97
Good Practice
Human Rights
Global Compact International Yearbook 2013
artistic fashion line of cashmere scarves.
This process not only generated aware-
ness about the plight of the Haitian
people, it ultimately gave the children
a voice and a creative outlet for their
messages of survival, hope, and deter-
mination for a better future.
The TMS Group collaborated closely with
the charity regarding the production,
sales, and distribution processes. One
hundred percent of the net proceeds
generated by Franca Art and Fashion
go to building a sustainable community
and a brighter future for the children of
the Maranatha School and Orphanage,
which is located in the capital city of
Port Au Prince.
Through dedication and tireless com-
mitment, the school’s staff cares for 160
children in a region whereby poverty
remains pervasive. In the United Na-
tions Human Development Index, Haiti
as a nation ranks 145
th
of 169 countries,
which is the lowest ranking in the West-
ern hemisphere.
India: School rebuilding and
sponsorship
The TMS Group has been a long-term
sponsor and primary contributor to the
rebuilding of the Sacred Heart Primary
and High School located in the Para-
mankeni Kanchipuram coastal district
of the Chennai region of India. The
sponsorship dates back to the devas-
tating tsunami that struck throughout
Southeast Asia nearly a decade ago. The
Sacred Heart School and surrounding
community were decimated.
Through collaborative efforts with the
TMS Group for fundraising and volun-
teerism, the school was rebuilt and has
grown into a thriving institution.
The school is divided into primary and
secondary levels. Nearly 40 percent of
the enrollment is at the primary level,
with student ages ranging from 6 to 11
years old. Sixty percent are enrolled in
the combined secondary / high school
levels for students aged 12-17 years old.
An intermediate level / wing is being
planned for ages 12-14 in 2014.
Annually, the school’s student registra-
tion continues to grow through word of
mouth within the adjacent communities.
At the end of calendar year 2012, the
student population was 424. Based on
the current growth rate, the school is ex-
pected to double within the next three to
five years. Families continue to relocate
to the coastal fishing region in order for
their children to enroll in the school’s
well-structured curriculum.
The basic education provisions through-
out India are free. However, critical re-
quirements must be provided by families
such as: school uniforms, course materi-
als, notebooks, and meals. The costs for
these essentials oftentimes will limit a
family’s ability to educate one or all
of their children. Direct financial sup-
port, school uniforms, and computer
equipment are all part of the continual
provisions provided by the TMS Group
for the Sacred Heart School.
The positive outcomes here translate
into increasing numbers of children in
this community who now have access
to free education. Upon completion of
high school, greater opportunities are
opening for matriculation to universities
or trade and vocational training schools.
Furthermore, those children who take
advantage of the newly created pathway
out of poverty are becoming positive
family and community role models.
Year 2012 synopsis
The TMS Group has a long history of
philanthropy and it will continue to be a
significant hallmark of the TMS Group’s
corporate citizenship and CSR philoso-
phies. This includes not only offering
financial support coupled with compas-
sion, but emphasizing the creation of
opportunities for socioeconomic mobility
through individual and corporate deeds.
All of these efforts are done with the
expressed understanding that education
–
combined with social development –
offers the best hope. It is the key to
breaking the vicious cycle of poverty
that pervades developing nations and
disadvantaged families.