Category: Press Releases

So far a thousand children mentored in Tinkerers’ Laboratory, 3-D printing, Aero-modelling, Robotics, and Astronomy etc.

Mumbai, 23 January, 2024: The Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) has been hosting close to a thousand children from Smile Foundation for the past two years. The mission is to make STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning fun and to inculcate scientific temper and aspirations among children early in the school days. 

Various workshops under this collaboration are being held at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay since January 2023. Each workshop, spanning between one and three days, accommodates an average of 240 students from grades VII, VIII, IX, and X from various Smile Foundation Mission Education centers spread across Mumbai, Palghar and Thane regions. So far, 960 children have benefitted from this programme in diverse areas such as Tinkerers’ Laboratory and 3-D printing, Aero-modelling, Energy (solar lamp making), Robotics, and Astronomy etc. 

Prof. Rajesh Zele, Dept. of Electrical Engineering, IIT Bombay says, “I have been working closely with IITB ITC student volunteers for the last couple of years. It is amazing to see the positive energy in these programmes. This will certainly impact the impressionable minds of our youth. The IITB students along with Smile Foundation are making a strong social impact, influencing the nextGen. The robot is just a head fake! The key message to the nextGen is to build things with your own hands, be curious.”  

The workshop modules have been designed by the Institute Technical Council of IIT Bombay, and is jointly being facilitated by Gnaan U Education, under the supervision and guidance of the senior faculty at the IIT-B.

Santanu Mishra, Co-founder & Executive Trustee, Smile Foundation opines, “One of the goals of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is to equip children and youth with vital futuristic skills and competitive knowledge so that they thrive in a technology-driven world. The aspiration of the nation is also entwined with the future potential of today’s children.” 

“At Tinkering Laboratory, IIT-B, we are grateful to have access to advanced resources, including 3D printers and laser cutters. This event marked a significant step towards realizing our vision of extending knowledge beyond the confines of our college and reaching out to schools and colleges across India. This accomplishment was made possible through the continuous support of Smile Foundation and Gnaan U Education, for which we are sincerely grateful,” said Dewaansh Vijayvargiya, Manager, Tinkerer’s Team, IIT Bombay.

Kushal Agarwal and Anuj Bangad, Managers, Electronics and Robotics Club4 observes that Electronics and Robotics were indispensable in today’s technologically advancing society. “It is essential that our nation plays a leading role in the development of such technology. Workshops like this provide a common front for upcoming minds. Our team is glad to be a part of this effort.”

“Such programmes have a very high learning and retention value for the students, and are possible only because of the support of Smile Foundation, Corporate Sponsors and the support of IIT Bombay and its students. Such workshops instill confidence in students to pursue and excel in science and create an aspiration to gain quality higher education,” says Gnanesh Mehta of Gnaan U Education. 

Mission Education is Smile Foundation’s flagship programme focused on child education. The programme has 496 operational projects spread across 457 locations in 27 Indian states. Mission Education programme is benefitting underserved children in the age group of 3 to 18 years. The focus areas of Mission Education include Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), STEM, experiential learning, training and innovation, upgradation of infrastructure etc. and it is in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Smile Foundation is an Indian development organization directly benefiting over 1.5 million underprivileged children and their families every year through more than 400 welfare projects in education, healthcare, skilling and women empowerment spread across 2,000 remote villages and urban slums in 27 states of India.

New Delhi, 09 Jan 2024: Braving the chilling winter of Shahpura in Rajasthan, a few thousand patients queued up to the free mega health camp organised by Smile Foundation and Sadbhavana Trust Bhilwara, along with the Department of Health of Rajasthan Government. This annual specialized camp is offering 19 mobile surgical units for specialisations including dental, ENT, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, and gynaecology etc., besides a series of tents equipped to shelter patients and their family members. A special operation theatre has also been set up on the site. The mega health camp of Shahpura began in the year 2000. There was a brief break during the Covid-19 pandemic, however.  

 

Incidentally the Mobile Surgical Unit (Jaipur) of the Rajasthan government had also supported Indian Army during 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. The mobile units were deployed in the then Eastern Pakistan (now Bangladesh) for 12 days. 

 

Shri Tikam Chand Bohra (IAS), Collector and District Magistrate, Shahpura said, “It is heartening to see that Smile Foundation and Sadbhavana Trust are closely working with the health department of Rajasthan Government in organising this health camp where people are getting medical services and surgeries free of cost. I appreciate this exemplary collaborative work and the district administration will continue to extend all possible help in future too.” 

 

During the week-long mega health camp, close to 1,810 patients from Shahpura and surrounding districts turned up for the OPD for various ailments related to eye, throat, gynaecology, chronic medical cases, and dental issues among others. Close to a thousand patients have been admitted and are under the process of surgeries. The specialized mega surgical camp ensures full treatment to the patients and extends their treatment free of cost. 

