Bharti Walmart to adopt 50 government schools in India; impact 20,000 children

KOLKATA: Bharti Walmart, the joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and Walmart Stores Inc for wholesale, B2B and cash and carry operations in India, has committed to adopt 50 government schools across 50 cities in India, under a unique school support initiative 'Masti Ki Paathshaala', in collaboration with Hope Foundation.

The initiative which will positively impact over 20,000 children, of which 15,000 would be girls, is in line with the company's overarching goal of serving people beyond the store.

Bharti Walmart Managing Director and CEO, Raj Jain, said in a statement, ""Our key CSR initiatives support education and skills development. For various reasons, the enrollment and drop-out rate of lesser-privileged school-going children, particularly the girl child is high in India. Our school adoption program, 'Masti Ki Paathshaala' aims to ensure that children enroll and attend school. We will help to enhance the quality of education and better the infrastructure to make schools more conducive to learning and fun to attend. We will also monitor the health and well-being of these children through various interventions.""

Ian Correa, Chief Executive Officer, HOPE foundation, India said, ""This is an important initiative as it will increase the chances of children completing school before choosing college or a vocation (or both). Over a period of time, the Masti Ki Paathshaala outreach can also be tailored to strengthen the pursuit of higher education and towards vocations that offer scope for growth.""

The initiative aims to improve the quality of education in government schools with a special focus on the girl child. As part of the initiative, Bharti Walmart will help improve school infrastructure with furniture such as desks, chairs, blackboards, cupboards, among others. Moreover, employees of Bharti Walmart will volunteer at schools to teach children about importance of education, life skills, health and hygiene.eom