BWI: Around 500 Novartis Associates Volunteer for Local Causes in Community Partnership Day

Press release from Business Wire India
Source: Novartis India Limited
Monday, April 19, 2010 03:10 PM IST (09:40 AM GMT)
Editors: General: Consumer interest, People, Social issues; Business: Advertising, PR & marketing, Healthcare, biotechnology & pharmaceutical, Household & personal care products & services; Healthcare
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Around 500 Novartis Associates Volunteer for Local Causes in Community Partnership Day
Annual volunteer event to commemorate creation of Novartis in 1996 now benefits hundreds of charities in 55 countries : Around 500 associates in India engage in voluntary activities in their communities, more than 20,000 associates worldwide : Novartis event emphasizes strong commitment to Corporate Citizenship

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Monday, April 19, 2010 -- (Business Wire India) -- Thousands of Novartis associates in 55 countries will engage in volunteer activities to benefit people in their local communities in celebration of the company's Community Partnership Day which was founded to commemorate the merger that formed Novartis in 1996. Most of the events worldwide are set for Wednesday, April 21. In India, activities are spread over several days beginning April 19 with a blood donation drive at several Novartis facilities in Thane, Navi Mumbai and Hyderabad. This year marks the 14th Community Partnership Day, commemorating the 1996 creation of Novartis as a global leader in healthcare solutions. About 14,500 associates worldwide joined in the event in 2009, aiding a wide range of charitable causes.

On Community Partnership Day, Novartis aims to support local communities, social institutions and nonprofit organizations with projects compatible with the Novartis commitment to social responsibility. Funds raised by employees are used to make a difference to the local community such as buying art material for underprivileged children or articles needed by the oft neglected elderly. In today's globalised world where children have migrated either to cities or abroad, the elderly crave time and company.

This year, more than 500 Novartis associates all over India will engage in more than 25 volunteer programs covering a range of activities such as organising an entertainment program for the elderly at the Parukh Dharamshala and an evening of fun for children with neurological disorders at the Jidd Special School.

Initiatives are not restricted to company headquarters in Mumbai. Novartis associates work with the less privileged both in the field where you may even have a single associate leading an initiative and in places like Hyderabad where there is a large contingent. In Chennai for instance, a small group of Novartis employees are out to make a memorable day for children belonging to the Mithra Spastic Rehabilitation Centre. Novartis associates in Hyderabad get together under "Project Rainbow" an umbrella initiative under which employee volunteering programs are run through the year at the Om Shanthi Home for children and the elderly, and Child Haven.

According to Ranjit Shahani, Country President for the Novartis Group of Companies in India, "Community Partnership Week provides Novartis associates a unique opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to a more just and equitable world. It opens a whole new vista for doing good, for involving associates and their families in helping those less privileged and spreading the message of individual and corporate social responsibility."

Novartis associates are lending a hand in the world's largest markets - and in countries where the company has a smaller presence. Some big efforts are planned in the United States, China, Japan, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Russia. But Novartis volunteers also will have a real impact in countries as diverse as Egypt, Morocco, Turkey, Slovakia, Bangladesh, Argentina and the West Indies.

Examples of volunteer service as part of this year's Community Partnership Day:

. More than 4,500 associates across Switzerland plan to join in 220 volunteer projects. In the Basel headquarters area, 3,825 associates are serving in more than 200 projects, such as assisting disabled children for excursions, restoring old houses in an Ecomusée in France, supporting the Trinational Environmental Center, creating improvements in the old St. Johann railway station in Basel, and working in nature conservation projects.

. Some 350 associates in Japan will work with the Guide Dog Society for people with disabilities, spruce up a residence for families of children being treated in hospitals, clean parks and streets, assist with a Novartis-sponsored orchestra concert, and raise funds for polio vaccines for children in developing countries.

. About 100 Novartis associates in Turkey will collect clothes, books and toys for children in need; donate blood through the Red Crescent; donate needed medicines to a children's hospital in Ankara; and engage with families of children with leukemia. Another 200 associates will participate in similar activities in May.

Community Partnership Day has grown steadily as a way for Novartis associates worldwide to give back to our communities. Associates in each country choose volunteer activities according to local needs - whether medical, environmental, social or material.

About Novartis

Novartis assists people who cannot afford healthcare through a variety of efforts worldwide. In 2009, 79.5 million patients around the world benefited from Novartis access-to-medicines programs that were valued at USD 1.51 billion. These initiatives range from drug donation and research programs to combat neglected diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and leprosy in developing nations, to patient assistance programs that help cancer patients receive the most innovative and effective treatments.

Novartis provides healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Focused solely on healthcare, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines, diagnostic tools and consumer health products. Novartis is the only company with leading positions in these areas. In 2009, the Group's continuing operations achieved net sales of USD 44.3 billion, while approximately USD 7.5 billion was invested in R&D activities throughout the Group. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately 100,000 full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140 countries around the world.

For more information, please visit www.novartis.com




CONTACT DETAILS
Ms. Svetlana Pinto, Novartis India Limited, +91 (22) 24951074 / +91 9821054884, svetlana.pinto@novartis.com
Ms. Liana Vaz, Novartis India Limited, +91 (22) 24939403 / +91 9821436458, liana.albuquerque@novartis.com

KEYWORDS
CONSUMER, PEOPLE, SOCIAL, MARKETING, HEALTHCARE, HOUSEHOLD, HEALTHCARE, NOVARTIS.BO

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