 

Dr. Anita Verma, Director, Mobile Surgical Unit (Jaipur), Govt. of Rajasthan said, “Our collaboration with Smile Foundation and Sadbhavana Trust has been very fruitful in the form of this free annual mega camp. We are hopeful that in future too our association will reach new heights in serving people.”

 

“This unique annual free mega camp has been serving rural population of our area since year 2000, all thanks to the support of Smile Foundation and the Mobile Surgical Unit, Jaipur. Rogi yahan ro kar aate hai aur has kar jate hain – this has been our biggest accomplishment,” said Mrs. Kamala Chaudhary, President, Sadbhavana Seva Trust, Bhilwara.

 

Smile Foundation is currently operating 90 healthcare projects that include mobile medical units, mobile telemedicine units, mobile dental units, static clinics and mobile physio units under Smile on Wheels, its national healthcare initiative. It covers 920 villages and urban slums across 63 districts, including 17 aspirational ones, in 15 Indian states. During the year, over one million beneficiaries received primary and preventive healthcare services at their doorsteps. Smile Foundation has been working in 27 states of India in the areas of education, skilling, healthcare and women empowerment.

New Delhi, 10 Nov 2023: A unique management development programme for community-based organisations (CBOs) from four states and an UT was organized in New Delhi under Change the Game Academy (CtGA) initiative. The objective of the programme was to make them self-sustainable in their respective local areas. 

Smile Foundation, in association Wilde Ganzen Foundation, the Netherlands has co-created the global capacity development programme named Change the Game Academy India.

Fourteen selected CBO representatives from the states of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and the UT of Chandigarh were included in the residential training programme.

The motto of Smile Foundation’s larger Empowering Grassroots endeavour is ‘helping community-based organisations become locally sustainable’.  

Smile Foundation provides a range of courses and modules for social entrepreneurs and local welfare initiatives in order to help them become self-sustainable. It includes good governance, leadership, project management, communication, resource mobilisation, and local fundraising. 

‘It is a great honour to be part of the training programme organised by Smile Foundation. So many wonderful and good experiences from across India about local fundraising and self-sustainability were showcased. These will also be useful in other parts of the worlds”, said Ms. Rachida Boukhriss, Project Manager, Wilde Ganzen, Netherlands. 

The third-party impact evaluation study on Smile Foundation’s Empowering Grassroots initiative reveals that 60 % of the trained CBOs now have dedicated fundraising teams, and 85 % of them have increased their local fundraising activities over the years. As many as 75 % organisations have published their annual reports, 75 % organisations have expanded their donor base, whereas 95 % CBOs successfully raised funds from individual donors.

“These trainings have been enabling CBOs greatly as they ensure the last-mile delivery of government welfare schemes and policies to the communities, besides doing grassroots work. This training programme on local fundraising will ensure the local organisations become more efficient, scale up their welfare work, besides making social projects sustainable locally,” Said Ms. Sarita Pradhan, Head – Empowering Grassroots, Smile Foundation.  

Traditionally, the Indian development sector has depended on large corporations, multinationals or international grant-making institutions for its major funding. However, these sources have often been out of reach for local social initiatives. With progressive policies, a rising middle class (prospective donors) and the path-breaking CSR mandate, several new doors have suddenly opened up for community-based organisations in India.

Smile Foundation’s Empowering Grassroots programme is designed to help such grassroots social initiatives become locally sustainable, without dependency on foreign resources. Aligned with the Government of India’s “Atmanirbhar Bharat” mission, Empowering Grassroots programme aims to help CBOs to become more efficient, scale up their welfare activities and enables them to tap locally available resources in order to ensure long-term sustainability of the social projects.

Smile Foundation has so far trained approximately 1,000 community-based organisations across India, out of which 400 have become self-sustainable locally, playing their small yet significant roles on the path to nation-building. 

Smile Foundation is a national-level development organization directly benefitting over 1.5 million children and their families every year, through more than 400 welfare projects on education, healthcare, skilling, and women empowerment, in over 2,000 remote villages and urban clusters across 27 states of India. Please visit www.smilefoundationindia.org

August 01, 2023, New Delhi: A single tele-medicine unit that began in May 2021 in Doha
village of Haryana’s Nuh (Mewat) district grew into a project comprising of 10 units at
Health and Wellness Centres in this only aspirational district of Haryana. Smile Foundation,
in partnership with the Government of Haryana (District Health Administration) and
supported by SBI Cards and Payment Services Limited, implemented the project in four
blocks of Nuh, covering a population of one million.

