PwC supports pro-bono project to educate underprivileged girls

In partnership with K.C. Mahindra Education Trust and Naandi Foundation, PwC India Foundation is engaged in a project to provide quality education and concept-based learning for as many as 500 underprivileged girls in the mountain city of Darjeeling. The initiative has been labeled Project Nanhi Kali. 

The target group is girl children studying at a grade 1 to grade 5 level, who come from families that have not previously had any access to education. At present, the public schooling system and government education initiatives are struggling to have their desired effect due to high dropout rates in the country. 

Approximately 30% of Indian students dropout before completing school due to a variety of social and financial reasons. A large portion of these are female, and Project Nanhi Kali is looking to help rectify this scenario. K.C. Mahindra Education Trust and Naandi Foundation are also involved in the project.

K.C.Mahindra Education Trust is a Public Charitable Trust (PCT) that has been active in promoting education and literacy across India for a number of decades since its establishment in 1953. The organisation works through a variety of scholarships and grants, which includes support for economically disadvantaged communities.

Naandi Foundation is also a PCT that works on the principle of delivering a new beginning for many disadvantaged communities across India. The foundation’s focus areas include special initiatives for girls in disadvantaged communities, drinking water & sanitation, cooperative irrigation & farming in infertile areas, and youth employment, among a range of others.

PwC India Foundation, meanwhile, is active across a variety of charitable areas. The organisation has worked with rural communities in Northern India, providing clean water supply and sanitation, and has also worked with the education sector in Bengaluru in the same field.

Commenting on Project Nanhi Kali, Jaivir Singh, Vice President of PwC India Foundation said, “Educating the girl child is an important step towards the creation of a fit for future and a truly inclusive society. This initiative will help reduce school dropout rates among girl students and encourage them to continue their education.”

Executive Director & Trustee of K.C.Mahindra Education Trust Sheetal Mehta added, “At Project Nanhi Kali, our aim is to enable underprivileged girls to complete 10 years of schooling with dignity. Through this partnership, we will have the opportunity to provide quality education and create a safe ecosystem for underprivileged girls in Darjeeling.”