The past year has been tough all around, but more so for some than others. Intel’s employee volunteers have stepped up to help those in need, continuing their good work despite the challenges. One person who has gone above and beyond to make a difference for others is Anubhav David, a system validation engineer at Intel India.
Anubhav has been selected as a Global Intel Involved Hero Award finalist. This year’s Hero Award takes on a deeper significance, recognizing extraordinary employee volunteers who have made a meaningful and lasting impact in their community. Ten such Heroes have been selected to receive $2,500 each towards the charity of their choice and later this year, one will go on to win the Hero Award and receive an additional $7,500 for their cause.
We reached out to Anubhav to learn more about his volunteering efforts and how this work touches lives and livelihoods in the community.
Q1: Congratulations on being selected as a Hero Award finalist. Tell us about your work as a volunteer and the social impact you are making.
I have been associated with an NGO called Love and Serve India, based in Orissa. I drive several initiatives including vocational training for destitute women, teaching mathematics, science, and English to poor orphan and semi-orphan children, providing houses for people rendered homeless by the cyclone in Orissa, counseling parents to allow their children to study, and conducting awareness camps on safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I visited the villages and after interacting with the people and understanding their circumstances, I proposed to the NGO that we identify around 20 women who could be trained in vocational skills. The first batch was trained in sewing for one year and after that, they were each provided a sewing machine so that they would be self-sufficient and be able to support their families. I was also able to network with a few fabric suppliers to help kickstart their businesses.
In tribal villages, I helped spread awareness of Orissa government organizations and benefits for those living below the poverty line. I researched and visited the village block offices to learn more from the local officers. Then, we organized camps to educate the villagers and help them apply for government benefits.
In all the villages I visited, I counseled parents on sending their children to primary school. We have also supported many children to continue their education through financial assistance.
Q2: Your selection as a finalist comes with a grant of $2,500. How will this help your cause?
The grant will help Love and Serve India expand the vocational training for destitute women to one more village where 20 more women will benefit. It will allow us to get four new sewing machines and a projector to facilitate the training.
Q3: What prompted you to start volunteering and how did this project come about?
When I was in my second year of engineering in 2012, I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior. He has influenced all aspects of my life and one of his famous sayings is “Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:31. Another verse which has touched me is, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” – Proverbs 19:17. So, I began volunteering to give back to the community. I was involved in counseling drug addicts, teaching high school students, helping the elderly, and visiting jails to spend time with prisoners. My volunteering journey has continued and led me to this project.
Q4: The way we live and work has changed due to the pandemic. How did you adapt your volunteering efforts to the new normal?
That’s a good question. When I was in Bengaluru, I used to teach classes online every day from 6 to 8 p.m. I taught mathematics and science for grades 8–10 in the Odia language and made efforts to teach the students basic English.
Due to COVID-19, my managers were gracious enough to allow me to work from home and I moved back to my village in Orissa. Here, I was able to interact with the students in person while taking all precautions and adhering to safety guidelines. On weekends, I would visit five adjacent villages where I was able to conduct COVID-19 awareness camps and counsel parents to send their children to school. Along with that, I was also able to spend time with the elderly during my visits.
Q5: How do you make time for volunteering and what support do you get from Intel and your team?
My priorities are God, family, and work, in that order. I believe that with effective time management and setting correct priorities, we can effectively balance everything in life. Keeping that in context, I make time for all these volunteering activities after my priorities are taken care of. I have a very supportive family in my wife Christina, my mom Rosy, and my grandma Abhagini, who encourage me to continue my volunteering journey.
My department group lead, manager, and other colleagues have also been very supportive and motivate me to pursue this cause.
Q6: How can your coworkers get started on their volunteering journey to create social impact?
It is rightly said by Kevin Heath, “No act of kindness is too small. The gift of kindness may start as a small ripple that over time can turn into a tidal wave affecting the lives of many.”
I want to encourage and motivate every Intel India employee to contribute in some way, small or big, towards community needs. The community needs us, our time, our attention, and more importantly, our love, which has solutions to almost all problems in life.
Looking for a career where you can give back to your community? Join us.
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