The National Health Policy 2017 (NHP 2017) sets the goal of ensuring the highest possible
level of health and well-being for all, through increasing access, improving quality and
lowering the cost of healthcare delivery. The NHP 17 lays significant emphasis on leveraging
digital technologies for enhancing efficiency and effectiveness of delivery of the healthcare
services. The policy recommends a paradigm shift from the existing silos systems to a
holistic and comprehensive health eco-system, founded on the latest digital architectures
and technologies.

Tele-medicine is an important domain under the newly constituted National Digital Health
Mission, thereby creating an enabling digital health ecosystem in the country. The National
Health Authorities (NHA) has announced integration of National Telemedicine Service –
eSanjeevani with its flagship scheme – Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). 
Smile Foundation, with invaluable support from the donor, decided to complement the
efforts of the District Health Administration in Nuh. Developing a resilient primary
healthcare system, wherein e-Arogya clinics with Tele-Medicine Kiosks, Medicine Vending
Machine (MVM), training a cadre of Community Health Officers (CHO) on the grounds, and
promoting the public healthcare mandates of the government were part of the collaborative
project objectives.

Ten e-Arogya Clinics comprising of Tele-Medicine kiosks with Medicine Vending Machines
(MVM)) were established under eight Primary Health Centres (PHCs), covering a target
beneficiary of 10 lakh population in all the four sub-divisions of the district of Nuh, namely
Ferozepur Jhirka, Nuh, Punhana, and Tauru.

Consultations with general physicians and specialist doctors, free distribution of medicines,
screening of NCD (non-communicable disease) and referral to secondary and tertiary
healthcare services are being made available to people at these e-Arogya Clinics. In addition,
capacity building of the front-line workers and CHOs (Community Health officers) are
facilitated by organizing need-based training programmes in consultation with Nuh district
health administration.

The tele-medicine project was initiated in the district after fulfilling the infrastructural gaps
through refurbishment of ten health and wellness centres, installation of solar power

system ensuring round-the-clock electricity supply and internet facility supporting the
uninterrupted tele-consultations. The e-Arogya clinics generate electronic health record
(EHR) of the patients and also it keeps the record of non-communicable disease (NCD) that
was shared with the government.

Until now, these 10 e-Arogya clinics have benefited over 35,000 individuals directly, of
which 52 per cent beneficiaries are women. Community women, who could not think of
going outside the village, have got the opportunity to take care of their health and
wellbeing. This has also created an enabling eco-system, encouraging the communities
towards availing relevant health entitlements and affirmative action as mandated by the
government.

“Smile Foundation and SBI Card were associated with us for these projects. The outcomes
through these telemedicine centres, the 10 e-Arogya clinics, have helped patients to avail
the services of specialist consultations without having to travel far. The OPDs increased with
the e-Arogya clinics and was helpful for the NCD screening and data recording. Now the
integration of these centres in e-Sanjeevani will lead to steady rise in tele-consultation
ensuring availability, accessibility and affordability of healthcare services in the remotest
areas. We welcome such joint collaborations improving the health indicators in an
aspirational district like Nuh,” said Dr. Sarvjeet Thapar, Civil Surgeon, District Health
Administration, Nuh.

“We are very happy with the outcome and the efforts. Now onward, we are integrating
these initiatives within the government mechanism so that it is widely adopted by
community people, benefits them continuously and it remains sustainable,” said Dr. Ravi
Kant Sinha, Deputy Civil Surgeon (Family Welfare).

“We thank SBI Card for supporting this innovative project and we appreciate the District
Health Administration, Nuh for showing confidence in Smile Foundation. I am glad that our
collective effort has shown results in the area of ensuring healthy lives and promote well-
being, as envisaged in the Sustainable Development Goals (SGD– 3),” said Mr. Santanu
Mishra, Co-founder & Executive Trustee of Smile Foundation.

For the sustainability of e-Arogya clinics, all the 10 tele-medicine units under Ayushman
Bharat – Health and Wellness centres are now integrated with e-Sanjeevani, the flagship
National Telemedicine Service of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. These are being
handed over to the district health department, Nuh. A two-day special training session has
also been organized for all the Community Health Officers (CHOs) to ensure effective
management of the machines and devices too.

A free of cost doorstep healthcare service for underprivileged people across 30 villages in and around Vadodara, Gujarat

Vadodara, July 14, 2023: Under its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, Kotak
Mahindra Prime Ltd. (KMPL) has associated with Smile Foundation, an Indian development
organisation, to launch ‘Smile on Wheels’ initiative, in Vadodara, Gujarat. ‘Smile on Wheels’
will provide free doorstep healthcare through two mobile medical units that will deliver
curative and preventive treatment to underserved people spread across 30 villages in the
Vadodara district of Gujarat. The collaborative efforts of Kotak Prime and Smile Foundation
resonates and complements the Government’s vision of quality healthcare for all.

