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1) TOMATO SOURCING PUBLIC-PRIVATE

PARTNERSHIP WITH GOVERNMENT OF


MAHARASHTRA
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The World Bank claims that supporting smallholder farming is the best way to stimulate economic development
and reduce poverty.HUL used to be dependent on imports for the sourcing of the majority of its tomatoes.
Sourcing locally had several barriers including lack of quality consistency, lack of availability of produce, price
volatility, etc. Through our sustainable sourcing initiative, not only have we been able to enhance the livelihoods
of farmers but also have created a direct positive impact on the business.
PROJECT
In 2011,HUL entered into a public-private partnership with theGovernment of Maharashtra for sustainable sourcing
oftomatoes locally.The objective was to mobilize farmers into producer groups, train & equip them on Good Agricultural
Practices, ultimately improving their productivity & quality of produce. As a part of this initiative, HUL provides farmers
with a buy-backguarantee for their produce. HUL also offers global andlocal knowledge and expertise in sustainable
agriculturepractices in tomato cultivation; this includes the latestagricultural techniques, irrigation practices
andrecommendation of the right type of seeds. Execution ofgood agricultural practices and adoption of dripirrigation
systems see farmers make significant savingsin water, labour, pesticide and fertiliser, limiting anynegative impact on the
environment.
IMPACT
In 2014, 2,200 farmers registered for the project to grow tomatoes on over 3,000 acres of land. In 2014, we sourced 85% of
tomatoes used in Kissan ketchup from sustainable sources.

2) ENHANCING LIVELIHOODS THROUGH PROJECT SHAKTI


Project Shakti is an initiative to financially empower rural women and create livelihood opportunities for them. It
provides a regular income stream for the Shakti entrepreneurs and their families.
PROJECT
HUL provides training on basic accounting, selling skills, health & hygiene and relevant IT skills to Shakti entrepreneurs and
equips them with smart phones which have been enabled with a mini Enterprise Resource Package (ERP) which helps them
to run their business efficiently and further augment their income. HUL has trained thousands of Shakti Ammas across the
villages in a bid to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and make them financially independent and more empowered.
In 2010, the Shakti programme was extended to include Shaktimaans who are typically the husbands or brothers of the
Shakti Ammas. Shaktimaans complement our Shakti Ammas. They sell products on bicycles in surrounding villages,
covering a larger area than Shakti Ammas can cover on foot.
IMPACT
Today, Project Shakti provides livelihood enhancing opportunities to over 70,000 Shakti Entrepreneurs who distribute our
productions in more than 165,000 villages and reach over four million rural households.There are 48,000 Shaktimaans across
India.
HULs Project Shakti has become the model to reach out to rural consumers in developing and emerging markets and
enabled Unilever to tap opportunity at the bottom of the pyramid. The project is being customized and adapted in several
South-East Asian, African and Latin American markets like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. In Bangladesh and Sri
Lanka, it is being promoted as project Joyeeta and Saubaghya respectively.

3) LAMPLIGHTER PROGRAMME
Our Lamplighter employee programme addresses health risks and provides support to employees to reduce
these risks. It also aims to improve the nutrition, fitness and mental resilience of employees.
PROJECT
We have been conducting this programme since nine years. As a part of the programme, employees are
assigned colour codes (green, amber and red) based on their health quotient. The Medical and Occupational
Health Team motivates employees through various health promotion and protection programmes to bring about
lifestyle changes thereby reducing health risks and helping employees transit from Red to Amber and from Amber
to Green.
IMPACT
In 2014, a total of over 14,000 employees participated in this programme. Out of these, over 79% employees
belonged to the green category, over 15% employees were in amber and more than 5% employees belonged to
the red category. We have provided support and necessary treatment for employees identified in the amber and

red categories.The programme is proving a valuable tool for safeguarding employees health, improving
productivity and reducing costs.

