CSR Activities 2019
OUP India employees becomes teachers for a day at Charity Schools (September 2019)
Celebrating the International Day for Charity and Teachers’ Day (observed on 5th September in India), around 25 employees from OUP India’s Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata offices became teachers’ for a day at OUPI India’s partner charity schools.
In addition to regular subjects, employees conducted a host of engaging sessions on themes such as Photography, Music, Dance, Theatre, Origami and Arts and Crafts. While the employees enjoyed conducting the teaching activities, regular teachers’ used the time-off to join a fun & engaging training workshop organized by OUP India. Over 180 teachers participated in these workshops that focused on topics like personality development, innovative methods of teaching, and ways to make classrooms more engaging.
Our charity partners were delighted to be a part of this initiative. Here is what they have to say about the event
Capt. Indraani Singh, Founder, Literacy India said, “OUP India have been partners with Literacy India since 2016, and their support helped us more than in numerous ways, especially empowering our teachers with an inspirational teacher training program. As a Non-Profit, we struggle with a lack of infrastructure, OUP helped us set up a Science Lab and Mobile Repair Unit, which assisted children and Youth with the Holistic, hands-on learning. They continuously encourage us to continue with our work and instil positive energy in us, therefore despite all the challenges, we are so lucky to have OUP walking with us in our journey”.
Geeta Vendakrishnan, Director, Hope Foundation said: “Teachers make difference every day. Thank you for the time, talent and expertise you have given to the interactive workshops and sessions at Hope Kolkata Foundation through your active participation. You have made a difference through your commitment and continued support of our children and programme. Your ideas, inputs and enthusiasm were most helpful and have guided us making valuable improvements to our programme. Thank you Oxford University Press for your sincere efforts and Hope Kolkata Foundation is extremely delighted to have you".
The event also got significant coverage in national media. The Times of India, The Hindu, NDTV.com, Outlook were among key media who covered the event.
OUP India employees paint a charity run school on the occasion of 'World Art Day' (April 2019)
22 employees from OUP India’s Noida office got together with children from Ritinjali, one of OUP’s charity partner, to paint a school run out of a slum area in Gurgaon.
The wall art painted by OUP employees was based on important issues such as environment conservation, girl child literacy and importance of hygiene among others. OUP India has recently partnered with Ritinjali and have committed to support the learning needs of children. This will include books, stationary, learning infrastructure and teacher training workshops.
OUP India’s digital learning initiative for shelter home students in Kolkata (March 2019)
OUP India, as part of its CSR efforts, has helped to set up a computer learning center at the Hope Kolkata Foundation run Kasba Girls Shelter Home. The initiative will help over 50+ resident girl students to become computer literate and digitally savvy.
The computer center will also be used by children residing in other Hope Foundation homes in Kolkata. In addition to proficiency in computers the girl students will also undergo English language and personality development classes under the programme, enabling them to become confident and well-groomed future professionals.
Geeta Vendakrishnan, Director, Hope Kolkata Foundation said on the occasion: "The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all those who care about women and their well-being. The support extended by Oxford University Press towards this initiative will help our girl students to become proficient in computers, English language and far more confident individuals, paving way for more girl power.”
OUP has been working with Hope Kolkata Foundation for last two years to support several learning initiatives at its centers. In 2017, a reading room was set up at the Asher Alo Girl’s shelter home in Madurdah in Kolkata & last year, OUP organized workshops on teacher professional development for over 40 Hope Kolkata Foundation teachers.
OUP India expands its Charitable Giving programme, partners with Chudar Foundation (February 2019)
OUP India will extend support to the Chudar Foundation, a non-profit based out of Chennai (Southern India) that undertakes grassroot initiatives for effecting positive changes in the lives of the underprivileged, through education.
OUP India will support two learning centers of Chudar in Chennai to enable education for nearly 150 children for one year. This is OUP India’s first formal partnership with a charity in South region. To kick-off this association, a few OUP employees along with the OUP India Managing Director, Sivaramakrishnan Venkateswaran (Siva), visited Chudar Foundation’s Mylapore center on Friday 22 February, and engaged with young students during a Science & Math Fair.
Speaking about this visit, Siva said: “It was enlightening to see children from Chudar’s Mylapore center practice and enjoy what they learn in classrooms – my colleagues and I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with them and their teachers on the sidelines of the Science and Math fair. We are delighted to partner with Chudar and help them further their education agenda.”
OUP India conducts teacher training workshop for partner charity (January 2019)
The day-long workshop involved training of 45 teachers from Literacy India who are engaged in teaching children from underprivileged backgrounds.
The workshop was led by OUP expert trainer, Ms. Sabina Pillai and focused on topics like personality development lessons, innovative methods of teaching, and ways to make classrooms more engaging.
Shilpa Juneja, an English teacher at Literacy India said” the training session was very enriching and informative. The way Ms. Pillai took forward the workshop and interacted with all the teachers, made everyone come at ease. We learned a lot from her. On behalf of all the teachers that we would like to have more workshops like this in our school”
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