SevaYatra - Experience
CRTI Social Innovation Fellowships
CRTI Mission:
• Founded by McCormick Tribune Professor of Technology Mohanbir Sawhney in June 2001, the Center for Research in Technology and Innovation (CRTI) at the Kellogg School of Management plays a pivotal role in understanding, solving and forecasting challenges facing innovation managers today and in coming years through:
• Advancing the frontiers of knowledge in technology management and innovation through collaborative research with its corporate partners, fellow academics and students.
• Empowering people to understand the critical role technology management and innovation play in driving sustainable growth, guided by the Kellogg School’s pillars of Intellectual Depth, Experiential Learning, Global Perspectives, and Leadership and Social Responsibility.
The Fellowship Program:
• 6 CRTI fellows placed with social enterprises and NGOs in India.
• 10-week long internships supplemented by talks from guest speakers, field visits and interactions with NGOs.
• Projects in keeping with CRTI’s objective of advancing research and curriculum in the uses of technology as an enabler of economic development and social upliftment in developing countries.
Program Objectives:
• Understand how a range of organizations is using technology and/or innovative business models to catalyze change in the fields of livelihood, governance, education and health in India.
• Apply business acumen to business problems facing the host organizations and enhance their capacity to deliver innovative solutions.
• Experience work practices and culture within the Indian corporate and development sector.
• Enhance academic input through seminars and discussions with academic, civil society, corporate and government leaders.
• Experience peer-to-peer interaction through “thought-partners” from IMT-Ghaziabad.
“The experience of living and working in India as a whole was amazing… My perspective on so many things has changed profoundly as a result.” - Jennifer Helms, Fellow
Infosys Service Project at North Texas Food Bank
Infosys South Central GC employees participated in a 3 hour service project organized by SevaYatra at the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB)on Saturday, Oct 8, 2011 from 1-4pm.
30 employees from different client teams arrived at the North Texas Food Bank facility in Dallas. The employees received an orientation on North Texas Food Bank and also watched a video that explained the extent of the hunger problem in North Texas. The facts and figures were shocking to many of the employees and it was an eye opener into the needs of the community as well as the ability for volunteers to play a role to support such issues.
The employees then gathered on the warehouse floor, a 72000 Square foot facility in Dallas, to get direct guidance on their specific project for the afternoon. Two long lines of tables were set up perpendicularly with large stacks of boxes filled with donated goods from individuals and grocery stores etc. The donated items needed to be sorted and categorized and the volunteers were also tasked to prepare family meal boxes. Each family meal box was to include a variety of nutritious foods and would be their meal plan for a week and a half. Volunteers were divided into packers/sorters and movers to get the task done for that afternoon. The NTFB warehouse floor is predominantly staffed by volunteers and so the work that day was important to get the donated good off to the direct/indirect beneficiaries.
The team’s efforts resulted in the following outcome - 21 palettes full of 750 boxes were packed and these contained 21,470 lbs which result in 17775 meals – all in one afternoon.
The Infosys team reflected individually and offered SevaYatra their immediate thoughts on the afternoon spent at NTFB. Here are some comments:
“First of all I found out that the Community needs so much support from the well to do. This has been an awesome afternoon!! You have us always!” -Rajesh Shetty
“Felt totally blessed for the first time my weekend was spent for a noble cause…truly appreciate the effort all your guys put in and happy to be part of it” – Shashi Kumar
“Being my first activity in US after a long time, I was so thrilled in doing this. The initial footage was a shock to know about the number of people below the poverty line” –Karthikeyan Rajaram
“A humbling experience watching the video, this puts everything into perspective” – Rashmi
“It was a wonderful experience knowing that you are giving back to the community that you live in. I would like Infosys to organize more such experiences in the future” – Sundaraman Jayakumar
“I found this experience very fulfilling. I learned just how many people go hungry in our area and I am so proud that my son and I could help feed them.” Andrea Kilburn
To view pictures visit www.facebook.com/sevayatra
The North Texas Food Bank (www.NTFB.org ) is a nonprofit hunger relief organization that distributes donated, purchased and prepared foods through a network of 1,184 feeding
programs in 13 North Texas counties. The NTFB supports the nutritional needs of children, families and seniors through education, advocacy and strategic partnerships.
Close the Gap is the NTFB’s 3-year initiative to unite the community to narrow the food gap by providing access to 50 million meals annually by 2011.
Founded in 1982, the NTFB is a member of Feeding America (feedingamerica.org). In Fiscal Year 2010, NTFB provided access to almost 45 million meals through its efforts, 7.7
million meals, or 21 percent more, than the previous year. Each month Member Agency pantries distribute food to nearly 25,000 people every day. Every dollar donated to the
NTFB provides four meals for the hungry.
CSR Networking Event for Infosys Connect Attendees
Infosys Connect, a Premier conference for industry leaders, clients and sales teams was hosted in Las Vegas in mid August at the Aria. The conference was attended by over 2000 attendees from US and abroad. Infosys made a commitment to organize a networking opportunity that involved a social responsibility component. In conjunction with SevaYatra, the Las Vegas Springs Preserve was identified as the nonprofit partner. The Springs Preserve is a 180 acre cultural institution designed to commemorate Las Vegas’ dynamic history and to provide a vision for a sustainable future. Various projects including Seed cleaning, plant sale preparation, plant sign inventory and trail cleaning were identified as projects to be taken on by the volunteers.
A group of volunteers headed out to the Springs Preserve early on a Monday morning – the volunteers comprised various global and domestic Infosys employees.
Seed Cleaning Project:
This was an In-door activity where volunteers cleaned seeds for the Propagation and Horticulture Department. These were special seeds that were very small and needed special handling. The seeds have been identified and gathered from federal lands where special permission and access is needed to collect them.
Plant Sale Prep Project:
This was also an In-door activity where volunteers prepared collateral material and information packages for the Preserves upcoming Fall Plant Sale.
Plant Sign Inventory Project:
This was also an in-door activity were volunteers cleaned and organized signs for the native plants at the Springs Preserve Gardens.
Trail Cleaning Project:
This was an out-door activity where volunteers cleaned a historical and ecologically sensitive area of the Springs Preserve.
