HCL Technologies announces its grant winners

HCL Technologies announces Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN) as the first winner of the HCL Grant 2022. The HCL Grant is dedicated to supporting diverse, innovative and inclusive initiatives of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) for sustainable transformation of rural India in areas of environment, health and education.

The Grant is designed to support NGOs that reach out to marginalized, isolated, underserved and underdeveloped rural communities in India, and work jointly to achieve sustainable socio-economic development.

Started in 2015, the HCL Grant is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitment by HCL, through HCL Foundation, to strengthen and empower NGOs, engage with them, as well as recognize them for their path-breaking work. Currently focused on rural development, the HCL Grant is awarded in three thematic categories, namely Environment, Health and Education. The Grant is designed to support breakthrough award-winning projects to NGOs, that have a proven track record of evident impact, high credibility and distinct ability to deliver. NGOs that reach out to marginalized, isolated, underserved and underdeveloped rural communities in India, and work jointly to achieve sustainable socio-economic development.

Empowering women in rural communities

PRADAN founders, Deep Joshi and Vijay Mahajan, put their vision of women’s economic empowerment and rural development to work by providing them access to markets, microfinance institutions and skills training at the grassroots level.

In India, the gender wage gap is well below the global average—women’s earned income is only one-fifth that of men. Furthermore, over 50 per cent of work done by women is unpaid and excluded from legal protections.

Working in the regions of India with the highest poverty rates, PRADAN empowers women and other individuals to become self-sufficient through careers such as sustainable farming. They believe that women’s ability to earn income not only improves the lives of individuals, but also their communities for generations.

“PRADAN engages with rural women in a way that strengthens their livelihood and regenerates the local ecology without compromising economic growth or environmental concerns,” says Narendranath Damodaran, PRADAN's Executive Director.

Funding from the HCL Grant 2022 will enable this NGO to support 6,500 farmers through education and skills training, to develop and implement climate resilient practices.

Watch PRADAN's story and be inspired by their impactful work.