ASHA Foundation was established in 1998. At that time, the global HIV/AIDS pandemic was at its height and there was concern that India was going to be the next flash point after Africa. There was also intense stigma and discrimination towards HIV population. So, ASHA Foundation was established by two doctors to complement the government’s efforts and contribute to it.
At the time, they decided to provide a range of services in the field of HIV/AIDS to the HIV population as these services were lacking.
The AIDS Helpline and Counseling Services: This was established by ASHA Foundation in 1998 and was the first helpline for the state of Karnataka and the third one in the country. This helpline was established because people were hesitant to come out in the open and clarify their doubts. They preferred anonymity and confidentiality, which was provided by the helpline. From 1998 to 2011, this interactive voice response system received and responded to around 3,88,000 calls. In the year 2000, a manual telephone counseling system was also added, which has received almost 31,000 calls so far. In addition, there is face-to-face counseling for HIV/AIDS with HIV testing. Almost 10,000 counseling sessions have been conducted. Awareness programs on HIV for thousands of metro construction workers, contract laborers, police training college trainees, garment workers, auto drivers, housemaids and street vendors, anganwadis, doctors, nurses, teachers, nursing students, medical students’ community health workers and lay people have also been conducted.
Adolescent Health Education: Adolescent Health Education is one of the projects of ASHA Foundation which was launched in the year 2000, due to the then concern that 35% of all those infected with HIV were in the age group of 15 to 25 years. The project involves the empowering of adolescents so that they can face the challenges of their future. The project started with the empowering of students in the area of preventing HIV/AIDS, which was a threat to adolescents. As years passed on, the curriculum changed to a character building, life skills and value based adolescent health education program focusing on non-cognitive skills, which is very important for holistic development. An in-house resource manual for teachers was developed; students’ workbooks and parents’ manual were developed. There are three units – first unit is taught in class 7, the second in class 8 and the third in class 9. Teachers are trained to teach the curriculum in 3-days workshops conducted by master trainers.
So far, 3500 teachers have been trained. More than 3 lakhs students have used the curriculum and in 19-20 – 546 institutions and 54,800 students were using the curriculum.
Children at Risk Project: In this project, ASHA Foundation provides educational support through financial support for HIV infected and affected children, nutritional and medical support for HIV infected children, men, and women including widows. WIPRO has supported ASHA Foundation for the last six years in providing finance for educational support for HIV infected and affected children. ASHA Foundation conducts a free HIV/AIDS clinic three times a week and empowers women through formation of self-help groups, job placement, loans, and transmission of knowledge on all aspects of HIV/AIDS.
Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) project: HIV can be transmitted from a HIV positive pregnant mother to her newborn child during pregnancy, labor, delivery and breast feeding. In India, there is 45% chance of a newborn being infected at birth and remaining infected throughout life. By identifying HIV positive pregnant mothers and treating them with Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), the babies can be prevented from acquiring HIV. So far, more than 2,00,000 pregnant women have been tested for HIV, around 1025 were HIV positive and treated. Risk of transmission was reduced from 45% to 1.85% in out cohort.
Camp Rainbow Project: Camp Rainbow is a psychosocial program to provide opportunities for children living with HIV (10 to 16 years) to participate in HIV education, traditional camp activities through the vehicle of residential and day camps. It aims at enhancing campers’ adherence to treatment and medication, to improve their quality of life with the focus on primarily providing children with serious fun! We also ensure that they increase social peer relationships. Overall, it reduces stigma and discrimination within the community as we invite youth to participate in this structured program as camp staff. The program is called Camp ‘RAINBOW’ because a rainbow has colors that children love. In many civilizations, ‘RAINBOW’ is even a symbol of hope. Similarly, through our Camp program, we would like to bring in a sense of hope and better future in the lives of the children living with HIV. So far, around 500 HIV positive children have attended camp, and 200 volunteers from colleges have helped with it. In addition, more than 100 children living with HIV have attended our Leadership In Training (LIT) programs (age 17-26 years).
In addition to these projects, ASHA Foundation has built the capacity of teachers, doctors, nurses, medical students, nursing students, community health workers and paramedical staff through their training programs. They have participated in advocacy meetings for PLHIV. ASHA Foundation is also recognized as a research organization by Dept. of Science and Technology, Government. of India.
In addition, ASHA Foundation was accredited with Credibility Alliance at the highest level (desirable norms) for a period of five years from 2019 up to the year 2024. We were first accredited from 2014 to 2019. Credibility Alliance is committed towards enhancing Accountability and Transparency in the voluntary sector through good governance. Credibility Alliance is akin to a professional body that set Norms or Standards of Governance.
