LUCKNOW (India CSR): Nihar Shanti Pathshala Funwala (NSPF), Marico’s flagship CSR programme for education, in partnership with Sesame Workshop India, has strengthened foundational early childhood education for over 1,700 + children, across 100 Anganwadi centres in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh – a NITI Aayog aspirational district with comparatively low early childhood education levels.
Focused on the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), the programme adopts a holistic approach by supporting Anganwadi workers, engaging parents, and working closely with government systems to consistently improve the levels of learning for children. In partnership with Sesame Workshop India, this initiative trains Anganwadi workers and parents/caregivers, to deploy play-based materials, low-connectivity digital tools, and mobilises communities to advance NEP-aligned early learning across children aged 3-6 years. 100 Anganwadi workers, 100 helpers and 1500 parents/caregivers have been enrolled in this programme so far.
Commenting on reaching 100 Anganwadi centres, Amit Bhasin, Chief Legal Officer & Group Counsel and Secretary, CSR Committee, Marico Limited, said, “At Marico, we strongly believe that strong foundations in the early years are critical to shaping lifelong learning outcomes. Through Nihar Shanti Pathshala Funwala, our focus has been on building an ecosystem that empowers the people and spaces that are central to a thriving childhood. By aligning our efforts with government systems and supporting play-based learning in the early years, we aim to create lasting impact for children in underserved communities.”
This programme aims to build school-ready FLN skills, through play-based pedagogy aligned with the National Education Policy 2020 and National Curriculum Framework 2022. Key interventions include structured training for Anganwadi workers and helpers, deployment of innovative teaching-learning materials through Chalo! Sesame Street App, and the use of Pico projectors deployed across clusters to enable engaging video-based learning in low-connectivity environments. The programme also emphasises on community participation through positive parenting sessions and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) melas.
As part of the initiative, Marico and Sesame Workshop India also hosted Early Foundations, Bright Futures, a multi-stakeholder convening that brought together senior officials from ICDS and SCERT to encourage open dialogue, cross-sectoral learning, and shared ownership of ECCE priorities.
This multi-layered, community-centric approach is designed to be scalable beyond Bahraich and aims to support inclusive teaching, deepen community engagement, and promote classroom equity, thereby priming Anganwadis as vibrant hubs for holistic growth for children.
Driven by a deep sense of purpose, Nihar Shanti Pathshala Funwala (NSPF), Marico’s long-standing education initiative, works to create meaningful societal impact by improving access, quality, and outcomes in early and foundational education for children from underserved communities. With a firm commitment to scalability and long-term systemic change, NSPF has significantly enhanced learning outcomes in government schools across Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan by equipping teachers with essential tools, training, and support for better classroom engagement, positively impacting over 12 lakh +students and 62500 active teachers to date, enabling generational change through purpose-led action.
(India CSR)
