CapitaLand Hope Foundation partners Pratham Education Foundation to expand its holistic learning programme, benefitting more than 3,000 children in 62 underserved communities in Karnataka
Bangalore — CapitaLand Hope Foundation (CHF), the philanthropic arm of CapitaLand Group (CapitaLand), is collaborating with Pratham Education Foundation to pilot the latter’s holistic learning programme “Hamara Gaon” in 12 more underserved communities in Karnataka state where the children of the two schools supported under the CapitaLand Hope School Programme are from. CHF has committed to kickstart the programme with a donation of S$108,000 (INR 6.5 million) to support the first year’s funding. The funding will also support the ongoing programme in 50 communities located across Devanahalli and Kolar districts. This will increase the total number of beneficiaries to more than 3,000 children aged three to 14.
CHF’s support for the learning programme is part of CapitaLand’s #GivingAsOne 2023 and is announced during the CapitaLand International Volunteer Expedition (IVE) to improve the facilities and engage the students of Government Kannada and English Medium Higher Primary School in Bangalore. Over three days from 28 to 30 October 2023, more than 50 CapitaLand staff volunteers from six countries – India, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, United Kingdom and Vietnam – decorated the school classrooms and common areas with hand-painted wall murals, enhanced the play area with a sandpit, and added more shelves and books in the reading room. They also organised CapitaLand’s “Little Architect Programme” workshops to broaden the students’ knowledge and interest in architecture, sparking their imagination and creativity.
Government Kannada and English Medium Higher Primary School is one of three schools in India under the CapitaLand Hope School Programme. The other two are Government Hi-Tech Kannada and English Medium Higher Primary School, also in Bangalore, and Government Marathi Medium Higher Primary School, in Pune. To date, CHF has contributed over INR 100 million to support the development of the schools, which serve close to 1,300 students yearly. Including these three schools, the CapitaLand Hope School Programme has supported the educational needs of underserved children from 32 schools in China, India and Vietnam by providing them with a safe and conducive learning environment.
Mr Tan Seng Chai, Executive Director of CHF and Senior Executive Director of CapitaLand Investment, said, “At CapitaLand, we are committed to doing good and building resilience in the communities where we operate. Through our long-running IVE programme, which has returned after a three-year COVID-19 hiatus, we hope to strengthen our employees’ sense of purpose by providing them with an opportunity to make a meaningful difference to the communities we support and witness first-hand the social impact of our giving efforts. The IVE is a highlight of CapitaLand’s annual #GivingAsOne campaign, which rallies our staff, tenants and partners to augment our giving effort through collective participation. We are grateful to our volunteers for their dedication, compassion and commitment in making our #GivingAsOne campaign a success.”
Mr Sanjeev Dasgupta, CEO, CapitaLand Investment India, said, “Our commitment to improving access to learning among underserved children extends beyond enhancing their school facilities to providing them with continual support, as exemplified by our collaboration with the Pratham Education Foundation. The learning programme enables us to reach out to a wider society beyond our immediate communities and make a meaningful impact in their lives. We also take immense pride in welcoming staff volunteers from all around the world to India, showcasing the potential of collective action and the positive change we can achieve when we come together.”
“Pratham is committed to helping children build and sustain their foundational learning skills. We’re thrilled to partner with CapitaLand Hope Foundation, and for getting us closer to ensuring every child is learning well,” added Dr Rukmini Banerji, CEO, Pratham Education Foundation.
Amplifying collective impact through CapitaLand’s #GivingAsOne 2023
The third edition of CapitaLand’s annual #GivingAsOne global campaign was held from September to October 2023 for staff, tenants, business partners and customers to do good together by uplifting the lives of vulnerable groups in communities where CapitaLand operates. In all, over 1,300 staff, tenant and community volunteers from various parts of the world came together to support over 7,300 beneficiaries in China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.
35 activities were organised during the campaign months, contributing to over 9,700 volunteer hours. For every volunteer hour contributed to #GivingAsOne, CHF has committed to donate S$20 to support education, health and well-being initiatives for children, youth and seniors. In conjunction with the CapitaLand IVE to Bangalore, CHF has also committed to donate S$20 for every CapitaLand employee who took part in recording a “Namaste India” video greeting to delight the students of Government Kannada and English Medium Higher Primary School. At the conclusion of #GivingAsOne 2023, CHF has pledged to donate over S$600,000 (INR 36 million) to support a variety of community initiatives, including committing S$108,000 (INR 6.5 million) to the learning programme with Pratham Education Foundation.