For the AIDS helpline and counseling services, calls have come from all over India to the helpline. Some calls have been received from the Middle East, and a few from Europe. Most calls are from Karnataka. Our adolescent health education program runs in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra (Mumbai, Pune, Vidarbha). The children at risk project works mainly in Bangalore urban and Bangalore rural. The PMTCT project is operational in a few hospitals in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. The Camp Rainbow project works in Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural, Ram Nagara, Mandhya, Mysore, Chamraj Nagar, Tumkur, Kolar, Koppal, Adoni (AP).
In the years 2021-22 and 2022-23, the five projects will continue as planned.
Wipro Foundation is the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) entity of Wipro Limited. Going back over two decades, we focus on social initiatives in the domains of Education, Primary Healthcare, Ecology, Disaster Response, and Cities & Public Spaces.
Sachin Bansal heads finance function for Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting in India and South Asia.
He moved to Wipro Consumer Care in 2022 and prior to that was the head of finance of Wipro Infrastructure Engineering (WIN). He joined WIN in 2007 and over the last 15 years has essayed several roles including Plant Finance, India Hydraulic Business Finance, Global Operations Finance and Mergers & Acquisitions.
A qualified Chartered Accountant and a Black Belt in Six Sigma, Sachin has led several successful initiatives to streamline and strengthen the Finance function. As part of the leadership team of WIN, he played a pivotal role in driving profitable growth with improved focus on ROCE, Productivity and Cost Optimization.
Isaac George has held several positions at Wipro across Sales & Marketing, Consulting, and IT Operations for over two decades. Since 2014, he has been leading People Function and Employee Relations at Wipro Infrastructure Engineering. Isaac also heads the group’s social initiatives efforts and works towards creating an inclusive environment for Persons with Disabilities.
Samir Gadgil is the Head HR for the Chief Growth Office and all Corporate Functions at Wipro. He is also Wipro Cares’ Pune Location Head.
Previously, Samir has worked as Head – HR for Digital Operations & Platforms and managed multiple initiatives under HR and People Supply Chain Functions, including Talent Acquisition, Talent Transformation, Workforce Management, Facilities & Transport.
A seasoned professional, Samir has also served as the Global Head- Compensation, and Benefits at Wipro and worked with best-in-class Manufacturing, Consulting, Financial, and IT Service Companies in a career spanning over two decades.
Narayan P S is the Global Head of Sustainability and Social Initiatives at Wipro Ltd. He is also the Managing Trustee at Wipro Foundation, the social initiatives arm of Wipro Ltd. He has been instrumental in the creation of Wipro’s sustainability initiative and has stewarded it since its inception in early 2008. Wipro’s sustainability charter is built on the core principle that business and social purpose must reinforce each other in addressing several key challenges around ecology and the environment, education, and communities.
In addition, Narayan is Visiting Faculty at the Azim Premji University where he teaches ‘Ecology and Development’ in the MA ( Development) program. He is also a Visiting Faculty at Xavier School of Sustainability, Xavier University, Bhubaneswar. Narayan also conducts learning sessions regularly on Sustainability at IIM Bangalore and IIM Indore.
Narayan’s interests center around (i) the broad interplay between Ecology, Economics, and Humanities (ii) the role of the business sector as a change agent in sustainable development (iii) Sustainability in Education, and (iv) Sustainable and Inclusive Cities.
Prior to the current role, Narayan was the Global Head of Information Systems for Wipro’s IT business, when he was chosen as one of CIO’s global 25 Ones to Watch.
A graduate in Electrical Engineering with a post-graduation in Management, Narayan has more than twenty-seven years of cross-disciplinary experience in Business Development, Enterprise Systems, and Corporate Sustainability. He is also involved in sustainability advocacy as a member of several industry forums on sustainability. He is currently the Chairman of the CII-GBC Greenco forum for Bangalore.
Vikrant has recently joined to lead the human resources function for Wipro Enterprises which includes Wipro Infrastructure Engineering (WIN) and Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting businesses.
Vikrant comes with 25 years of diverse global leadership experience in Strategic Talent Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Organization Design, Cultural Transformation & Change Management, D&I, and Leadership Coaching & Development across Services, Manufacturing, Retail and Technology industries. Besides Human Resources, Vikrant has also led roles across Finance & Audit.
With a career spanning L&T, GE Healthcare, Nike, Accenture, HCL, and Harman International, Vikrant has a distinguished track record and is an alumnus of the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune.
Aparna C. Iyer is Wipro’s Chief Financial Officer.
Aparna joined Wipro in 2003 and over the years has held several finance roles, including Internal Audit, Business Finance, Finance Planning and Analysis, Corporate Treasury, and Investor Relations (IR).
