Kasturba Gandhi Awasi Balika Vidyalaya in Maliahabad Revitalized as part of the campaign

Prof Abhishek Mishra, Hon’ble Minister, Uttar Pradesh Government and Mr. Anurag Singh Bhadauria, Hon’ble Minister, Uttar Pradesh Government dedicates the school to the children at a ceremony today

  • Infrastructure at the Govt. school for girls revitalized to provide students with better access to sanitation, water and playing facilities under the Coca-Cola Support My school campaign
  • Plan International (India Chapter) partnered in the implementation of the initiative
  • More than 600 schools revitalized, impacting close to 200,000 students across the country and 17,000 students in 92 schools in Uttar Pradesh under Support My School
  • 1000 schools to be revitalized under the campaign by 2017

Lucknow, October 05, 2015: Coca-Cola India and partners Plan India, Vatsalya, UN-Habitat’s multi partner program for Happy, Healthy and Active schools – Support My School, which is closely aligned to the Swachh School campaign, announced dedication of new amenities at Kasturba Gandhi Awasi Balika Vidyalaya in Maliahbad, Lucknow as part of its goal to revitalize 1000 schools by 2017. The school was dedicated to the teachers and children today during a ceremony presided by Prof Abhishek Mishra, Hon’ble Minister, Uttar Pradesh Government; Mr. Anurag Singh Bhadauria, Hon’ble Minister, Uttar Pradesh Government and Mr Vivek Ladhani of Brindavan Bottlers Pvt Limited. The other dignitaries who were present at the ceremony included Ishteyaque Amjad, Vice President, Corporate Affairs – Coca-Cola India & SWA; Ms Anita Kumar, Sr Program Manager, Plan India; and Ms Sadhna, School Warden(Principal) amongst others.

As a part of the initiative, the existing school infrastructure at the Balika Vidyalaya was revitalized to provide the girl students with better access to sanitation, water and playing facilities as well as a library. The project also focused on providing a clean and green environment by making provisions for roof top water harvesting and plantation of saplings.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Abhishek Mishra, Hon’ble Minister, Uttar Pradesh Government, said, “It gives me immense pleasure to see the positive changes which the Support My School initiative has brought to the lives of the students and teachers of the school. The initiatives undertaken by Coca-Cola, Plan and Vatsalya is commendable and should be seen as a model for collaboration and working together towards a healthy, active and clean environment for our children who are the future of our country.”

Mr. Ishteyaque Amjad, Vice President, Corporate Affairs- Coca-Cola India & South-West Asia, said, “At Coca-Cola we are committed towards developing better and sustainable societies through participation of various stakeholders and providing basic civic amenities to children in school is a cornerstone of that endeavor. In the last 4 years, Support My School has grown from being an initiative to a campaign that has more than 100 partners in 22 states across India impacting nearly 200,000 children in 600 schools and by 2017 we hope to complete 1000 schools. All of this has been possible only due to support of partners and NGOs that worked on ground to make it happen.”

Sharing his views, Mr. Vivek Ladhani, Brindavan Bottlers, said, “We are delighted to be associated with a cause that is bringing about a positive change in society. The Support My School campaign is addressing the pressing need for providing students with adequate hygiene and sanitation facilities and we look forward to extending our association to many more schools in the future.”

Ms Anita Kumar, Sr. Program Manager, Plan India, said, “Along with our partners Coca-Cola and Vatysalya we have revitalised the amenities available to the girls in the school. To bring about a behavioral change amongst the children, we have created educational materials in the form of wall paintings throughout the school. This helps the children understand how to use the available amenities.”

Across several studies in India it has been noted that education suffers from several issues, one of the key reasons being lack of sanitation resulting in absenteeism and dropouts.  The Support My School campaign began as a response to several studies, especially, having noted it in young girls who are not comfortable using school toilets due to lack of cleanliness and hygiene. The campaign has helped in creating awareness and interest amongst various stakeholders highlighting the urgent need for more initiatives that improve schools and help children lead better lives.

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 campaign, in its first 4 years, has already revitalized 600 schools in 22 states across the country impacting nearly 200,000 students. Of this, the campaign has positively impacted more than 16776 students in 92 schools across Uttar Pradesh itself. The schools were revitalized with contributions of nearly INR 30 crores. 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. Going forward, Support My School will now scale up its effort to touch 1000 schools by 2017 under the initiative.

About Support My School Campaign:

Coca-Cola India & NDTV launched Support My School in association with the UN-Habitat, Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) in 2011. It undertakes the following core activities:

  •  Provision of improved access to water·
  • Appropriate sanitation facility for girls and boys
  •  Improvement in the overall school infrastructure and environment
  •  Provision for sports and recreation facilities and
  •  Recharging groundwater through rainwater harvesting

With such necessary amenities in place, schools are able to provide a cleaner and healthier environment more conducive to learning.