OREANDA-NEWS. The Alstom Foundation will support 17 projects this year spread across all continents with a particular focus on economic and social development. The selected projects are in: Cambodia, India, Philippines, Vietnam, France, Italy, the UK, Chile, Mexico, Peru, USA, Algeria, Morocco and Senegal. 

In India, the pivot of the Foundation’s work is around education and self-reliance programmes, especially for women. In Tamil Nadu, Alstom Foundation will work with the NGO SEVAI (Society for Education, Village action and Improvement) to  set up 600 ‘Self-Help’ groups to empower 8,400 women who are living below the poverty line. These women will be trained to setup micro-enterprises and will be extended credit to nudge them towards self-reliance and better economic prospects. Similarly, the Foundation’s work in Bengaluru (Karnataka), in partnership with the NGO Objectif France Inde, will give a safe home, education and healthcare to 16 street children every year. 

Madhepura is one of the remotest areas of the Indian state of Bihar where education, employment and even health services are subpar. The Alstom Foundation, in association with  local NGO partner PRAGYA, has introduced mobile health care vans to attend to the medical needs of several communities around Madhepura. Educational and vocational training efforts in the area have aided men, women and children in the area to find employment and means of self-reliance. Approximately 3200 people have benefited from the training programmes introduced and over 120 primary school children are receiving supplementary support to ensure a holistic approach to their early learning. 

The Alstom Foundation has supported a total of 168 projects across 52 countries since its creation.