Siemens Corporate Citizenship Film Runner-up at Global Sustainability Awards

A film on the sustainable, integrated community development initiatives of Siemens Cor-porate Citizenship was adjudged Runner-up in the category of Community Investment at the prestigious tv/e Global Sustainability Film awards 2013, London. The film was shot on location in the village of Amle, a tribal community of around 300 villagers who survive on subsistence farming. It depicts a day in the life of Dilip Vare, head of the village development committee, who narrates how the technology and social interventions of Project Asha has made the dreams of many community members a reality.

Bhavik Doshi, Head of Marketing Communications at Siemens in India, said, “The film was produced to narrate the story of a village that was transformed through Siemens Corporate Citizenship interventions. The production team had to overcome numerous challenges. The entire film equipment were brought to the village in chest-deep water. The team was on location for five days and four nights without adequate accommodation or potable water. The award is an acknowledgement of the tireless effort by all the team members.”

As part of Siemens Corporate Citizenship, Project Asha aims to provide electricity, water, education, medical facilities and livelihood to Amle village. The project is expected to transform Amle village into a self-sustainable community within three years with its tech-nology and support, making the remote, inhospitable hamlet into a model for the rest of the off-grid villages in India. “Living in misery and poverty had become a part of our lives. Today, for the first time, we have clean drinking water and water for irrigation throughout the year. Mothers give birth to healthy babies and children continue their education. We are no more scared of darkness," recounts Dilip Vare in the film.