GUWAHATI: In a noble initiative for a clean city as well as to provide livelihood to the poor and deprived, the ERD Foundation on Tuesday signed an MoU with Akshar Foundation, a Guwahati-based registered public charitable trust engaged in poverty eradication through operation of schools that supplement formal education with vocational training, business incubation, and community development.
The MoU was signed at ERDF office at Bhetapara by Parmita Nagen Sarma, Co-Founder & Associate Director of Akshar and Mehjabeen Rahman, Jt Director, HR, ERDF.
The MoU would support Akshar to launch its recycling centre, which shall consist of a collection service for dry waste in the communities served by the Akshar School, as well as a low-tech processing facility on the campus of Akshar School for sorting and reusing solid waste. As per the MoU, ERDF shall facilitate in setting up an infrastructure to enable social enterprises associated with Akshar to sell food products and handmade products within USTM campus. The infrastructure will include, facility for hosting food carts and stalls for crafts and packaged food products on the UTSM campus; a space for storage of supplies, permission to operate gas cylinder stove, and access to a power outlet within the UTSM campus; and provision for an indoor space for stalls to operate with access to electric outlets and gas cylinder inside the UTSM campus.
On the other hand, Akshar will provide necessary facilities to the interns of USTM during their internship period with Akshar schools. ERDF and Akshar will take steps to collaborate on facilitating poverty eradication, public health, environmental remediation programs from USTM students and faculty.
