Bajaj Finserv collaborates with Sightsavers to bring inclusive education and promote disability rights across four districts in India
Bajaj Finserv Limited, the holding company of the financial services businesses of the Bajaj Group, one of India’s oldest and largest conglomerates, joined hands with Sightsavers India to launch the Social Inclusion and Inclusive Education Programmes in Raisen, Khagariya, Kasganj, and Pratapgarh districts of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, respectively.
As a part of continuous CSR efforts by the group focused on children and youth, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company Limited, the general insurance arm of Bajaj Finserv, will be extending their support to ensure quality education is imparted to children with visual impairment and help support people with disabilities.
For visually impaired children, blindness leads them to a cycle of illiteracy, poverty, and social exclusion, making them one of society’s most vulnerable groups. Sightsavers works to create a supportive and enabling environment in communities, families, and schools to assist the comprehensive education for children with visual impairment. Through this association, Bajaj Finserv Limited and Sightsavers will provide support to children who are blind or visually impaired to receive extensive education support while ensuring their inclusion in mainstream education. Children under the age of 5 to 18 years will be supported under this Inclusive Education Programme. Also, 400 children with visual impairment from the four districts will get support and inclusion in mainstream education as part of this programme.
With support from Bajaj Finserv, Sightsavers will also help people with disabilities over the age of 18 gain access to social security benefits and employment opportunities. The aim behind the initiative is social inclusion for persons with disabilities while making sure they receive equal rights and are not subjected to discrimination, particularly in the areas of education, healthcare, and income. By the end of the project, approximately 1,260 people with disabilities will have access to social security programmes, including disability pensions and entitlements like child scholarships, aids and appliances, and housing loans, among other things.
“We are very pleased to support Sightsavers India in their two major projects to promote equality for people with disabilities and visual impairment. Children are an important focus area for our CSR, and more than 100,000 children have benefitted so far through our projects. We are confident that this project will take the children closer to their full potential,” said Ajay Sathe, Group CSR Head, Bajaj Finserv Ltd.
“For Sightsavers India, inclusive education and social inclusion are two of our primary areas of focus, which are being launched in Raisen, Khagaria, Pratapgarh and Kasganj. I’m extremely grateful that Bajaj Finserv joined hands with us in this intervention. This partnership is unquestionably a step forward toward achieving an equal world for people with disabilities,” said Mr RN Mohanty, CEO, Sightsavers India.
In Pratapgarh, Honourable District Collector Shri Saurabh Swami addressed the gathering and extended the support of district administration in fully saturating eye health needs of school-going children as well as education for children with visual impairment. He appreciated Sightsavers and Bajaj Finserv’s initiatives to cater to the educational needs of blind and low-vision children and the social, and economic rehabilitation needs of the people with disabilities of Pratapgarh.