CSR: VAHDAM India inaugurates Digital Learning Centre in Darjeeling under its flagship initiative ‘TEACH Me’

Darjeeling, India: Bala Sarda, Founder and CEO of VAHDAM India inaugurated 3 digital learning centers in Darjeeling under its flagship CSR initiative, TEACH Me where the company directs a minimum of 1% of its revenue towards the education of its children across the country.

VAHDAM India partnered with BYJUs amid COVID in October 2020 to provide top-quality digital learning to children in remote remote tea gardens absolutely free of cost owing to the lockdown and schools remaining shut. This ensured that children could access and continue with digital learning at par with the best in the country. Wednesday was another ‘big’ leap in the journey to ensure that digital learning continues to remain a thrust area

The first digital learning center was inaugurated at Miriam School, Darjeeling. The school principal thanked VAHDAM India for taking this initiative and additionally installing television sets in seven schools to boost digital learning for children in the area. Bala Sarda and Ketan Desai, Chief Sustainability Officer, VAHDAM® India alSO spent an engaging day with the children at the Child Activity Centres at Rohini and Goomtee Tea Estates.

These Child Activity Centres were started amid COVID two-and-a-half years ago in partnership with CRY – Child Rights and You. Ms Trina Chakrabarti, Regional Director (East), CRY hopes that the initiative continues to benefit students in the tea gardens to keep up with their learnings in the digital format.

The second learning centre was inaugurated at the Badamtam High School where BYJU smart TVs and android boxes were installed to support the digital infrastructure and learning. The entire project was ably supported by the Goodricke Group and CINI, Child in Need Institute. Dr. Samir Chaudhuri, Founder of CINI, also graced the occasion and was a part of the inauguration.

The third learning centre was inaugurated at the Risheehat High School. Risheehat tea estate belongs to to the Jayshree group and all senior members including the President Mr. Jha was present at the inauguration.

At all these digital centres Mr. interacted with the enthusiastic group of children, who seemed eager to share their experiences of “learning in the digital mode”. At Goomtee Child Activity Centre, Mr. Sarda went down the memory lane, as he himself shared how his father, Mr.

Madhav Sarda’s vision for VAHDAM India had helped him shape his own dreams of entrepreneurship with a touch of social responsibility. “It is always good to have a dream.

Dreams are important and you can live and work to achieve it. And for that, you will have to work hard, be sincere and stay committed” said Mr. Sarda,

The principal of St. John’s Boarding School too acknowledged that over the past two-and-a-half years, children at the activity centers immensely benefited from the digital mode of learning, facilitated by the TEACH Me initiative.

VAHDAM India is planning a larger TEACH Me impact with much more elaborate initiatives to make the children more digitally savvy. Digital education has made way to bridge the quantity and the quality gap.

To mark the World Environment Day, a few greens were also planted by Mr. Sarda and the kids. The chief guests were all smiles as young faces welcomed them cheerfully with smiles and a colorful khada.

VAHDAM India’s flagship CSR initiative, TEACH Me recently completed 5 years. It has benefited nearly 13,000 children in 68 tea estates, schools, and community centers across the country. 23 digital classrooms have been set up in tea estates with the help of onground partners that include Child Rights and You (CRY), Broadleaf Health And Education Alliance (Broadleaf HEA) USA, Terres des Hommes, Child In Need Institute (CINI). Furthermore, 48 VAHDAM India Scholarship for Higher Education has been granted which supports young individuals from tea estates who aspire to pursue higher education but lack the means to do so.