MIT Community Projects

Since its inception in 1998 the MIT Initiative supports community projects. Unlike the funding given for children's projects this support is not limited to a specific age group. Hence the range of project types aided in this way is broad indeed, extending from care for the elderly to local anti-racism projects and support for volunteer fire brigades.
Taking time and listening
An example in India: Sam Chandar is a busy, multi-tasking manager at Henkel Spic India in Chennai. Despite his extremely scarce leisure time, Chandar and his wife Hilda are involved in several social organizations in the south of the Indian subcontinent, including orphanages, homes for the aged, poor houses and schools for the blind. “We visit the establishments and take time for the people living there,” explains Chandar. At each visit, the Chandars bring a trunk-full of detergents, talcum powder, soap and other items, because “Henkel is supporting our involvement with generous product donations”, they say with a smile.