John Abraham and Soha Ali Khan join school children in South Mumbai to pledge support towards P&G’s Vision to help India get to 100% Shiksha
~Children in School pledge for underprivileged children~
• Back in its 8th year, Shiksha gears forward with a vision to help India achieve 100% Shiksha
• Megastars John Abraham and Soha Ali Khan pledged their support for P&G’s vision of India achieving 100% Shiksha
• Shiksha has already helped educate over 280,000 children till date, building and supporting over 140 schools across India
Mumbai, January 31, 2012: Having impacted the lives of over 280,000 children in 2011, P&G’s signature CSR campaign Shiksha returns once again this year, steaming forward with the rally cry ‘Lets help India get to 100% Shiksha’. Bollywood megastars John Abraham and Soha Ali Khan joined the movement by educating the children of Lady Engineers High School in Mumbai, who are privileged enough to receive quality education, on the need to help those children who are not fortunate enough. The children shared their vision of 100% Shiksha in India with them and pledged to do their bit to help underprivileged children access education. John Abraham and Soha Ali Khan urged consumers to join the movement to support P&G’s vision of 100% Shiksha by buying P&G products such as Tide, Pantene, Olay etc, thus enabling the company to channelize part of the sales proceeds towards education for underprivileged children. Shiksha is now encouraging consumers to get even more involved with the cause by simply dropping a missed call on 1800 103 1233 or logging on to www.rewardme.in/shiksha to pledge their support for more Shiksha schools across India.
P&G’s Shiksha aims to build at least 20 more schools in 2012 to help India get to 100% Shiksha someday, especially because India’s literacy rate of 74.04%[1] in 2011 is staggering behind the global average of 84%[2]. Alarming studies like the 2011 Annual Status of Education Report, compiled by NGO Pratham, reveal that though enrollment rates have gone up in the recent years, all India attendance has reduced from 73.4%[3] to 70.9%[4]. This is why P&G’s Shiksha, through the 140 schools it has built & supported, focuses on helping children stay in school, by providing educational aids like computers, facilities like laboratories and libraries and basic infrastructure like toilets.
These shocking facts propel Shiksha in its 8th year to come back with an even stronger commitment – to achieve the vision of 100% Shiksha for India. At the special event, John Abraham said, “This is my first association with Shiksha and I am extremely proud to be part of an initiative which has already helped educate over 280,000 lesser-privileged children by building and supporting 140 schools across the nation. I have always been a firm believer in the cause of education and Shiksha has given me a platform to bring my dream of an India where every child goes to school, an India with 100% Shiksha. I pledge my support to the vision of 100% Shiksha for India and I urge more participation, because after all – Padhega India, tabhi to Bhadega India.”
Agreeing with him, the talented Bollywood actress and a strong Shiksha supporter, Soha Ali Khan said “I have been associated with Shiksha in the past and I am here today to add my support as I share the same vision as P&G of 100% Shiksha for India. I hail from the small town of Pataudi in Haryana and this year I pledge to take an active role in spreading the word of Shiksha in my town and help the children there access their basic right to education.”
Additionally, the consumer can also lend their support to Shiksha by making an easy choice of buying a P&G product. Every time a consumer buys P&G products such as Tide, Ariel, Pampers, Whisper, Head & Shoulders, Pantene etc in the months of January, February and March, Shiksha contributes a portion of the proceeds towards children’s education. Irrespective of sales, P&G will commit a minimum of Rs 1 crore towards the donation funds to Shiksha this year.
Present at the launch, Sharat Verma, Marketing Manager, P&G India said, ‘‘Shiksha is not just an initiative, but a passion that we as an organization strongly believe in. After touching the lives of 280,000 children, we are now helping build the future of India access their basic right to education by building a vision of 100% Shiksha for India. We, at P&G envision an India where every child is educated and we urge our consumers to pledge their support too. After all, Padhega India, tabhi toh Badhega India.”
Shiksha has been successful in impacting 280,000 children thus far, in association with leading NGOs – Round Table India (RTI), Save the Children (STC), Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) amongst others. NGO Round Table India spearheads the identification, establishment, completion and maintenance of RTI Shiksha School projects in the country as a joint partner bringing onboard expertise in building schools as well as contribution towards funds.
About Shiksha:
Shiksha is an integral part of P&G’s global philanthropy program – Live, Learn & Thrive – focused on the development of children in need across the globe, currently reaching over 50 million children. Launched in 2004, Shiksha has grown immensely, with the help of strong support from consumers. . This year, P&G, through Shiksha aims to build more than 20 schools across the nation to give more children the invaluable gift of education with a focus to build more schools in the years to come. To know more visit: http://www.pgimprovinglife.com/shiksha/
