In an effort to boost education among India’s underprivileged children, LANXESS is sponsoring pre-school education for slumdwelling children through Save the Children, a non-governmental organization targeted at bettering the lot of poor children worldwide.

The Indian branch of Save the Children oversees classrooms accommodating up to 25 children called balwadis (pre-school centers) for those children whose parents cannot afford to educate them. Two hour sessions are held in these balwadis, which are typically housed in municipal schools, or wherever a free room is available in the locality. People are hired from the same community as the children and trained to be pre-school teachers. Since they are from the same community and interact with the children even beyond the confines of the school, this ensures that the teachers understand the children better.

Once they finish the pre-school course, the slum children can enter the mainstream Bombay Municipal Cooperation (BMC) schools and continue with their studies.  Supportive coaching is provided by Save the Children to ensure successful completion of primary and middle school education.  

LANXESS India is sponsoring five balwadis every year in greater Mumbai. In addition, LANXESS is supplying pure drinking water to these communities.

Furthermore, LANXESS has extended the clean drinking water initiative to schools near its manufacturing locations in Jhagadia and Madurai.

On 1st December, 2010 LANXESS India sponsored a school bus for slum dwelling children through Save The Children India (STCI), a non-governmental organization targeted at bettering the lot of poor children. STCI would be deploying the buses as means of transport for slum dwelling children to go to STCI school on a daily basis. This initiative is certainly likely to boost primary education amongst the slum dwelling children, many of whom do not have adequate resources for the same. To mark this initiative, Dr. Rainier van Roessel, Member – Board of Management, LANXESS AG, handed over the key to the school bus to STCI at their premises.

About Save The Children India (STCI)

Save The Children India (STCI) is a non-profit organization established in 1988 and has been working towards the empowerment of the disadvantaged children and women, with its health, nutrition, education and vocational training programs. It is headquartered at S F 9, G Block, Next to American School of Bombay, Behind Citi Bank, Bandra Kurla complex, Bandra (East), Mumbai – 400 098.