Beyond Business — SE-Mentor's Journey of Giving

The Gift of Love Campaign

Of all the CSR activities SE-Mentor has conducted, the Gift of Love campaign is the one closest to the team's heart. Themed around the spirit of giving, togetherness, and hope — it was born from a simple but profound idea: instead of deciding what to give, ask the children what they want.

Each child at Asadeepam Special School in Kochi — a school serving children with special needs — submitted a personal wishlist. Every wish was read. Every item was sourced. Every gift was individually wrapped and tagged with the child's name and the name of the SE-Mentor employee who chose to fulfil it. Personal. Thoughtful.

The day itself was a celebration — balloons, a specially made "Gift of Love" cake, music, and laughter. The SE-Mentor team didn't just drop off boxes and leave; they spent the afternoon with the students, sharing in the joy of the moment.

SE-Mentor's most infrastructure-focused initiative to date. The team visited Sri Chitra Home, Trivandrum — a residential care facility — and equipped their school with technology and tools designed to last: tablets for digital learning, whiteboards with full accessories and mounting, and personal encouragement gifts for each student.

The distinction here was intentional: rather than consumables, the team invested in infrastructure that the institution would benefit from for years. Every child also received a personal encouragement gift — a small but powerful message that someone sees them and believes in their future.

By May 2025, the Back to School drive had become one of SE-Mentor's most anticipated annual traditions — and the 2025 edition was the most complete yet. The team visited Govt LPS Pachaloor, Trivandrum, on the first day of the new academic year — timed perfectly with the school's own Welcome Ceremony (Praveshanolsavam).

This year, uniforms were added to the school kit for the first time, alongside the regular bags, stationery, and umbrellas. The team joined the school's celebration, participating in the ceremonial distribution alongside teachers and school staff — making it a shared community moment, not just a charitable one.

A quieter but meaningful gesture — SE-Mentor donated a water cooler to Elakom Gardens, a residential community in Vellayambalam, Trivandrum. Small in scale, significant in impact: access to clean, cold drinking water for a community that lacked it. This initiative reflected the team's belief that CSR doesn't always need a stage — sometimes the most meaningful acts are the simplest ones.

The team expanded its geographic reach in early 2025, travelling to Karunalayam in Kollam — an orphanage whose residents had not received a visit from a corporate CSR group before. The team came with groceries and essentials, and spent time with the residents in addition to the material support provided.

This visit also carried a financial component — direct support extended to the institution to help with their day-to-day needs. Reaching Kollam signalled something important: SE-Mentor's CSR commitment was not limited by geography or convenience.

December brought the team back to a familiar face — Mambazham LP School, Trivandrum, which SE-Mentor had visited during the Back to School drive earlier that year. This time, it was about celebration. The team arrived with Christmas hats, a custom "Gift of Love" cake, and plenty of warmth — sitting with the children, sharing the festive spirit, and making the school feel like home.

What made this visit special was the continuity — the school staff and children knew the SE-Mentor team by now. It wasn't a first impression; it was a reunion.

When the catastrophic landslide struck Chooral Mala village in Wayanad's Mundakkai area in August 2024 — claiming over 400 lives and wiping out an entire community — SE-Mentor did not wait for a scheduled quarter. The team responded immediately.

Working alongside the GTech group and the Rotary Club, SE-Mentor identified specific, ground-level support required by families who had lost everything. Beyond material aid, the team sponsored the full educational expenses of several children who had been left without support — a commitment that extended well beyond a single visit.

In 2025, a donor-beneficiary meet was organised at the very site in Wayanad, where families and supporters came together. SE-Mentor Director Sarath Varma represented the company — receiving recognition from the organisers on behalf of the entire SE-Mentor team.

June 2024 was SE-Mentor's most ambitious CSR effort to date — the team mobilised simultaneously across two cities, visiting Mambazham LP School in Trivandrum and Muzhavanoor LP School in Kochi, on consecutive days ahead of the new academic year.

Each child received a complete school kit: a quality school bag, a full set of notebooks and stationery, and an umbrella — everything needed for a confident first day back. Employees from both offices contributed personally over and above the management allocation, making this one of the most collectively owned activities SE-Mentor has ever done.

The Trivandrum team rounded out the 2023–24 financial year with a visit to Panathura LP School — a government primary school. Rather than focusing solely on academic supplies, the team brought items that added joy and life to the school premises: cooking utensils, a gas stove, board games, carrom sets, and tricycles for the younger children.

The idea was simple — to make the school a place children look forward to coming to, not just for lessons but for play and community.

To ring in the new year on a meaningful note, the Kochi team visited Aswasa Bhavan — a home for the elderly and differently-abled. The team brought along practical gifts including a large freezer for the facility's kitchen, food items, and stationery — all sourced through a combination of company funds and generous voluntary contributions from over thirty employees who gave personally.

The visit was a reminder that community care extends well beyond childhood — and that SE-Mentorians across both offices were equally committed.

SE-Mentor marked its first formal CSR activity in November 2023, coinciding with Children's Day. The team visited Ananda Nilayam in Trivandrum — a home for children — and came bearing gifts that addressed both practical and educational needs: books, stationery, groceries, bedsheets, and sanitary products.

It was a foundational moment — the beginning of a quarterly tradition that the team would carry forward with growing enthusiasm in the years to come.