‘Smile on Wheels’ initiative will enhance accessibly of the underserved to primary healthcare
services and encourage healthcare seeking behaviour in rural clusters of the Vadodara
district. The two Mobile Medical Units (MMU) are well-equipped to benefit underprivileged
people including, pregnant and lactating mothers, and children among others who are
unable to visit a healthcare facility owing to their health condition or mobility issues. Before
the formal launch of this initiative, a month-long pilot of the project was run in Vadodara,
which was conducted with 38 outpatient department (OPDs) benefiting over 2,000
individuals, comprising women and children.

Vyomesh Kapasi, MD & CEO, Kotak Mahindra Prime Ltd. said, “To address the healthcare
needs of the underserved community, Kotak Prime has provided CSR funding to Simile
Foundation to roll out two mobile medical units in Vadodara. The two mobile healthcare
units will provide primary healthcare support to the underserved and improve quality of life
through last-mile connectivity. The Smile on Wheels initiative gives door-step healthcare
access and is our contribution to strengthen the National Health Mission, commissioned by
the Government of India.”

Santanu Mishra, Co-Founder & Executive Trustee, Smile Foundation said, “We thank Kotak
Mahindra Prime Ltd. to support us and complement governmental mission that envisages
achieving universal access to equitable, affordable and quality healthcare services in line
with people's need. We are glad to participate in the public-private developmental
endeavours in ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being as envisioned under the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is crucial in the nation’s progress,”
Kotak Karma is the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) identity of Kotak Mahindra Group.

About Kotak Mahindra Prime

Kotak Mahindra Prime limited (KMPL) is a subsidiary of Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited and is in the
business of financing all passenger vehicles & two wheelers. KMPL is India’s leading car finance
company since 1996 and started financing two wheelers since 2018. The company is dedicated to
financing dealers and retail customers. The company offers financing in the form of loans for the
entire range of passenger cars, multi utility vehicles, pre-owned cars & two wheelers. The company
also offers inventory funding and term loans to car & two wheeler dealers. KMPL has preferred
financier relationships with various manufacturers in India and has a retail distribution network
comprising of 133 branches in 23 states in the country and a wide network of direct marketing
associates and agencies supporting its distribution network.

https://www.primeloans.kotak.com

About Smile Foundation

Smile Foundation is a national development organization directly benefitting over 1.5 million
underprivileged children and their families every year through more than 400 welfare projects in
education, healthcare, livelihood and women empowerment spread across 2,000 remote villages
and urban slums in 25 states of India.

www.smilefoundationindia.org

Smile on Wheels is a national-level mobile healthcare initiative from Smile Foundation that benefits
underprivileged communities. Through this programme, well-equipped mobile medical units, along
with specialized doctors, nurses, and medical staff, reach out to villages and underserved urban
communities to provide crucial access to primary healthcare services. As of today, Smile Foundation
has been operating 75 Smile on Wheels projects covering 868 villages and slums in 52 districts across
16 states of India. Till date more than a million children and their families have received free
healthcare services across India.

For further information, please contact:

Revathi Pandit
Kotak Mahindra Bank
Mobile: +91 98202
37909
Revathi.pandit@kota
k.com

Rohit Panchal
Kotak Mahindra Bank
Mobile: 9664225963
Rohit.panchal2@kota
k.com

Suvidha Awle
Weber Shandwick
Mobile: +91
9769777935
Sawle@webershandwic
k.com

Shrenya Priyadarshini
Weber Shandwick
Mobile: +91
7021073983
spriyadarshini@webe
rshandwick.com

Beawar, Rajasthan, 14 July 2023: Smile Foundation has launched its popular mobile healthcare
project named ‘Smile of Wheels’ in Beawar district of Rajasthan. The project will cover 10
identified villages initially and 45,000 people directly benefit from primary healthcare
services. USA-based organisation Pushpa and Val Sapra Family Foundation is supporting the project
in Beawar.

The mobile healthcare unit was flagged off at Suhawa village by Shri. Padam Singh,
Sarpanch; accompanied by Shri. Maan Singh, Deputy Sarpanch; along with Shri Vasu
Khilnani from Pushpa and Val Sapra Family Foundation, Shri. Rajeev Sharma from Smile
Foundation, doctor, paramedics, project management personnel, ward members and
villagers.

Beawar Sarpanch, Shri Padam Singh said, “On behalf of our village and the region, I thank
Smile Foundation, and Pushpa and Val Sapra Family Foundation for this noble cause. The
villagers will get primary health care services at their door steps at free of cost.”
The uniqueness of this mobile healthcare project is its 3A model; meaning availability,
accessibility and affordability. In availability, the project will have a qualified doctor,
paramedic staff, diagnostic equipment and medicines. Under accessibility, all these medical
facilities will be made available to villagers at their doorsteps. The schedule of the mobile
healthcare unit will be made available to people in advance. In affordability, all the services
mentioned above, including OPD and medicines, are free of charges.

