In line with SAP’s commitment to the communities in which we live and work, Labs India has been actively driving and participating in various projects that focus on education and children. We support natural disaster relief and rehabilitation efforts and engage with community building projects, with an aim towards all round development of the society. Employees at SAP Labs India enthusiastically donate and volunteer, whenever the need arises.

Our role as a concerned corporate citizen is largely driven by SAPPORT, the corporate social responsibility initiative at Labs India. SAPPORT holds ‘Weeks of Service’ and ‘Charity Days’ every year with the help of many active volunteers, who also get involved in the key corporate citizenship projects Labs India has taken up.

Over the years, SAP Labs India has been active in supporting and being involved in many a worthy cause. Here follows a snapshot of two key projects that we are currently engaged with.

• School of HOPE, Tharangambadi

  In the wake of the 2005 Indian Ocean tsunami that left a wave of destruction and devastation behind, Labs India employees traveled to the tsunami-affected region of Tharangambadi in Tamil Nadu, to aid and abet relief and rehabilitation efforts. Several short- and long-term initiatives aimed at bringing normalcy to those affected, are supported by employee donations. Tharangambadi, a fishing village in Tamil Nadu that was one of the worst-affected, now has a school for children, as well as a center for adult education and vocational training– all of which has been enabled by SAP Labs India in partnership with the HOPE Foundation, a non-governmental organization (NGO) and our long term on-the-ground partner.

  This English medium school, operational since June 2006, has provided learning avenues to the village children who can now look beyond fishing as their careers. The Vocational Training center- another significant project dedicated to the young people of the village- enables career-oriented learning in tailoring, masonry, electrical-fitting and computers.

• The SAP Labs Center of HOPE, Bangalore

  A new child care center closer to SAP Labs India campus aims to provide care and a future to street children.

  Street children are often victims of tragedies or hopeless neglect. They reach cities after running away from their own homes to escape intolerable pain. The city streets which initially seem to give them a sense of freedom and relief quickly present a newer and more daunting set of problems - violence, abuse, drugs etc.

  The 'SAP Labs Center of HOPE' in Brookfields, Bangalore provides shelter to 60 such kids who have been left dejected due to the vagaries of life. The center seeks to bring security and solace to these tender but troubled hearts. With the help of HOPE foundation, SAP Labs India provides comprehensive care to these children, including food, clothing, shelter, medical care and education; all in an environment of love, respect and discipline.

  The center also strives to meet the needs of unemployed youth. All they require is an opportunity to acquire a skill and become self-reliant. Many are willing to work hard, learn a trade, find a job and gain respect for themselves and their families. The center just provides them a bridge to cover the distance between aspirations and realizations.

  The 'SAP Labs Center of HOPE' serves as a learning ground for 90 such youngsters where they learn basic skills in computers, masonry and electrical wiring. Once they acquire the necessary skills, they are likely to find jobs in the computer field or win contracts in the construction industry.

• Asharan, Delhi

  Asharan, a union of Asha (hope) and Sharan (shelter), is a place where abandoned kids not just find shelter, but even hope. Situated in New Delhi, this home for neglected children was set up in June, 1997 and has provided shelter to approximately 400 children since then. These children were brought to Asharan under various unfortunate circumstances; either their parents could not afford to look after them and abandoned them, or they were simply lost and were brought by the authorities to the center.

  With the dedicated and sincere efforts of Asharan volunteers, 195 children have been reunited with their biological parents while 87 have found foster parents nationally and internationally. Even after the adoption, volunteers make sure they receive regular feedbacks from the children for a certain period of time, to ensure that the children are in safe hands. However, there are some children who have been so disappointed by their earlier experiences that they do not want to leave Asharan at all.

  Asharan not only pampers these children, but also ensures they receive good quality education while they wait for life to embrace them again. They also undergo vocational trainings as well and learn simple activities such as drawing, painting, handicrafts etc.

  A look at the premises reveals the spirit behind the drive. All in all, Asharan is a place where children are busy sketching their own destinies.