4) HELP A CHILD REACH 5


India has the highest number of child deaths from diarrhoea and pneumonia globally with 609,000 children
dying each year before their 5th birthday from these diseases . Handwashing with soap, particularly after using
toilet, can reduce diarrhoeal diseases by over 40% and respiratory infections by 30% .
PROJECT
To help promote health and hygiene through handwashing,the Help a Child Reach 5 handwashing campaign started in 2013
in Thesgora in Madhya Pradesh which has amongst the highest rates of diarrhoea in India. The aim of the campaign was to
encourage handwashing with soap at 5 key occasions (before eating, after using the toilet and when bathing) in order to help
every child reach five and improve the lives of all villagers.
To bring about behaviour change we launched a film Tree of Life in 2014 to support the initiative. The film captures a
mothers journey of love, loss and longing after losing her child to diarrhoea.
Through our Urban School Contact Programme, we help promote handwashing behavior change, by teaching children in
urban schools the benefits of washing hands at key times every day.
We have entered into a partnership with Children Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and the Government of Bihar to
promote handwashing behaviour change among children in Bihar. The main aim of the programme is to help prevent
childhood illness and mortality.
IMPACT
The successful pilot in Madhya Pradesh in 2013 led to an addition of six more villages from Chhindwara district in Madhya
Pradesh under the programme. In 2014, the programme reached out to hundreds of new mothers and kids in schools and
anganwadis (playschools).
In 2014, we reached out to more than 3 million people through our Urban School Contact programme to promote
handwashing behaviour change.
In 2013, we piloted the handwashing programme in in two districts of Bihar Begusarai and Khagaria, reaching out to
nearly 1 million people in partnership with Bihar government and CIFF. We will now scale up the programme to cover more
districts in Bihar and reach out to more number of people. Over the next three years, 45 million people are expected to
benefit through this programme.

5) ASHA DAAN THE GIFT OF HOPE


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As a company, we have always believed in doing well by doing good. In 1976, HUL supported the setting up of
Asha Daan a home for abandoned, specially-abled children, HIV-positive people and the destitute in Mumbai.
Asha Daan (meaning Gift of Hope) as an institution has truly been a Gift of Hope to so many.
PROJECT
The reputed Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa, manages the home, housed in the 72,500square feet plot that belongs to HUL. The company takes care of the homes maintenance and upkeep.
IMPACT
At any point of time, HUL takes care of over 400 infants, destitute men and women and HIV-positive patients at
Asha Daan.

6) GUNDAR BASIN WATER CONSERVATION PROJECT


HUFs water conservation project in Tamil Nadu focuses on reviving the driest river basin in Tamil Nadu the
Gundar Basin. This river basin is the primary source of irrigation for farming communities in nearby cities.
Encroachments and mismanagement of water resources has resulted in extensive depletion of ground water
table of this area. This has forced people to migrate to other regions in search of livelihood.
PROJECT
In 2010, HUL, Development of Humane Action (DHAN) Foundation and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD) through a unique corporate-NGO-institutional partnership launched a water conservation project
in Nialayur, one of the project villages in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. This is a Tank based watershed development programme
focused on developing the catchment area, creating new water bodies, reviving small water bodies and other conservation
works.The technical and implementation supervision of this project is facilitated by DHAN Vayalagam Tank Foundation.
One of the unique features of this project is that it is implemented by organising farmers, landless laborers and women into
an association at each tank level. They contribute 10% of the renovation cost. The direct stake of the farmers in the project
ensures that the benefits of the project are sustained in the long term.

An interesting innovation put into operation at the project sites is the neerkatti or common irrigation system for water
management. In this a person is appointed to oversee the equal distribution of water, ensuring it reaches all the areas which
are in dire need of water. The project has recorded significant success.
IMPACT

The project area covers 15 tank cascades with 255 tanks, serving a number of people across four districts of South Tamil
Nadu (Madurai, Virudhunagar, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram).
Key benefits are:
17,696 small and marginal farm families have benefited from the interventions of this project.
Potential to harvest and store 42.56 million cubic metres of surface fresh water resources has been
created.
Additional agricultural production of 10,150 tonnes boosted the income levels of farmers.Farmers have
cultivated second crop despite of monsoon failure.

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