April 19 2016, 23.04 PM IST || Pocket News Alert
Lion Naresh Aggarwal, International 2nd Vice President & D. Vijay Kumar, Head - Partnership Engagement, World Vision India signing the MoU
Chennai, 18th April 2016: International Association of Lions Clubs – India and World Vision India today signed a MoU which would help around 25,000 children from vulnerable backgrounds access quality education. As part of the agreement, The International Association of Lions Clubs - India will undertake long term development initiatives in select government schools in Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Hyderabad, Vizag, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai and Coimbatore.
World Vision India will be the implementation partner, identifying appropriate programmes in the area of education for children within its areas of operation.
“Access to education is the right of every child, something that the constitution of India guarantees. This initiative focuses on imparting quality education to the most vulnerable children, also aligning it with the government’s vision of creating a ‘skill India’,” said Vijay Kumar, Head - Partnership Engagement, World Vision India.
“As the International 2nd Vice President of one of the biggest NGOs of the world – Lions Clubs International – our focus is on projects that will transform the future of our children and hence we enter into partnership with World Vision India in contributing to the sector of education. This is bound to make giant leaps in our efforts to build the nation,” said Naresh Agarwal.
Corporate partners of Lions Club were also enthusiastic about the project. “We believe in the cause, and hence join hands with Lions Clubs International and World Vision India to ensure access to education for the less fortunate children,” said Nalli Kuppusamy Chetty, MD, NALLI SILKS who were the corporate partners.
The project is slated to begin on June 1st, 2016, starting with 5,000 children. Over a period of the next three years the number of children supported by the partners in this campaign is expected to touch 25,000 children, supporting them till they are employable. A baseline survey undertaken by World Vision India in the first three months of the project will finalize the schools which will receive assistance. The MoU was signed in the Lions Club CSR meeting in Chennai today, attended by members and business partners. The initiative would be a boost and to the continuing efforts of World Vision India, a child-focussed NGO, in realising the educational aspirations of lakhs of children across the country.