PwC India Foundation has been supporting project Nanhi Kali since 2019, with the objective of empowering 500 underserved schoolgirls in Darjeeling. The project is jointly managed by the K.C. Mahindra Education Trust and the Naandi Foundation. Every year, PwCIF distributes kits for the young girls involved in the project. This year, Satyavati Berera, Chief Operations Officer, PwC India, joined PwCIF in Kalimpong for a ceremony to hand over the kits which contained school bags, stationery, a pullover/raincoat and menstrual hygiene products.
Through this initiative, PwC reaches out to students from standards 1 to 5, most of whom are first-generation learners in their families. The project aims to curtail the high dropout rate prevalent amongst school girls in India, while ensuring an enabling ecosystem for them to attend school with dignity and attain quality education. In 2020, PwCIF distributed 166 digital tablets with access to quality education and concept-based learning. The digital tablets are installed with Mindspark, an AI-powered software specifically designed to adapt to the unique learning level of each girl. There are 107 trained women tutors called ‘Community Associates’ for the schoolgirls. The average attendance of the girls increased from 64% in 2020–21 to 72% in 2021–22.
Satyavati Berera said, “We’re proud to be associated with the Nanhi Kali project and are deeply honoured to touch the lives of these children in a small way, so they can have access to quality education and support.”
