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 OT Reach, a community outreach programme of OfficeTiger, in association with Students Sea Turtles Conservation Network (SSTCN), took up the cause of the sea turtle by organising an awareness walk from Neelangarai Beach at 11 p.m. on February 9, 2007. The campaign concluded at Elliots Beach.
The rally passed through many fishing villages covering a distance of 6 km. In all 30 volunteers and their families from OfficeTiger, and 15 members from SSTCN participated in the walk. Within half-a-km, the group was fortunate enough to witness Olive Ridley turtles nesting, up till the moment it went back to the sea.
SSTCN is a voluntary, non-profit organisation that was formed in 1988 by a bunch of motivated students to conserve the Olive Ridley sea turtle along the coast of Chennai and to promote education and awareness about sea turtles and conservation in general. In this, the group has been singularly successful, conducting camps for schools and colleges, and taking many of Chennai residents out on the beach at night to see the turtles nest. Many young enthusiasts have gone on to pursue careers in wildlife and conservation.
OT Reach is OfficeTiger's community outreach programme and is driven by the company's vision and commitment to help the less fortunate strata of society through a host of initiatives. The programme is structured with an emphasis on the mandatory participation of its employees.
Some of the programmes include visits to orphanages, institutions for the intellectually challenged, special children wards, old age homes and hospitals and wildlife conservation. Besides the above, OfficeTiger has an ongoing blood donation campaign for which a database of volunteer donors has been made available to leading blood banks in case of emergencies.
R Rangaraj
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