Shri Val Sapra, Founder of Pushpa and Val Sapra Family Foundation expressed, “Sapra Family is
grateful to Smile Foundation for fulfilling our dream to initiate Smile on Wheels mobile
healthcare project in the villages around Beawar, our ancestral birthplace.”

The Smile on Wheels mobile healthcare unit will work in coordination with the government.
This will help the government efforts to improve the health status of pregnant and lactating
mothers, children, raise awareness about immunization, antenatal/postnatal care, and
support access to secondary and tertiary government healthcare services.

Shri Santanu Mishra, Co-founder & Executive Trustee of Smile Foundation said, “We thank
our supporter for showing confidence in us. The participation of villagers and community
leaders from the very beginning of the project is really encouraging and inspiring. Together,
we will complement the government’s efforts in making primary healthcare available to
people, especially to children, young mothers and the elderlies.”

These project in Beawar will also aim to reduce vulnerability to diseases and promote health-
seeking behaviour among the villagers. In addition, Smile on Wheels will seek to improve
maternal health, promote institutional deliveries, increase diagnostic rates, and improve
overall community health in coordination with the government efforts.

Smile on Wheels is a national-level mobile healthcare initiative from Smile Foundation that benefits
underserved remote rural and urban communities. As of today, Smile Foundation has been
operating 75 Smile on Wheels projects covering 868 villages and slums in 52 districts across 16 states
of India. Till date more than a million children and their families have received free healthcare
services across India.

About Smile Foundation
Smile Foundation is an Indian development organization directly benefiting over 1.5 million
children and families every year through more than 400 welfare projects on education,
healthcare, livelihood, and women empowerment spread across 2,000 villages and slums in
25 states.

Ranchi, India, July 5, 2023: Hon’ble Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Shri Hemant Soren, flagged
off Mobile Medical Units in partnership with MSD Pharmaceuticals and Smile Foundation. Shri
Banna Gupta, Minister of Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare; Shri Rajesh Kachhap,
MLA Khijri; Shr. Ramachandra Singh, MLA Manika; Shri Arun Kumar Singh, Additional Chief
Secretary, Department of Health, Medical Education & Family Welfare; Smt. Vandana Dadel,
Principal Secretary to the CM; Shri Alok Trivedi, Mission Director National Health Mission,
Jharkhand were among the dignitaries who graced the occasion.

The program, called ‘Smile on Wheels,’ aims to support the districts of West Singhbhum,
Sahebganj, Chatra, Dumka & Garhwa in Jharkhand benefiting more than 2 lakh people. The
initiative will reach nearly 60 villages across these districts. The program’s primary objective is
to strengthen and supplement the government’s healthcare system and enhance accessibility,
availability and affordability of quality primary healthcare services in rural areas.

Each mobile medical unit will be equipped with qualified doctors, para-medical staff, point-of-
care and diagnostic services, and medicines. It will provide free OPD services and medicines,
improve the health status of pregnant and lactating mothers, raise awareness about
immunization, antenatal/postnatal care, and support access to secondary and tertiary
healthcare. These efforts aim to reduce the out-of-pocket expenses on healthcare, vulnerability
to diseases, and promote health-seeking behaviour. It will seek to improve maternal health,
promote institutional deliveries, increase diagnostic rates, and improve overall community
health.

Hon’ble Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Shri Hemant Soren said, “I believe that information,
awareness, compassion, along with a proper system are crucial to make healthcare available to
people. I am sure that innovative and collaborative programme such as this will complement our
efforts.”

Rehan A. Khan, Managing Director, MSD Pharmaceuticals India said, “At MSD, we want to
improve the health of the people. We are pleased to partner with the government in our shared
mission of enhancing healthcare access. This collaborative effort between the government,
MSD Pharma and SMILE Foundation underscores the importance of working together to
address healthcare challenges and improve the well-being of citizens.”
Neelima Dwivedi, Executive Director – Public Policy, Communications & Market Access, MSD
Pharmaceuticals India said, “Through our community interventions, our aim is to improve
access to healthcare across the country by strengthening and supplementing the government’s
efforts especially in the aspirational districts called out by the NITI Aayog. We are confident that these initiatives will make a huge impact and help improve the health and lives of people in
these districts.”

Santanu Mishra, Co-founder & Executive Trustee of Smile Foundation said, “Promoting good
health and well-being, as enshrined in Sustainable Development Goals – 3 is a crucial element
in the nation’s growth. We are glad to play a significant role in complementing the governmental
efforts in Jharkhand.”

