Bharti Foundation wins the Asian CSR Award 2008 for the Support and Improvement of Education

New Delhi, November 26, 2008 – Bharti Foundation, the philanthropy arm of Bharti Enterprises, India’s leading business conglomerate, has won the Asian CSR Award 2008 for the Support and Improvement of Education among the rural communities. Co-presented by the Asian Institute of Management, the Center for Corporate Social Responsibility and Intel Corporation, this prestigious award was presented to Bharti Foundation by Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of Economic and Social Commission for Asia, at a ceremony held in Singapore. The award recognizes the Satya Bharti School Program, the flagship program of Bharti Foundation for its contribution to education among the rural communities.

According to Mr. Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Co-Chairman, Bharti Foundation, “We are delighted at this international recognition for this unique initiative from Bharti Foundation. The Satya Bharti School Program has demonstrated how organizations can work effectively for the upliftment of underprivileged children in the rural areas. We are confident that children benefiting from this program will become equal partners in India’s future economic growth.”

The Asian CSR Awards Program is Asia’s premier awards program on corporate social responsibility. It recognizes and honors Asian companies for outstanding, innovative and world-class products, services, projects and programs in five categories. Bharti Foundation was chosen as the winner in the ‘Support and Improvement of Education’ category from among 170 entries representing 120 companies from 15 countries.

The Satya Bharti School Program is an innovative model that aims to make available high-quality free education to poor, out-of-school and migrant children especially the girl child in the rural pockets of the country. The program combines various building blocks of education such as quality teachers, comprehensive training modules, scientifically designed teaching learning processes and has set benchmarks in the filed of quality education. More than 50% of the curriculum followed at the Satya Bharti Schools are based on projects and activities that help children learn through self-exploration and discovery rather than rote learning. More than 90% of the parents have reported an overall personality improvement and English language speaking skills among their children.

Currently 159 Satya Bharti Primary Schools are operational across the states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh benefiting more than 18,000 children and over 560 teachers. By 2010 Bharti Foundation aims to reach out to more than 2,00,000 children on an on-going basis through 500 Satya Bharti Primary Schools and 50 Satya Bharti Senior Secondary cum Technical Training Schools. Apart from the regular curriculum, these 50 Satya Bharti Senior Secondary cum Technical Training Schools will train the students in professional skills to equip them for future employment opportunities.

About Bharti Foundation

Bharti Enterprises set up Bharti Foundation in 2000 to help underprivileged children and young people of our country realize their potential. For over eight years, the Foundation has been creating and supporting programs that bring about sustainable improvement in the field of education.

Bharti Foundation implements education programs in the field of both primary and higher education. The Foundation has adopted a two-pronged strategy to make a difference in the quality of elementary education in the country through its Satya Bharti School Program. On one hand, Bharti Foundation is establishing its own primary and senior secondary schools. On the other hand, Bharti Foundation is adopting government primary schools to improve the quality of education being imparted. 49 government schools have been adopted in Neemrana and Amer in Rajasthan, reaching out to over 5,000 children.

In addition to the above two flagship programs Bharti Foundation has also initiated and set up 26 Bharti Computer Centres and 104 Bharti Library and Activity Centres (BLAC) across the country in association with organizations like Pratham Infotech, Kalakar Trust and Adharshila.

Bharti Foundation has partnered with premier institutes like the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 2000 to set up the Bharti School of Telecommunication Technology and Management, IIT Delhi. Bharti Foundation has also entered into a partnership with IIT, Bombay to set up the Bharti Centre for Communication, Bombay. The Bharti Scholarship and Mentorship program has also been instituted to support academically brilliant students from financially weak backgrounds. Currently 184 scholars are being supported under the Bharti Scholarship and Mentorship Program. The Bharti Centre for Entrepreneurial Initiatives, set up in a joint initiative with the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDI) promotes, develops and facilitates entrepreneurship and works towards encouraging entrepreneurship among young individuals.

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