Grupo Antolin was born out of the vision of a family of entrepreneurs. Innovation, effort and environmental and social concerns have marked our company ever since. Along with a desire to improve people’s lives while answering customers’ needs.
As a result, Grupo Antolin seeks to combine its success with social prosperity and environmental care. This is reflected in the various charitable initiatives we undertake in our neighbour communities. It’s a philosophy in which responsibility, listening, commitment and solidarity come together to serve society. Our Village Upliftment in India (VUP) programme, carried out in collaboration with the Hand in Hand India NGO, is an example of our work.
Long-term alliance
Grupo Antolin started out as a small mechanical workshop, but the desire to satisfy customers through our products led us to start working internationally in the 1980s. In the mid-1990s, this expansion strategy focused on Asia, notably in India, and we are now present in 26 countries around the world. Aware of the importance of accompanying India’s economic growth with equitable, fair and inclusive social development, we launched the Village Upliftment Programme to build self-sufficient communities that generate integrated rural development, with a special focus on reducing inequalities and helping women and children, (the most vulnerable groups).
Since the Village Upliftment Programme launched in 2016, Grupo Antolin has contributed to the comprehensive transformation of several villages near its industrial facilities, from an economic, social, environmental and governance perspective. In total, this programme has benefitted more than 5,600 people in various areas of rural India.
Each program is the result of three-way interaction and collaboration between the Grupo Antolin, Hand in Hand India and local people. Upstream analysis of the current situation in each village is key to a plan of concrete actions targeting the following pillars: governance, women’s enterprise and empowerment, childhood, health, and the environment.
Each project has a Village Development Committee to ensure continued progress. All sectors of the community are represented on this committee, which acts as an agent of change and facilitates village development beyond completion of the project. The Citizen Centre is also important. It’s goal is to bridge the digital gap between urban and rural environments. It was created to help local communities benefit from Digital India.
The latest project began in 2021 and will be completed in 2023. It is being implemented in the villages of Khoda and Vasodara, which are located 3 and 12 kilometres, respectively, from the Grupo Antolin Sanand plant. To date, a total of 1,302 people have directly benefited from the project, in addition to another 5,005 indirect beneficiaries. The project has implemented actions in various areas:
Education
The facilities and equipment at Vasodara and Khoda elementary schools, as well as a school that encourages girls’ education are being improved in order to establish a good educational environment. This ensures that all pupils complete a free education, which helps eliminate gender and income inequalities.
Women’s Entrepreneurship and Empowerment
Social growth is about giving women equal rights to economic resources, such as land and property, as well as empowering them to overcome stigmas and stereotypes.
In order to progressively help them escape poverty, seven Self-Help Groups (SHG) involving 130 women from Vasodara, were created. These groups play a critical role in raising awareness of gender equality. They help women make collective decisions and improve their confidence, as well as their economic empowerment and ability to achieve a sustainable livelihood and a better quality of life.
Through these groups, women receive financial and business education, as well as training in business-building initiatives.
Health
It can be difficult to access a quality healthcare system in rural India. The creation of an Anganwadi Model Centre in Vasodara is now underway. It is a platform for the provision of community health and nutrition services. Such centres provide a solid foundation for psychological, physical and social development, and are a great help for the future development of the community.
Clean water
In Vasodara, the water is unsuitable for drinking, due to groundwater contamination and over-exploitation that has reduced the available supplies. We therefore launched a geophysical study for the construction of a well.
Other Projects
The four projects carried out under the umbrella of the VUP programme so far apply a common strategy and model, adapted to the needs and requirements of each village:
• First project – 2016-2018: CHENNAI – Singdivakkam Panchayat.
• Second project – 2018-2020: PUNE and CHAKAN – Ovale Panchayat, Maharashtra.
• Third project – 2019 – 2021: CHENNAI – Alapakkam Panchayat.
• Fourth project – 2021 – 2023: SANAND – Gujarat Village and Khoda Vasodara.
The progress of all the community projects we support is monitored carefully, thanks in part to volunteer teams from our local centres.
SDGs Improved
-SDGs 1, 2 and 3: Eradicate poverty and hunger, ensuring a healthy life.
-SDGs 4 and 8: Support the generation of development opportunities through inclusive education, entrepreneurship and decent work.
-SDGs 5 and 10: Reduce social inequalities, empowering different members of the community with a focus on childhood and women, reducing the digital gap and promoting the rural world.
-SDGs 6 and 7: Universalize access to basic services such as water, sanitation and sustainable energy.
-SDGs 9, 11 and 12: Foster innovation and resilient infrastructures by creating communities capable of sustainably producing, self-sourcing and consuming.
-SDGs 13 and 15: Take care of the environment by combating climate change and protecting the terrestrial ecosystems.
-SDGs 16 and 17: Promote collaboration among the different social agents based on the progress that maintains the economic, social and environmental balance today, without jeopardizing and guaranteeing the resources of tomorrow.