Vikram Singh Verma, Executive Director of Smile Foundation said, “We are thankful to MSD
Pharmaceuticals India for their support and grateful to the Government of Jharkhand for the
opportunity and confidence in us to help deliver crucial healthcare services at the grassroot. I
am sure that our healthcare experience across India will be useful in achieving our collective
mission.”

The Smile on Wheels program deploys well-equipped mobile medical units with specialized
doctors, nurses, medical staff, and medicines to villages and underserved communities,
ensuring crucial access to healthcare services. The program’s objective is to ensure improved
healthcare services reach the doorstep of people residing in unserved or underserved areas.

***

About MSD Pharmaceuticals

For 130 years, MSD has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for
many of the world’s most challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve
lives. MSD is a trade name of Merck & Co., Inc., with headquarters in Kenilworth, N.J., U.S.A.
We demonstrate our commitment to patients and population health by increasing access to
health care through far-reaching policies, programs, and partnerships. Today, MSD continues to
be at the forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that threaten people and animals —
including cancer, infectious diseases such as HIV and Ebola, and emerging animal diseases —
as we aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world. For
more information, visit www.msd.com and connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. 

About Smile Foundation

Smile Foundation is an Indian development organization directly benefiting over 1.5 million
children and families every year through more than 400 welfare projects on education,
healthcare, livelihood, and women empowerment spread across 2,000 villages and slums in 25
states.

Please visit www.smilefoundationindia.org

Media Contacts:

MSD Pharmaceuticals
Shibani Shah: [email protected]
Krisha Doshi: [email protected]

Smile Foundation:
Sandip Nayak: [email protected]

Garhwa, 7 th of July 2023: Shri Mithilesh Kumar Thakur, Honourable Minister for Drinking Water &
Sanitation, Government of Jharkhand flagged off Smile on Wheels mobile medical unit for the
people of Garhwa district from the Sadar Hospital premises. The project is being supported by MSD
Pharmaceuticals and implemented by Smile Foundation. Dr. Anil Kumar, Civil Surgeon cum Chief
Medical Officer, and Shri Praveen Kumar Singh, District Programme Manager also graced the
occasion.
“This is a great initiative for Garhwa district as this will complement the government’s efforts in
serving the rural population. I thank MSD Pharmaceuticals, especially Neelima Dwivedi ji, for
choosing Jharkhand for its CSR initiative. I am sure that Smile Foundation will bring its best of
expertise as the implementing partner of this Smile on Wheels project,” said Hon’ble Minister, Shri
Mithilesh Kumar Thakur.

About the Project in Jharkhand

MSD Pharmaceutical Pvt Ltd and Smile Foundation has been working in the state of Jharkhand in 5
districts i.e. Garhwa, Chatra, Dumka, Sahibganj and West Singbhum to reach approximately 2,25,000
beneficiaries through Mobile Medical Units called Smile on Wheels.
Smile on Wheels programme focuses on providing wide range of health services like
● OPD Services will provide curative health care services to the community, which include health
check-ups, Point of Care tests, medicines and counselling.
● Referral Services: The project will act as a bridge between the community and the government.
Linkages will be established with the Primary Health Care Centers and Government Hospitals
● To ensure safe motherhood, the project will provide Ante-Natal Care and Post-Natal Care Services
on the ground
● Awareness Programme: Information Education and Communication (IEC/BCC) activities will
promote health seeking behaviour and preventive actions in the community
● Networking & Liasioning: will be done with Government and Community stakeholders to ensure
smooth operations and create single window to make the health services available

About the Project in Garwha

Project Reach – 45,000 rural beneficiaries
Team Composition – The team comprises of Community Health Officer, Doctor, Nurse, Community
Mobilizer and Driver.
Equipment and Technology: The Smile on Wheels mobile medical unit is equipped with Oxygen
Cylinder, Nebulizer, Blood Pressure Regulator, Thermal Scanner, Oximeter, Foetal Doppler, Weighing

Machine, Point of Care Test Kits (covering Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya, UPT etc.), GPS tracker and
Digital Patient Database Management System.

About MSD Pharmaceuticals

For 130 years, MSD has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for
many of the world's most challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve
lives. MSD is a trade name of Merck & Co., Inc., with headquarters in Kenilworth, N.J.,
U.S.A. We demonstrate our commitment to patients and population health by increasing
access to health care through far-reaching policies, programmes, and partnerships. Today,
MSD continues to be at the forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that threaten
people and animals — including cancer, infectious diseases such as HIV and Ebola, and
emerging animal diseases — as we aspire to be the premier research-intensive
biopharmaceutical company in the world.

