Tetra Pak India joins Coca-Cola-NDTV 'Support My School' campaign

New Delhi - A revitalised upper primary school in Rajasthan's Alwar district was Tuesday dedicated under the Coca-Cola-NDTV “Support My School” campaign by Tetra Pak India and the district collector.

“We are proud to build on our partnership with Coca Cola India and be a part of the 'Support My School' campaign as this campaign aligns well with our motto, which is 'Protects What's Good',” Kandarp Singh, managing director, Tetra Pak South Asia Markets, said on the occasion.

“Our motto is the foundation of all our actions, be it to partner with the food industry to making food safe and available everywhere or to stand by our commitment to environment and society," Kandarp Singh said.

"Primary education is undoubtedly one of the cornerstones of development in our country and we congratulate Coca Cola India and all campaign partners for their efforts in revitalising the Khanpur Upper Primary School in Alwar,” he added.

The initiative recently commemorated the completion of 100 revitalised schools in the first phase with campaign ambassador Sachin Tendulkar.

“With this milestone, the campaign has come a long way in its aim to create happy and healthy learning environments for rural children by providing them with necessary amenities such as access to water and proper toilets for girls and boys,” a company statement said.

The campaign was launched last January with the specific aim of addressing the rising concern over lack of basic provisions in rural and semi-urban schools across 10 states and 14 clusters in India.

Alwar District Collector Ashutosh A.T. is also the chairman of Project Ekta, a local initiative aimed at reducing drop-out rates, improving quality of education and physical facilities in schools located in some of the most backward regions of Alwar.

Launched in March 2011 at the Jhiwana Village in Tijara tehsil, the project was kicked off with 40 primary and upper primary schools in Tijara. Today, Project Ekta is extending its influence to secondary and senior secondary schools across other blocks of the district.

Speaking at the occasion, Ashutosh said: “With Project Ekta, we aim to encourage private companies to participate in social development with best practices in the sector. I would like to congratulate all their campaign partners for making real difference on the ground in this school.”

“I hope everyone associated with the school will take the onus of preserving the assets in good condition. I am confident this endeavour will make an impact in this village and the nearby villages,” he added.

The “Support My School” team, with help of local NGO SARD, revitalised Khanpur Upper Primary School in Alwar with provisions like a separate toilet for boys and girls, improved access to water, facilities for the encouragement of physical sports and recreation, a greener environment, library and teacher training facilities and a structure for rain water harvesting. The revamped facilities have made the school into a happy and healthy school.

Coca-Cola joined hands with NDTV to launch the “Support My School” in association with UN-Habitat, CAF, Pearson Foundation, Tata Teleservices and Sulabh International. It undertakes the following core activities:

* Provision of improved access to water

* Appropriate sanitation facilities for girls and boys

* Improvement in the overall infrastructure and environment

* Provision for sports and recreation facilities and

* Recharging groundwater through rainwater harvesting

* Libraries and Teacher Training by Pearson Foundation

* Computer Centre by Tata Teleservices