RANVEER SINGH, SOURAV GANGULY AND VENKATESH KINI COME TOGETHER

USPA NEWS - Sourav Ganguly, Venkatesh Kini and Ranveer Singh came together for a 6-hour telethon with Vikram Chandra to raise funds for the Coca-Cola-NDTV Support My School campaign. They ended up raising Rs. 20 crores over the 6-hour show, which will now help the campaign revitalize 1,000 schools in 23 states,

Sourav Ganguly, Venkatesh Kini and Ranveer Singh came together for a 6-hour telethon with Vikram Chandra to raise funds for the Coca-Cola-NDTV Support My School campaign. They ended up raising Rs. 20 crores over the 6-hour show, which will now help the campaign revitalize 1,000 schools in 23 states, benefiting over 300,000 students in rural and semi-urban India.


Support My School focuses on providing :
- Access to clean, drinking water
- Sanitation facilities for boys and girls
- Playgrounds and sports equipment
- Teaching aids including library and computer facilities.

The initiative, which adds to the ongoing efforts of the government, in realising the 'Swachh Bharat, Swacch Vidyalaya' campaign, will also build barrier-free toilets for differently-abled children, going forward, thereby further deepening its impact. The first four years of the SMS campaign has raised Rs. 43 crores and seen the revitalization of 600 schools, benefiting more than 200,000 school children. Its implementing partners include - Plan India, World Vision India, Charities Aid Foundation, Round Table India, Aga Khan Foundation and SRF Foundation.

The telethon for the Support My School campaign saw participation from Chief Ministers of Uttarakhand and Gujarat and it showcased stories from rural India, highlighting the need for clean, healthy and green environment for school children. Achievers from all walks of life, the likes of Mr. N. R. Narayan Murthy, Kalpana Morparia, Naina Lal Kidwai, Zarina Screwvala, Sonali Bendre, Rajkumar Hirani, Dr. Kailash Satyarthi and others, joined forces to garner support and draw attention to the cause of education.

Accessibility to clean drinking water and sanitation issues in schools have always been big impediments for a girl child to have access to the basic education in India; resulting in absenteeism and dropouts. The SMS campaign began as a response to several studies which indicated that a large number of schools in rural and semi-urban areas lacked basic amenities leading to accelerated student drop-out rate.

The campaign has been creating awareness about the conditions of schools in these areas, fostering a private-public partnership where corporate organizations step in to reinstall basic facilities in these government-run schools and making a positive difference to the lives of these children. The impact has seen increased enrolment in schools from 6.95% (2013-14) to 14.77% (2014-15).

Support My School is a WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) initiative that aims to improve basic amenities in government schools like separate toilets for boys and girls and access to water. The Campaign is also committed to developing the overall infrastructure like playground and a clean environment to encourage a holistic learning environment. The Schools revitalized under the campaign have served as model schools in several districts and have led to enhanced community engagement and higher emphasis on attendance and enrolment.

Source : Coca-Cola India

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