About Smile Foundation

Smile Foundation is an Indian development organization directly benefiting over 1.5 million
children and families every year through more than 400 welfare projects on education,
healthcare, livelihood, and women empowerment spread across 2,000 villages and slums in
25 states.

Media Contact:

Sandip Nayak | 8800744001 | www.smilefoundationindia.org

New Delhi, April 21, 2023: Film from the Czech Republic ‘Even Mice Belong in Heaven’, where two mortal enemies, mice and fox become best of friends in the animal heaven moved the heart of the jury to bag three awards. It included the Best Feature Film and the Best Story (Children) awards at the ongoing Smile International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFFCY). The international film festival is held every year to recognise creative talent and to encourage children and youth centric cinema. 

 

‘Gandhi & Co’ becomes the lone Indian film to win an award during this year’s SIFFCY. Produced by Mahesh Danannavar and directed by Manish Saini, Gandhi & Co is a light-hearted Gujarati comedy movie. It depicts a story taking along Gandhian values of harmony and honesty in an entertaining way. This film won two awards, namely in the best director and best actor categories.

 

SIFFCY is a testament to the power of storytelling and its ability to inspire, impress and entertain children. The week-long event is showing over 150 handpicked films from across the globe for over 100,000 school children across India through 50 simultaneous screenings. It provides filmmakers with an opportunity to connect with young audiences too. 

 

“Cinema, with its larger-than-life characterization, awe-inspiring depiction and inherent unique power, will continue to remain relevant as one of the best creative tools. Using good cinema, we want to contribute to positive societal change that begins with the young minds. With our 10th edition next year, we want to reach one million young audience,” said Mr. Santanu Mishra, Chairman of SIFFCY and Executive Trustee & Co-Founder of the Smile Foundation.

 

The unique film festival serves as a platform to promote children’s films and create awareness about the importance of quality cinema for young audiences, and this is a step towards achieving that goal. SIFFCY aims to encourage and recognize the efforts of filmmakers who produce quality cinema for children across the globe.

 

Here are some of the winners for this year’s awards and categories, which include both animated and inspiring films.

 

1) International Competition, Best Feature Film (Children): Even Mice Belong in Heaven, The Czech Republic, France, Poland and Slovakia

2) Best Feature Film (Youth): Oskar & Lilli, Austria

3) Best Actor Award: Dhyani Jani and Hiranya Zinzuwadia for Gandhi & Co (Gujarati), India

4) Best Story Award: Even Mice Belong in Heaven, The Czech Republic, France, Poland and Slovakia 

5) Best Short Film Award: Why Did the Giraffe’s Flower Fade (Persian), Iran 

6) Best Next Gen Award (Film made by Children): The Most Boring Granny in the Whole World (German), Germany 

7) ECFA (European Children’s Film Association) Award for best film: Even Mice Belong in Heaven

8) CIFEJ (International Centre of Films for Children & Young People) Award for best film: Tales of Franz (German), Germany

9) Film Critics Circle of India (FCCI) Award for best film: Tales of Franz, Germany 

10) Best Director: Manish Saini for Gandhi & Co (Gujarati), India

11) Best Short Film (Children) by Young Jury: Witch Fairy, Belgium 

12) Best Short Film (Youth) by Young Jury: You Have Many Parts (German), Germany 

 

Two categories were specifically adjudged by the Young Jury (comprised of 50 children and youth from five countries), recognizing the best short films made for young people. ‘Witch Fairy’ from Belgium won the Best Short Film (Children) award, while ‘You Have Many Parts’ from Germany was awarded the Best Short Film (Youth).

 

Mr. Santanu Mishra added that in recent years, there has been a growing demand for children’s films in India, and efforts are being made to produce more of them. Through our efforts, we want to recognize and encourage young filmmakers to produce age-appropriate content that can cater to the potential and the need of the hour. This initiative not only promotes creativity but also helps shape the minds of young viewers. 

 

“The festival aims to promote the art of filmmaking and encourage children to appreciate and create cinema that reflects their own unique perspectives. On the sidelines of screening films, every year workshops, training and orientation programmes, and interactive sessions with filmmakers are organized under SIFFCY to inspire young minds to explore the ever-evolving world of cinema also as a future career option,” explained Mr. Jitendra Mishra, SIFFCY Festival Director. 

 

About Smile Foundation

Smile Foundation is a national-level development organization directly benefitting over 1.5 million children and their families every year, through more than 400 welfare projects on education, healthcare, livelihood and women empowerment, in over 2000 remote villages and slums across 25 states of India. 

Smile Foundation is also a widely respected brand known for its continuous innovations and strives to sensitize the privileged mass across the globe so that they come forward, take on the social problems of the world as personal challenges and fight them back. And in order to grab their attention, Smile Foundation has been developing films as a core area, which are creative, innovative and are a balance of the right content and the right quality.

