Illuminating smiles in India

February 24, 2020

In 2019 our CSR team in India completed ten projects spread across six states, positively affecting 54,000 lives. Read on to find out how Signify is 'Illuminating the future' in India.

Our CSR programs in India are focused on ‘Illuminating the future’ by bringing the power of lighting to schools, villages and playgrounds. By lighting their lives, people can play, study and work after dark. Furthermore, young men and women can become trained electrical professionals, increasing their professional opportunities.

Below you’ll find a selection of the projects we completed in India this year, demonstrating some of the ways we’re using the extraordinary potential of lighting to create a brighter and better future for underprivileged people in the country.

‘Jagmag Pathshala’ – ‘Illuminated Schools’

Our school lighting program brings solar powered lighting to schools in rural villages. Each school is powered by a 2 - 3 KW solar mini-grid that provides clean electricity, powering up lighting and other small appliances like fans and computers in the school.

This solar-powered mini-grid ensures that the school gets year-round access to lighting while reducing its carbon footprint. This year, we worked with our partners The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and SRF foundation to illuminate 37 schools across Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.

It was heartening to see the smiles on the faces of the schoolchildren when they saw their classrooms lit up for the first time"

It was heartening to see the smiles on the faces of the schoolchildren, when they saw their classrooms lit up for the first time. The bright, welcoming classrooms not only energized the kids but also motivated their teachers and parents, who welcomed this gesture made possible through our CSR efforts.

‘Khel Jyoti’ – ‘Illuminated Sports’

Our next program focuses on illuminating playgrounds through solar-powered lights. In most parts of India, it gets dark around 5 or 6 pm and children get limited time to play in open fields after sunset. It’s a well-recorded fact that playing sports not only enhances a child’s physical fitness, but also strengthens his/her holistic development by teaching them important life skills like patience, cooperation and team-working. By illuminating the playgrounds with solar-powered lighting, children are empowered to come out and play even after dark, giving them more autonomy, exercise and confidence.

By illuminating the playgrounds with solar-powered lighting, children are empowered to come out and play even after dark, giving them more autonomy, exercise and confidence"

‘Ujjwal Jeevan’ – ‘Bright Life’

As per a recent government report, 15 million Indian youth join the formal workforce every year but only 2.3% of them undergo any formal skill-based training. This creates a huge gap in terms of available jobs and trained youth who can fulfill these job requirements. Last year, we trained 3,396 young men and women together with our training partner Don Bosco Tech, enhancing their employability.

Last year, we trained 3,396 young men and women together with our training partner Don Bosco Tech, enhancing their employability"

We also trained our first batch of women electricians, creating a practice that is a first in the industry. It’s encouraging to see these young women break age-old gender biases in the male-dominated electrical industry in India.

‘Har Gaon Roshan’ – ‘Every Village Lit Up’

Activity after dark is quite limited in villages in India, owing to lack of proper illumination in the streets. Women and children feel especially vulnerable moving around after dark. Villages situated near national parks also report high numbers of human- wildlife conflicts after sunset, due to lack of adequate illumination in the village.

By installing solar-powered street lighting, we enhance the safety of villagers in rural areas and provide them with more opportunities for economic activities and mobility after sunset"

By installing solar-powered street lighting, we enhance the safety of villagers in rural areas and provide them with more opportunities for economic activities and mobility after sunset. The illuminated streets also offer protection to both wildlife and human populations, by enabling villagers to notice wild animals in time.

Company with the best CSR impact

Our efforts were recently recognized when we were awarded as the ‘Company with the best CSR impact’ by both UBS Forum and India CSR Summit this year.

However, the most gratifying moment of all these projects has been witnessing the smile on people’s faces when they see the lighting switched on for the first time. It reflects hope, happiness and dreams of a brighter future, all enabled by lighting.

About the author:

Natasha Tandon

Head – Integrated Communications and CSR, Signify India

For further information, please contact:

Head of Corporate Content, Signify
Neil Pattie
Tel: + 31 6 15 08 48 17
Email: neil.pattie@signify.com

About Signify

Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals, consumers and the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. In 2023, we had sales of EUR 6.7 billion, approximately 32,000 employees and a presence in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for seven consecutive years and have achieved the EcoVadis Platinum rating for four consecutive years, placing Signify in the top one percent of companies assessed. News from Signify can be found in the Newsroom, on X, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors is located on the Investor Relations page.

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