For many years, CGI members in Bangalore, India have volunteered for a school in the nearby village of Yemlur. Once a week, they visit the school to teach English and computer science and to provide technical support for the school’s computer lab and other IT resources.
Wanting to make a larger and broader impact for underprivileged children in their area, the CGI volunteers decided to team up with One Billion Literate Foundation (OBLF), a non-profit devoted to promoting English literacy and providing other educational opportunities for disadvantaged children.
OBLF adopts local schools and initiates a three-year program at each to teach English to students. The organization donates resources, such as books and computers, and also hires and trains rural people to serve as program coordinators. The objective is to prepare the students for meaningful employment to help break the cycle of poverty.
CGI members are helping to fund and support the OBLF’s technology infrastructure on an ongoing basis. They’re also volunteering as monitors to help gauge the success of the OBLF’s program.
“We wanted to do something that has a broad and sustainable impact on children in our area, especially those who are disadvantaged, and partnering with OBLF has given us that opportunity,” said Panjaj Dixit, a CGI consultant in Bangalore. “Education empowers, and we feel fortunate to play a role in helping to lift children out of poverty by providing them with educational opportunities. We hope that some of these children might one day work for CGI.”
