Wayanad: Channelling CSR funds to rebuild lives and future

Wayanad (Kerala): When flash floods and landslides tore through Wayanad's Chooralmala village in July 2024, Athira’s dream of becoming an aeronautical engineerappeared to end overnight.

Athira (name changed to protect identity) was preparing for engineering entrance examinations in Kozhikode when news arrived that the disaster devastated her village. Hundreds were killed, many went missing and entire settlements were wiped out.

Her family of six escaped, but their house was among those destroyed. With the home gone and uncertainty looming, higher education seemed unaffordable.


That changed when Athira learned about Bhoomi, an initiative launched by T Siddique, the current Kerala agriculture minister who was then an opposition MLA, to support students and families affected by the disaster.

"As I came to terms with the reality after the landslide, I thought I could no longer join a college. But the unexpected support I received has kept me going," Athira told ET. Her family now lives in a government-provided house in Kalpetta. Now 21 years old, she’s studying aeronautical engineering, moving closer to her dream.

Athira is among 451 students supported by Bhoomi, including 254 directly affected by the landslides.

The initiative, emerged in the aftermath of one of Kerala's worst natural disasters in recent years, connects donors with people and projects requiring support.

Siddique, who represents Kalpetta in the Kerala assembly, said it was born out of an urgent need to prevent students from dropping out of education after their families lost homes, livelihoods and savings. The initial goal was to mobilise around Rs 20 crore to support students from economically weaker families.

Unlike a conventional charitable fund, Bhoomi does not directly collect or disburse money. It functions as an intermediary platform, matching private companies, public sector enterprises and wealthy individuals with verified projects and beneficiaries. Volunteers associated with the initiative have been reaching out to potential donors to secure long-term commitments for education, housing, livelihood restoration and community development.

The initiative is now looking beyond immediate relief. Bhoomi has identified multiple areas requiring intervention to improve living conditions and economic opportunities in landslide-affected regions of Wayanad.

Recently launched as a district development platform for Wayanad, Bhoomi aims to channel CSR investments into projects aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Project coordinator Pranav C Hari said the effort also seeks to address a broader challenge: Kerala receives only a small share of India's corporate social responsibility spending.

Its backers believe that if Bhoomi succeeds in attracting sustained CSR funding and accelerating Wayanad's recovery, it could serve as a model for disaster-hit and underserved regions across Kerala and the rest of the country.