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GJNRF: Reaching Out, Rebuilding Futures
For 25 years, India’s Gem & Jewellery National Relief Foundation has provided aid in the wake of war, natural disasters, and global crises.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s Gem & Jewellery National Relief Foundation (GJNRF) organized large-scale vaccination drives for cutters, polishers, and other diamond industry employees. The World Federation of Diamond Bourses, Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, and the Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) supported GJNRF’s efforts. Pictured is a drive held at the BDB.
Mumbai, India—In the first few weeks after COVID-19 triggered a nationwide lockdown in March 2020, most industries in India ground to a halt.
The diamond and jewelry industry was no exception.
Yet, even as the polishing wheels stopped turning, the sorting tables remained empty, and work in the casting and setting departments came to a standstill, the industry was soon back “at work,” thanks to the Gem & Jewellery National Relief Foundation (GJNRF).
Within a short span of time, GJNRF was supporting the daily distribution of thousands of food packets to migrant and daily wage workers in different regions.
In addition, frontline staff in the healthcare sector and other essential services were supplied with masks, sanitizer, and protective gear, while kits of food and other supplies were distributed to diamond and jewelry artisans in and around key manufacturing centers across the country.
A Collective Response to Every Crisis
“GJNRF has always been at the forefront when responding to any national crisis that has occurred during the last 25 years, be it a natural disaster or otherwise,” said GJNRF Chairman Praveen Shankar Pandya.
“The industry has put its best foot forward on numerous occasions.”
The foundation, now in its 25th year, was set up in response to the humanitarian crisis the country experienced following the Kargil War with Pakistan in 1999.
“There were a number of war widows and orphaned children, and we felt that we needed to express solidarity with those who protect our borders by aiding these families,” Pandya recalled.
Responses were formulated after extensive consultations with concerned authorities.
In addition to immediate monetary assistance for widows, plans for longer-term welfare programs were put in place.
"We aim to make sure that our support is well-directed and also yields results.”— Praveen Shankar Pandya, GJNRF chairman
This included establishing computer centers in schools at major regimental centers, the creation of a body to fund scholarships for more than 1,000 students every year since 1999, and construction of the Diamond AWWA Hostel, built in collaboration with the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA), for children pursuing studies in Mumbai.
Currently, a proposal is being finalized to add an additional floor to the hostel, this one exclusively for girls.
“Two crucial aspects of every project taken up by GJNRF are evaluation of gaps and identification of proper partners for execution,” Pandya explains. “We aim to make sure that our support is well-directed and also yields results.”
He cited the example of the landmark intervention the organization undertook in Odisha, a state in eastern India that was struck by a devastating cyclone in 1999.
“After immediate relief operations, we were able to identify a unique area critical for longer-term [investment]—restoration of the natural fertility of over 30,000 acres of land that had been rendered unfit for farming by the deluge,” he said.
“This intervention continues to benefit agricultural communities there even decades later.”
Global Support After Gujarat Quake
Another significant milestone for GJNRF was the massive campaign mounted in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck the Kutch region of Gujarat, a state in western India, in 2001. The quake measured 7.6 on the moment magnitude scale and 8.1 on the Richter scale.
Over a span of four years, the GJNRF helped coordinate the reconstruction of entire villages with modern, well-planned layouts and earthquake resistant structures; reconstruct a large number of buildings housing educational institutions, hospitals, and other primary health centers; and help entire communities rebuild their shattered lives.
“Many of the workers in the diamond factories of Surat were originally from Kutch,” explained Sanjay Kothari, former GJNRF chairman and current managing trustee, “and so the global diamond industry stepped forward with generous support for these projects.”
The GJNRF’s efforts in Kutch following the earthquake received support from De Beers, Rio Tinto (Argyle), and even the local Antwerp government. Senior diamond industry leaders, including Nicky Oppenheimer, Gary Ralfe, and Gordon Gilchrist, personally attended different inaugural events.
“Other GJNRF initiatives have been supported by the international diamond community,” Kothari noted, “especially those that directly impacted the workers of the diamond industry.”
Recently, GJNRF was one of the two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) selected as a beneficiary at the ninth annual “Jewellers for Hope” charity dinner held alongside IIJS Premiere, India’s largest business-to-business trade show for the gem and jewelry industry, in August.
De Beers, the World Gold Council, and the Gemological Institute of America supported the event.
Related stories will be right here …
Workers’ Welfare Programs
Though GJNRF has responded to all communities affected by calamities and crisis, it has also developed special programs focused on the workers who are the backbone of the diamond and jewelry industry.
“During the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, GJNRF took steps to mitigate the impact on the families of diamond workers,” Pandya said.
“The foundation paid fees for thousands of students so that their educations would not be disrupted, distributed essential supplies, and gave sewing machines to some women so they too could earn an independent livelihood.”
In the later phase of the COVID crisis, GJNRF organized free vaccination drives for workers returning to their factories with support from the World Federation of Diamond Bourses, the International Diamond Manufacturers Association, and other global organizations.
“We are now assessing the impact of the current slowdown in the industry on workers’ lives and plan to formulate an appropriate response soon,” Pandya added.
Underlying this support during times of uncertainty is the flagship Swasthya Kosh fund run by GJNRF, which subsidizes medical insurance premiums for the Swasthya Ratna program focused on workers of the diamond and jewelry industry.
The project has already covered about 840,000 workers and their families since its inception in 2015.
A Unique Approach
Social outreach by the gem and jewelry industry in India was not new when GJNRF was established in 1999. Decades before that, individual companies were giving back to society in multiple ways.
This included running schools and colleges, hospitals and medical camps, and supporting organizations working to improve lives of the underprivileged.
These individual initiatives continue even today.
“What changed in 1999,” Pandya explained, “was that the industry took a step to coordinate major social interventions in a more organized manner, especially during times of crisis and calamities.”
“We want communities that face devastating crises to be able to rebuild their futures.” — Sanjay Kothari, GJNRF managing trustee
Kothari elaborated on the approach adopted by GJNRF.
“We encourage hands-on participation. Members of the industry are personally involved in assessments, formulation of an effective strategy, and execution,” he said.
“Broadly speaking, we have always reached out with immediate relief measures during emergencies, but also followed that up with concrete steps aimed at long-term rehabilitation. We want communities that face devastating crises to be able to rebuild their futures.”
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