Equitas has always stood committed to the economic and social development of the society. Before Corporate Social Responsibility found a place in corporate lexicon, it was already textured into our value systems. Apart from providing micro credit and loans to individuals, Equitas addressed the needs and requirements of the entire family with the concept of ensuring a sustainable livelihood for all.
As early as within 2 months of starting operations as a micro finance company in 2007, Equitas Development Initiatives Trust (EDIT) a Public Charitable Trust was founded to ensure access to education, healthcare, skill training centers and job fairs, food security and rehabilitation for all.
Years before CSR allocation of 2% entered the statutory book, a resolution was passed that Equitas would contribute 5% of its profit on a quarterly basis to EDIT, along with contributing up to 15% of the Net worth to create infrastructure to construct schools & hospitals well ahead of the Regulatory curve.
6K
Student Educated
269K
Youth Employeed
653K
Skill trained
4K
Family Rehabilitation
72L
Healthcare Beneficiaries
36K
Free Surgeries
As of Dated January 2024*
Equitas is committed to contribute its bit in bringing improvements in this vital sector of education through Equitas Gurukul Matriculation Schools. The Trust operates 8 Schools for about 5698 children with a purpose of offering quality education centered on holistic development of student by focusing on their physical, intellectual, moral, social and emotional aspects.
Our schools were first established in the year 2010 in Tiruchirappalli and Dindugal and are recognized institutions under the Directorate of Matriculation Schools, Tamil Nadu. The school offers admissions to deserving children from low-income families who do not have the means or access to quality education or infrastructure.
At present, the schools are established at Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Dindigul, Karur, Kumbakonam, Salem, Sivakasi, and Trichy and offers education to students from LKG to Std. XII.
EDIT has introduced Equitas Gyan Kendra a vocational training programme for better livelihood opportunities. Under this project, Equitas conducts skill development programme for women at different locations aimed at helping the trainees augment their income levels.
The training programs are provided across a wide array of fields like making candles, agarbathi and incense sticks, phenyl, detergent, tailoring, embroidery, masala powder, pickle, jam making etc in cities and towns and agri based activities like bee keeping, growing mushrooms, rabbit-rearing, basket making and fiber extraction in semi urban and rural locations.
These training programs have helped the women become successful entrepreneurs and change makers in their community, while empowering themselves financially.
The Equitas Bird’s Nest program finds new livelihood creation as the key to combatting widespread homelessness among the urban ultra-poor in multiple settlements on a pavement. With no reliable shelter, no access to clean water or sanitation facilities, and no real way to earn a living, the urban ultra-poor are unmatched in their vulnerability and need.
Equitas Bird’s Nest uses a multi-stage filtering process to select the poorest of the poor and ensure they are provided with homes. As a first step of this programme, financial support for housing is provided to these families. The financial support helps the family meet the expenses of rental advance and the first 6 months’ rental expenses.
During this period, we also provide skill development training to the adults in the families to augment their income. With this increased income, these families afford their housing expenses, and at the end of the support phase the families are self sufficient, and are eligible to apply for ration cards to help support their livelihood.
Encouraged by the success of the initiative, we continue to rehabilitate families across localities.
At Equitas we understand that access to affordable healthcare is a key pain-point for most of our micro credit customers. Towards bridging this gap, we have undertaken what is arguably the largest health services program by any corporate in India through our tie up with about 900 hospitals across 13 states, with services including health screening camps, referral to hospitals, health helpline, health education and running evening clinics.
Our free primary healthcare medical camps have benefited cumulatively 61,07,985 members of the low income community so far which is a record in the MFI sector globally. We have also distributed 1,16,564 spectacles and conducted 32,520 cataract operations free of cost as of March 2020.
Equitas conducts job fairs for unemployed youth from low-income families with the help of recruiters and employers to enable employment opportunities and help them with job placements in companies and retail outlets like malls, hospitals, textile showrooms, etc.
The job fairs play a crucial role in helping them find a job role that is best suited for their profile, and can ensure they are able to earn enough to supplement their family income. Over the years, we have conducted several job fairs in association with reputed organizations and institutions, as a collective initiative towards eradicating unemployment in the country.
Cancer & Multi-Specialty Hospital. Accessible & Affordable Cancer Care, especially for the underprivileged. Equitas found a huge gap between Oncology care services and the number of patients in India. This urged us to set up a Multi-Specialty Hospital, as a destination for cancer care and treatments for the affected and underprivileged patients.
This gave birth to Equitas Healthcare Foundation’s joint venture - Sringeri Saradha Equitas Cancer and Multi-Speciality Hospital, with a mission to make cancer care affordable and holistic for the economically challenged segments.