April 12, 2023, New Delhi: Children and youth are the future of any nation. If sensitized early, they can be the best change agents, be it in their family or the community they live. But unfortunately, teenagers are prone to harmful addictions, loneliness, insecurity, violence and aggression owing to unbridled exposure into a plethora of media. Hence, it has become very important to channel the energy and enthusiasm of children and youth into a positive direction by imbibing a conscious perspective and constructive value system in them. 

The idea behind Smile International Film Festival for Children & Youth (SIFFCY) has been to nurture a special film platform devoted to a greater appreciation of meaningful cinemas made for children and youth which can bring change in the society by showcasing those films, supporting emerging filmmakers, recognizing the pioneers and leaders of the similar industry and by promoting the diverse perspectives of good cinema from across the globe. 

The week-long SIFFCY enters its ninth edition this year, beginning 17th of April. This edition will screen 150 acclaimed and award-winning films sourced from over 50 countries, enthralling an audience of over 100,000 children and youth. Films and workshops on climate change, road safety and on children cinema will also be organized with the involvement of industry experts, opinion makers and professionals. 

“I believe that good cinema is one of the most powerful media to depict reality and emulate values. A single good film has the power to stimulate discussion and contemplation in young minds about personal, emotional, societal and moral duties enabling them to become better and stronger individuals. Our aim is to catch their attention and make them consider worthy social concerns thereby influencing them to adopt the model of civic-driven change in the society. Our films are driven towards creating an impact on the society for a good cause,” says Mr. Santanu Mishra, Chairman of SIFFCY and Executive Trustee & Co-Founder of Smile Foundation.

This year the festival will host the prestigious European Children’s Film Association Award and also the acclaimed CIFEJ Award (only Indian organization to host the award). In addition, SIFFCY will host the much-admired Film Critics Circle of India Award as well.

A segment under the best of “Czech Animations” will be showcased this year in collaboration with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in New Delhi. Further, the association will bring 10 curated and handpicked films made by young filmmakers of the Tomas Bata University in Zlin.

The collaborate with the Delegation of the European Union to India is bringing the best of European cinema made for children and youth for the Indian audience during SIFFCY 2023. Further association with SCHLINGEL International Film Festival, Germany will result in 10 recent handpicked German films captivating the young Indian enthusiasts. 

“This edition of SIFFCY will have a dozen of unique workshops, panel discussions and master-classes by industry experts and mentors, in additoin to screening of internationally acclaimed films. The larger idea behind this festival is to encourage young minds to think critically and express creatively, especially through the medium of films. We have also been trying to provide an exclusive platform for young, aspiring and independent filmmakers to showcase their talents to the international audience,” says Mr. Jitendra Mishra, festival director of SIFFCY.

In one of the biggest cinematic experiences for children, youth and film-enthusiasts in India, Smile International Film Festival for Children & Youth (SIFFCY) will screen the handpicked films on a hybrid mode, through both physical and virtual platforms. Over 30,000 young visitors are scheduled to visit the festival venues in New Delhi alone where over 25 International filmmakers, experts, festival organizers, media professionals from over 20 different countries will be present physically and virtually. In addition, the festival will be held in 50 other locations spread across India. Acclaimed filmmaker from Japan Mr. Nijitaro will be hosting an animation workshops with underprivileged children to make a film during the ninth edition of SIFFCY.  

Smile Foundation believes that every movie creator or storyteller has a unique way of working. However, one of the important qualities is to use entertainment as a medium to inculcate invaluable human emotions such as giving, empathy and a sense of responsibility.

With a strong belief in the power of responsible communication, especially that of good cinema, Smile Foundation has successfully worked on numerous short films, documentaries, TV series and campaigns besides a full-length feature film ‘I am Kalam’ in the recent past. I am Kalam alone travelled across the globe winning 30 awards, besides a national award in India.

Prominent directors, actors, writers, cinematographers and production wizards including Hansal Mehta, Jahnu Barua, Santosh Sivan, Nagesh Kukunoor, Resul Pookutty, Tigmanshu Dhulia, and Utpal Borpujari have been the pillars of strength since the inception of SIFFCY.

 

About Smile Foundation:

Smile Foundation is a national level development organization directly benefitting over 1.5 million children and their families every year, through more than 400 welfare projects on education, healthcare, livelihood and women empowerment, in over 2000 remote villages and slums across 25 states of India. Smile Foundation is also a widely respected brand known for its continuous innovations and strives to sensitize the privileged mass across the globe so that they come forward, take on the social problems of the world as personal challenges and fight them back. And in order to grab their attention, Smile Foundation has been developing films as a core area, which are creative, innovative and are a balance of the right content and the right quality.