CapitaLand builds first Hope School in India for Rs. 45 million to provide children with access to education

Distributes 5,000 care kits to children across five cities in India as part of ‘CapitaLand #GivingAsOne’ campaign

Bangalore: CapitaLand Group through its philanthropic arm CapitaL and Hope Foundation (CHF), has launched its first CapitaLand Hope School in India, contributing INR 45 million to provide over 400 primary school children from low-income families with access to education.  Located in Mahadevapura, Bangalore, about 6 km from CapitaLand’s International Tech Park Bangalore (ITPB), the 18,000 sq ft Government Hi-Tech Kannada and English Medium Higher Primary School has eight classrooms, a staff room, a multi-purpose room, a playground, as well as assembly and dining areas.  This is the 30^th CapitaLand Hope School aimed at providing children with a better start in life through education.

CapitaLand Hope School in India was built over 18 months through a collective effort of 20 CapitaLand staff volunteers.  CapitaLand staff from ITPB provided their real estate expertise to Karnataka Education Department including designing and managing the development of the school.  Staff volunteers teamed up with the children and added finishing touches to a ‘Hope Wall’ with painted handprints.  Specially designed by Indian contemporary artist Ms Nicoline Rodrigues, the wall was unveiled at a ceremony for the handover of the school on 2 October 2021. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Vinamra Srivastava, CEO, India Business Parks, CapitaLand Investment^[1], said: “Our first CapitaLand Hope School in India is part of our ongoing corporate responsibility efforts to support the educational needs and well-being of children from the community.  Our efforts over the last 10 years include providing school necessities to children under My Schoolbag programme^[2], as well as leveraging our expertise to build and refurbish government schools.  More recently, we supported India’s COVID-19 relief efforts, committing about INR 197 million.  We plan to build two more CapitaLand Hope Schools in Bangalore and Pune.  I would like to thank Karnataka Education Department for their support, and our staff for their contribution to build our first CapitaLand Hope School.  As we grow our business here, we will continue to give back to the community.” 

Mala Sannakki, Headmistress of Government Hi-Tech Kannada and English Medium Higher Primary School, said: “On behalf of the department board, teachers, parents and the school development and monitoring committee, I would like to thank CapitaLand and CHF for this wonderfully constructed school with good infrastructure and amenities that comes with natural lighting and ventilation.  CapitaLand has understood the needs in the community and supported by building this school which will greatly benefit children from low-income families.  It will provide the children with access to features and learning facilities that they might not have had otherwise.  I am grateful to CHF and CapitaLand’s staff who have contributed to this cause.  As of now, we have over 400 registered students and around 100 of them have transferred from private schools in the neighbourhood to this school.”

Mr Rajachari, a parent of seventh- and eighth- grade children studying at the school, said: “The school which my children Amulya and Bhuvan were studying at previously did not have many facilities and had a common toilet for boys and girls.  This school developed by CapitaLand is comparable to an international school.  We are grateful to have access to the fully equipped classrooms, a computer lab, and a safe learning environment for our children.  I would like to thank the headmistress and teachers of the school and will always be grateful to CapitaLand.” 

In addition, CapitaLand is distributing 5,000 care kits to CapitaLand Hope School in India as well as children across Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Gurgaon and Pune as part of ‘CapitaLand #GivingAsOne’ campaign.  The care kits contain face masks, hand sanitisers, soaps and school necessities.  Through the campaign which will be held from 1 September to 31 October 2021, CapitaLand is rallying its staff, business partners and customers to uplift the lives of vulnerable groups by volunteering; shopping for a good cause via CapitaLand #iShop4Good on eCapitaMall^[3], CapitaLand’s curated digital mall; and penning messages of hope and encouragement through #Pen4Hope in the key markets of Singapore, China, India and Vietnam.

Tan Seng Chai, Chief Corporate and People Officer of CapitaLand Investment and Executive Director of CHF, said: “As a socially responsible company, CapitaLand is committed to contributing to the communities where we operate as this gives us a sense of purpose and a soul to our company.  Since 2005, CHF has been improving children’s access to education and providing a safe learning environment through our CapitaLand Hope Schools initiative.  To date, over 26,800 children have benefitted from CapitaLand Hope Schools in China, Vietnam and India.  Through ‘CapitaLand #GivingAsOne’ initiatives, we also hope to make a difference in the lives of not just children but also seniors.  It is through the collective action by our staff, business partners and customers that we can play our part in touching the lives of others.”