A look at Ciena India’s volunteering and community contribution
The need to be a good neighbor in our communities never felt as strong as it did during the pandemic. Over the last two years, Ciena India’s team members demonstrated their passion for giving back through our Ciena Cares program. From fundraising to volunteering, they continued to uplift our communities. Ciena’s Jagriti Yadav takes us through some of the initiatives undertaken by our teams, which have translated into several moments of pride and inspiration.
Throughout the pandemic, our IT team in India was making a meaningful difference in our communities by contributing to organizations that help the underserved. From making donations to managing volunteer drives, creating educational programs to spending time with senior citizens and children, our teams showed their passion and dedication to helping others in our communities.
Empowering our team members to make a difference and uplift our communities is a big part of our culture at Ciena. Our Ciena Cares program – our global community engagement program – engages our people in volunteering and matches donations to the charities that matter most to our employees.
Over the last two years, our Gurugram teams contributed extensively through physical and virtual volunteering, and all of it made a huge impact. Below are some highlights of the activities undertaken:
- Engaging with Earth Saviours Foundation in Gurugram, contributing more than 200 kilograms of groceries, 50 kilograms of fruits and 25 kilograms of sweets for the people helped by the program.
- Organizing collection drives for Goonj in Gurugram, resulting in eight truckloads of clothes and other materials for those in need.
- Spending time and sharing food and medical equipment for children at the Centre for Muscular Dystrophy in Delhi.
- Helping undergraduate students from the Progressive Commerce classes at Gwalior, telling them about on potential career opportunities across different sectors.
- Holding a fundraising campaign for Pure India Trust, an organization that helps women who have lost their spouses due to covid become entrepreneurs. Our teams also built training material and collateral for Pure India Trust that provide career guidance as well as outline entrepreneurial opportunities for women and students living in rural communities.
- Building educational resources for primary and middle school students with Sikshana Foundation, which will now be utilized by government schools in multiple locations across India where the organization is operating
- Building audio training resources for I & Eye Sharing Vision for use by students who are blind or have low vision from rural Andhra and Telangana.
Beyond volunteering, our teams engaged in fundraising efforts that raised close to INR 3.8 million for Pure India Trust, Sikshana Foundation and Goonj, to help them make a difference to the lives of those who need it the most. We are proud of our achievements and are excited about our community engagement activities that lie ahead.
