Hindustan Unilever Limited begins the roll out of

 Hindustan Unilever Limited begins the roll out of Mission HO₂PE initiative in Chennai

• In partnership with Portea Medical and KVN Foundation, Mission HO₂PE aims to augment oxygen availability in the city
• Oxygen concentrators will be available free of cost under Mission HO₂PE and will follow a borrow-use-return model to support as many COVID-19 patients as possible

After a successful roll-out in 5 cities, (Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Chandigarh) Hindustan Unilever Limited has now rolled out Mission HO₂PE in Chennai. As part of Mission HO₂PE, HUL has partnered with KVN Foundation and Portea Medical, India’s largest home healthcare company to make oxygen concentrators available free of cost to COVID-19 patients promptly and efficiently.

India is facing a severe shortage of O2 concentrators as the healthcare system continues to grapple with the deadly second wave of Covid-19. Through Mission HO₂PE, HUL has airlifted over 5000 oxygen concentrators into India. HUL’s partnership with KVN Foundation and Portea Medical will provide access to oxygen for Covid-19 patients directly in their homes, thereby reducing the pressure on our healthcare infrastructure which is already under duress.

In Chennai, COVID-19 patients and caregivers can request for an oxygen concentrator by giving a missed call on 08068065385. The Mission HO₂PE team will connect with the patient and assist with the request. Once the request is validated, the concentrator will be delivered to the patient’s home. A trained volunteer will also visit to help the patients and caregivers and assist them in managing functions and operations of the oxygen concentrator.

The program is operating under a ‘borrow-use-return’ model. Post usage, the concentrators will be sanitised, serviced, and provided to the next set of people who need them, thus ensuring the concentrators reach a maximum number of people and help save as many lives as possible.

Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director, HUL said, “The second wave of Covid has brought upon us a severe humanitarian crisis. The entire Unilever family is rallying together to support India in this moment of crisis by helping secure oxygen concentrators which are in severe short supply. We are hopeful that our partnership with Portea Medical will help save the lives of people who are in dire need of medical oxygen as well as reduce the burden on medical infrastructure.”

Adding further, Meena Ganesh, Co-Founder and CEO, Portea Medical said, “Having treated over 4 lakh COVID patients over the last year, we understand the challenges posed by this pandemic. The second wave is unprecedented and has shown that there is an urgent need to treat patients with oxygen therapy and keep them out of the overflowing hospitals. In this regard, we are proud to partner with HUL in this noble initiative and ensure access to medical oxygen for patients in their homes.”

“KVN Foundation expresses its gratitude to HUL for supporting this cause in these challenging times for the nation. The Foundation looks forward to associating with both HUL and Portea Medical to bring relief to the beneficiaries," said Venkat K Narayana, Managing Trustee, KVN Foundation.

Mission HO₂PE has been launched successfully in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Chandigarh, and is being rolled out in other severely affected cities such as Kolkata and Mumbai. HUL will also be donating concentrators to hospitals in nearly 35+ locations across urban and rural India.

Besides this partnership, the Company is facilitating as well as covering the cost for vaccination of its outer core of around 300,000 people including those who work for suppliers, distributors as well as Shakti Ammas in rural areas. HUL has also set up isolation facilities across its 30+ manufacturing units – most of them located in rural parts of India.  Apart from O2 concentrators, HUL will also be providing ventilators and other medical equipment for hospitals, including in rural areas.

Last year, HUL had committed Rs 100 crores to support the communities impacted by the pandemic. The Company supported more than 100,000 migrant labour families with food kits for 15 days and provided over 2 crore soaps and sanitisers to communities across India. HUL also partnered with UNDP to donate hygiene and sanitisation products to support frontline sanitation workers in 25 cities. The Company also collaborated with UNICEF to create a large-scale awareness campaign about protective measures that reached over 600 million people and drove home the message of social distancing and hygiene, which is critical to fight this virus.

Art Integration through Origami at

 ART INTEGRATION THROUGH ORIGAMI  AT VELAMMAL

 *Velammal Vidyalaya Annexure* , Mel Ayanambakkam organized an Origami activity  for the primary level students to express their creativity recently. .

Origami which originates from Japan involves mathematical techniques. This folding is used in stents and packaging methods.

Of all the students were fascinated by Sadako Sasaki's cranes a symbol of HOPE.

The young ones created different shapes and structures of birds, animals and decorative designs to showcase their finesse in paper craft. This crease pattern art triggered their imagination and enhanced their creative skills.

Mahindra Logistics launches

Mahindra Logistics launches HOPE

~ To provide relief fund for drivers impacted by the lockdown~

Mahindra Logistics Limited (MLL), one of India’s largest 3PL solutions providers has launched HOPE (Helping Our People during Emergencies), an initiative to support drivers financially to aid the battle against the COVID-19 lockdown. The company has partnered with Samhita Social Ventures - a social enterprise and SuperMoney - a financial lending tech platform to reach out to the beneficiaries within ecosystem. This move will create an ecosystem to channelise CSR funds of other companies to provide economic support and recovery to workers.

 The national lockdown announced by the government and with state borders shut, has impacted a large number of drivers. Whether they are drivers ferrying goods between the states as well across the country, or those who drive taxis and for ride-sharing companies. These drivers mostly stranded and are struggling to make ends meet for themselves and their families.

As a part of the initiative, Mahindra Logistics will be providing immediate relief by transferring INR 3,000/- to each driver’s bank account, to buy essential commodities. This will be followed by other support provided to these drivers like health insurance cover, leveraging government schemes and loan guaranteeing model.  In addition to this, Mahindra Logistics would strengthen healthcare professionals’ abilities to respond and provide support to affected families using digital channels.

Mr. Rampraveen Swaminathan, MD & CEO, Mahindra Logistics Limited said: “With over 30% of commercial vehicles stranded on roads across the country, drivers need urgent support. Truck drivers and their families are in immediate need of cash for food and other basic facilities. We have launched several programs to support the driver community along with our business partners. Through this initiative, of short term financial relief and hope we aim to help these drivers and their families until the situation in the country is restored.”

Speaking on the initiative, Ms. Priya Naik, Founder and CEO, Samhita Social Ventures says, “Through our India Workers' Alliance, we are delighted to partner with Mahindra Logistics, to support India's blue collar and gig economy workers whose lives and livelihoods have been severely impacted. Our single objective is to help them survive this crisis and enable them to get back on their feet. We talk to our workers and experts constantly to ensure that our solutions are quick, effective and responsive to changing needs on the ground”.

In addition to this, Mahindra Logistics (MLL) also announced that its enterprise mobility business, Alyte will provide emergency cab services for those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. This free service has begun in Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai, with more cities being added every day.