection of hearing loss. The parents of the newborns have also been provided with proper counseling with respect to their child’s hearing impairment. 2. Capacity Building & Livelihood Promotion • Arohan emphasizes on the holistic development of rural communities and has initiated ways to improve their standard of living through income-generation activities. Arohan, with its implementation partner Gram Jagat, a non- governmental organisation has capacitated around 150 rural women of Banka District, Bihar, with skills in making chips, badi, and pickles. With a forward linkage on income generation, this programme has also helped in getting their end products sold in the local markets. • Another such project that helps create an additional source of income through agriculture and backyard poultry-based livelihood generation has been launched by Arohan, along with Gram Jagat, in Mayurakshi and Rampurhat blocks of Birbhum District in West Bengal. The programme focuses on training interventions pertaining to agriculture and poultry-based livelihood in farm and non-farm sectors. Training on SRI paddy cultivation, duck farming, vermicompost, and vegetable cultivation ensures the beneficiaries are well adept with the necessary knowledge. Through this intervention, Arohan has impacted 3200 people directly. 3. Promoting Healthcare • Menstrual Hygiene: Continuing its efforts to educate and raise awareness about the usage of sanitary napkins while also making them easily accessible in rural pockets, Arohan has installed sanitary napkin vending machines and incinerators at 7 Government Girls’ Colleges (Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya) in Ramgarh, Jharkhand. The initiative also helps in lessening environmental pollution brought about by non- biodegradable napkins and the blockage of public drainage systems, which in turn causes the spread of diseases. To promote good hygiene practices for long-term health advantages, awareness sessions for school children, teachers, parents, and community members have also been held through this programme. Arohan has effectively influenced more than 2800 girls through this endeavour. • Health camps Arohan operates in deep pockets of rural India where health facilities are not adequate. To this effect, Arohan, with its implementing partner, Doctors for You, organised health camps in identified rural areas in Assamand Uttar Pradesh, where patients were diagnosed and treated appropriately. Around 1300 patients were treated through this programme in FY 2023. 4. Employee Volunteering Arohan provides its employees with a sense of fulfillment and purpose, beyond everyday work, by encouraging them to give back to the community. Arohan encourages employees to give their time and/or skills in this regard for project-based volunteerism. There are countless advantages to volunteering for an employee, including learning of new skills and knowledge, improving job and career prospects, experiencing a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, personal development, improving physical and mental health, establishing better connect with the community, and fostering teamwork. Employees at Arohan have taken part in a variety of volunteering activities to connect with beneficiaries in line with causes including the promotion of education, disaster relief efforts, clothing drives, and Mental Health well-being. 69 | Annual Report 2022-23