Tag: Mr. Dola Mohapatra

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Rise Against Hunger India to reach over 500,000 people impacted by COVID-19 second wave

Jun 4, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Executive Director, #MD & SVP - Sites, #Mr. Dola Mohapatra, #RAHI, #Salesforce India, #Sanket Atal

Bangalore: Rise Against Hunger India, an international hunger relief organization, has been actively organizing COVID relief work in various parts of the country. Through multiple projects, it plans to reach over 500,000 people impacted by the second wave of the pandemic. As part of its overall drive, through grants made by Salesforce, the global leader in CRM, the organization is providing 5 lakhs meals and 9500 kits of ration to families economically impacted by the pandemic. Additionally, provision of ready-to-eat food & drinking water is being made for essential workers, hospital staff, crematorium & burial ground staff, attendants of patients and others. Activities are currently underway in Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Nabarangpur (Odisha).

The drive is undertaken to ensure that immediate relief and emergency support reaches the most affected people at a time when the whole country is battling the rise in COVID-19 cases. It is estimated that over 125,000 individuals including COVID patients in two healthcare facilities would benefit from this drive.

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Dola Mohapatra, Executive Director, RAHI said, “We are humbled and grateful for the support extended by Salesforce to serve the needy during these tough times. The second wave has been harsh and many are being pushed to the brink. With collective efforts, our aim should be not just to help people pass through these tough times, but also to be able to build back their lives. CSR support is going to play a big role even for post-pandemic recovery”

Sanket Atal, MD & SVP – Sites, Salesforce India, said, “Companies need to play a role in moving the needle on social issues and driving change. I believe the current crisis can serve as a catalyst to build stronger, resilient and values-driven businesses that stand as a platform for change. As much as the country has the need to address the healthcare crisis, for many, access to food is a challenge. We appreciate the work done by Rise Against Hunger India to support the critical issue of nutrition, by acting now and leading the way to solve this issue.”

Business World

On International women’s day, RAHI launches women-led projects as part of its SAMBAL initiative

Mar 10, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Executive Director, #Mr. Dola Mohapatra, #Rise Against Hunger India

The theme for International Women’s Day 2021 is #ChooseToChallenge. In line with the theme, Rise Against Hunger India chose to challenge preconceived notions associated with farming and the role of women farmers in India. On this occasion, RAHI has launched projects aimed at eradication of malnutrition through farm-based micro-projects in hunger hotspots of India, as part of its SAMBAL initiative launched on World Food Day 2020.

The projects shall work exclusively with women farmers to improve food security and food diversity in chosen areas of Koraput, Malkangiri and Nabrangpur districts of Odisha. These districts are one of the most severely malnourished districts of India. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has ranked Koraput at 541, Nabrangpur at 575, Malkangiri at 588 among 599 districts studied for prevalence of hunger and malnutrition.

RAHI shall work with the following partners to bring change in the lives of women farmers:

• ACCORD in Ponchada, Koraput

• IYSARA in Nandahandi, Nabrangpur

• PRASTUTEE in Pottangi, Koraput

• UNMESHA in Mathili, Malkangiri

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Dola Mohapatra, Executive Director, Rise Against Hunger India said, “Working with women farmers provides higher chances of addressing malnutrition. This is because higher resources placed in the hands of women in a family result in the resources being utilised more efficiently for the welfare of all family members. Women-led increase in food produce and food diversity shall ensure better nutrition to all family members as a priority. While a male member of the family may prioritise the higher sale of farm produce, a woman would prioritise better nutrition for the family members using the farm produce.”

He added, “Income generated from the sale of surplus also has a higher chance of being spent on nutrition and education of children if the decision is taken by a female member, as compared to a male member who may spend it on buying things related to status or worse on alcohol and other addictions.”

In rural India, the percentage of women who depend on agriculture for their livelihood is as high as 84%. Women make up about 33% of cultivators and about 47% per cent of agricultural labourers. Yet, most initiatives related to agriculture and livelihoods ignore the role and contribution of women farmers.

RAHI shall work with Women SHGS and Women Farmer-Groups to promote climate-friendly agriculture that increases food production and food diversity. The projects aim to increase the content and diversity of the food plates in malnourished areas. Surplus production can lead to additional scope and benefits of livelihood enhancement and forward linkages, thus enhancing income.

Business World

Rise Against Hunger India to celebrate October as Hunger action month

Oct 8, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Mr. Dola Mohapatra, #Rise Against Hunger India, #World Food Day (WFD

In recent months, due to pandemic and related events, people across the world, especially those from the lower economic strata faced severe economic hardship and many experienced aggravated hunger. With economic activities still not back in full gear, hunger and food insecurity continue to be major issues to deal with for many. The world also saw during the lockdown, spontaneous action by citizens’ groups, local organizations and individuals to extend a helping hand to the hungry and needy. To highlight both the seriousness of the situation and the need to find a sustainable solution, Rise Against Hunger India has planned to celebrate the month of October as Hunger Action Month with a series of activities lined up including a number of virtual volunteering opportunities.