Most recently, Aparna was Senior Vice President and CFO of Wipro FullStride Cloud, leading finance operations for one Wipro’s fastest growing global business lines.
Prior to taking over as CFO of Wipro FullStride Cloud, Aparna was the Corporate Treasurer and Head of Investor Relations for Wipro Limited. As a part of that role, she was responsible for building and executing forex risk management framework, investment of surplus cash, working capital management, customer credit risk evaluation, driving capital allocation decisions, managing balance sheet exposure as well as investor and analyst relationships.
As the Head of Treasury & IR, Aparna devised Wipro’s forex strategy, aiding the operating margin performance of the company, and driving improved predictability.
Aparna is a Chartered Accountant (CA) and was a gold medalist of the CA 2002 batch.
Saurabh Govil is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Wipro, and a member of the Management Team. He leads all Wipro’s HR functions, including talent acquisition, talent engagement, and learning and development programs.
Saurabh has been a HR practitioner for over two decades, and has worked with organizations like ITC and GE. Since joining Wipro in May, 2009, he has been instrumental in transforming the organization. His work with people, processes, and organizational structure over the last three years has contributed significantly to Wipro’s growth, improving operations and introducing many new initiatives.
Saurabh is an alumnus of XLRI, Jamshedpur where he completed his master’s in human resources. He is on the advisory board of SHRM India. Saurabh has been a regular speaker at NASSCOM’s HR summit. He also contributes to NHRDN’s journal as an author.
Anurag Behar is the Chief Sustainability Officer of Wipro Limited & Vice-Chancellor, Azim Premji University.
Anurag is a member of the Committee that has developed India’s National Education Policy (2019), the first comprehensive education policy for the country, since 1986. He has been deeply engaged with efforts to improve education in India, for the past seventeen years.
He has been a vocal advocate for the critical importance of public systems, in particular the public education system. His many years in business have given him an insider’s view of both the possibilities and limits of markets. For the past few years, he has also been engaged with environmental and ecological issues. He writes widely, including a fortnightly column for the national newspapers Mint & Hindustan, and other publications.
Anurag has earlier played leadership roles in business. As the CEO of Wipro Infrastructure Engineering, he led the business from being No. 20 in the world to being the No. 1 in 5 years. He has also been responsible for many corporate functions for Wipro including Brand, Quality, and Innovation. He continues to provide oversight to the social and ecological initiatives of the Wipro Group, as its Chief Sustainability Officer. He is a member of Wipro’s Group Executive Council.
Anurag has served on various boards including that of Wipro GE Healthcare Ltd, The University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences, and of the TERI University. He serves on many government & sector councils, such as MHRD’s EQUIP, the National Mission on Teachers and Teacher Education, the Government of India implementation committee for the Justice Verma Commission, Karnataka Knowledge Commission, and with the CII’s National Climate Change Council.
He has an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur, and a BE in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Trichy. Both institutions have honored him with their Distinguished Alumnus award. He was elected as a ‘Young Global Leader’, by the World Economic Forum in 2008. He enjoys long-distance running.
Narayan P S is the Global Head of Sustainability and Social Initiatives at Wipro Ltd. He is also the Managing Trustee at Wipro Foundation, the social initiatives arm of Wipro Ltd. He has been instrumental in the creation of Wipro’s sustainability initiative and has stewarded it since its inception in early 2008. Wipro’s sustainability charter is built on the core principle that business and social purpose must reinforce each other in addressing several key challenges around ecology and the environment, education, and communities.
In addition, Narayan is Visiting Faculty at the Azim Premji University where he teaches ‘Ecology and Development’ in the MA ( Development) program. He is also a Visiting Faculty at Xavier School of Sustainability, Xavier University, Bhubaneswar. Narayan also conducts learning sessions regularly on Sustainability at IIM Bangalore and IIM Indore.
Narayan’s interests center around (i) the broad interplay between Ecology, Economics, and Humanities (ii) the role of the business sector as a change agent in sustainable development (iii) Sustainability in Education, and (iv) Sustainable and Inclusive Cities.
Prior to the current role, Narayan was the Global Head of Information Systems for Wipro’s IT business, when he was chosen as one of CIO’s global 25 Ones to Watch.
A graduate in Electrical Engineering with a post-graduation in Management, Narayan has more than twenty-seven years of cross-disciplinary experience in Business Development, Enterprise Systems, and Corporate Sustainability. He is also involved in sustainability advocacy as a member of several industry forums on sustainability. He is currently the Chairman of the CII-GBC Greenco forum for Bangalore.