Out of the existing 30,000 edible plant species, only 9 accounts for 66% of the total crop production. We need to grow different varieties of food to nourish people and sustain the planet. Keeping this in mind, World Food Day 2020 is themed on Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together.

Rise Against Hunger India shall also use this occasion to highlight the tales of those who toil every day under challenging circumstances to ensure that food reaches our plate. During the month, the organization will showcase stories of growers, producers, famers, retailers, supply chain professionals, philanthropists, volunteers, and many more who are actually the Food-Heroes.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Dola Mohapatra, Executive Director, Rise Against Hunger India said, “The COVID-19 global health crisis has been a time to reflect on our most basic needs. These uncertain times have prompted us to appreciate something that many of us take for granted, but many go without i.e. food. It has also brought to light the exemplary work that some people have done and are still doing to feed the hungry. We, at RAHI, are celebrating the whole of October as Hunger Action Month with several initiatives including recognizing and celebrating food heroes; training & dissemination sessions with our partners on our food and nutrition security; launching SAMBAL – a small grant facility for local organizations for sustainable livelihood projects; enhancing our volunteer engagement programs and much more. We invite people to join us and be part of our Hunger Action Month Initiatives. We have some exciting activities that anyone, of any age, from any location, can participate in.”

World Food Day (WFD) is one of the most celebrated days in the UN calendar and was established by the members of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1979. Since then, it has been celebrated in more than 150 countries to raise awareness about issues related to hunger and nutrition. Several events & outreach activities that bring together governments, businesses, NGOs, the media, the general public are held across 150 countries on this day.

Business World

This Gandhi Jayanti, introducing ‘DigiKushal’ – Aiming to digitally empower 2000 NPOs

Oct 4, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #DigiKushal, #Dr. Harish Vasishth, #Mr. Dola Mohapatra, #Mr. Vineet Handa, #NPOs (Non-profit organizations)

On the eve of Gandhi Jayanti, Credibility Alliance, Rise Against Hunger India, and Kaizzen are launching ‘DigiKushal’, an initiative that aims at training NPOs (Non-profit organizations) for digital transformation. This move will contribute towards the larger mandate of digital governance and transformation of the Government of India. The target is to train 2000 NPOs by the end of the second year of the project.

This project aims to encourage Indian non-profit organizations spread across the country to embrace technology and use digital tools to enhance their governance, management, program delivery and community impact. This will be done through series of training and immersion programs; and will bring together NGO leaders, board members, IT and communication teams, CSR foundation communication teams, Individuals interested in India’s social impact sector and IT leaders interested in NPO digitization.

Speaking on the initiative, Dr. Harish Vasishth, Executive Director, Credibility Alliance said, “NPOs have been actively involved in various interventions to provide relief, build awareness and building community resilience to cope and overcome the situation created by the pandemic. The increased use of technology has been at the forefront for NPOs, be Income Tax, FCRA registration or quarterly disclosure or tax compliance. But the need for digital connectivity has never been more critical than during the coronavirus pandemic. Treading on these lines, we are focusing on the empowerment of grassroots NPOs for digital inclusion, development impact, and sustainability.”

The key aspects of this initiative are:

• To identify at least 2000 grassroots NPOs and developing their understanding, skills, and systems for digital transformation
• Build, develop and test tools and communication platforms for NPOs based on need-assessment
• Region-wise orientation and training

Adding on to this, Mr. Dola Mohapatra, Executive Director, Rise Against Hunger India said, “NPOs are now forced to rethink on how they communicate about their work to the outside world. The donor and fundraising world is also changing at both institutional and individual levels, which can be harnessed effectively through digital engagement. NPOs must learn to capture and convey their impact in a reporting framework which is rapidly going digital. Digital literacy is now required for regulatory and compliance purposes. Empowering the NPOs digitally would mean that they will be able to harness technology to find innovative solutions for their everyday work; be it agriculture, livelihoods restoration, gender empowerment, climate change adaptation or any other stream of work they are doing. For Rise Against Hunger India, this is an important area of its work and we have entered into a partnership with a technology start-up Sync Energy to enhance technology for food security.”

Quoting the immortal lines of Mahatma Gandhi – “You must be the change you want to see in the world,” Mr. Vineet Handa, Founder, and CEO, Kaizzen PR Services said, “This initiative is aimed at bringing about a change in the social sector and to bridge this digital divide. Kaizzen is proud to partner with Credibility Alliance and RAHI and to provide their technical prowess in this initiative. Empowering NPOs digitally will not just make them future-ready but will also provide them with a unique identity that will help them to effectively communicate with the world and increase their outreach. DigiKushal will sensitize the NPOs on various dimensions of digital communication and marketing, the importance and urgency of learning the digital way.”

The initiative will begin with workshops and interactive training in the batches of 30-40 participants. A highly competent team of experts will facilitate the workshops comprising of NPO experience and digital expertise. Credibility Alliance will develop mechanisms and linkages for follow-up support and assistance to help in digital engagement and transformation.

To register, please visit: digikushal.in

‘Empowering Social Sector Digitally’