CapitaLand Group through its philanthropic arm CapitaLand Hope Foundation (CHF), has launched its first CapitaLand Hope School in India, contributing INR 45 million to provide over 400 primary school children from low-income families with access to education. Located in Mahadevapura, Bangalore, about 6 km from CapitaLand’s International Tech Park Bangalore (ITPB), the 18,000 sq ft Government Hi-Tech Kannada and English Medium Higher Primary School has eight classrooms, a staff room, a multi-purpose room, a playground, as well as assembly and dining areas. This is the 30th CapitaLand Hope School aimed at providing children with a better start in life through education.
CapitaLand Hope School in India was built over 18 months through a collective effort of 20 CapitaLand staff volunteers. CapitaLand staff from ITPB provided their real estate expertise to Karnataka Education Department including designing and managing the development of the school. Staff volunteers teamed up with the children and added finishing touches to a ‘Hope Wall’ with painted handprints. Specially designed by Indian contemporary artist Ms Nicoline Rodrigues, the wall was unveiled at a ceremony for the handover of the school on 2 October 2021.
Mr Vinamra Srivastava, CEO, India Business Parks, CapitaLand Investment[1], said: “Our first CapitaLand Hope School in India is part of our ongoing corporate responsibility efforts to support the educational needs and well-being of children from the community. Our efforts over the last 10 years include providing school necessities to children under My Schoolbag programme[2], as well as leveraging our expertise to build and refurbish government schools. More recently, we supported India’s COVID-19 relief efforts, committing about INR 197 million. We plan to build two more CapitaLand Hope Schools in Bangalore and Pune. I would like to thank Karnataka Education Department for their support, and our staff for their contribution to build our first CapitaLand Hope School. As we grow our business here, we will continue to give back to the community.”
Ms Mala Sannakki, Headmistress of Government Hi-Tech Kannada and English Medium Higher Primary School, said: “On behalf of the department board, teachers, parents and the school development and monitoring committee, I would like to thank CapitaLand and CHF for this wonderfully constructed school with good infrastructure and amenities that comes with natural lighting and ventilation. CapitaLand has understood the needs in the community and supported by building this school which will greatly benefit children from low-income families. It will provide the children with access to features and learning facilities that they might not have had otherwise. I am grateful to CHF and CapitaLand’s staff who have contributed to this cause. As of now, we have over 400 registered students and around 100 of them have transferred from private schools in the neighbourhood to this school.”
Mr Rajachari, a parent of seventh- and eighth- grade children studying at the school, said: “The school which my children Amulya and Bhuvan were studying at previously did not have many facilities and had a common toilet for boys and girls. This school developed by CapitaLand is comparable to an international school. We are grateful to have access to the fully equipped classrooms, a computer lab, and a safe learning environment for our children. I would like to thank the headmistress and teachers of the school and will always be grateful to CapitaLand.”
In addition, CapitaLand is distributing 5,000 care kits to CapitaLand Hope School in India as well as children across Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Gurgaon and Pune as part of ‘CapitaLand #GivingAsOne’ campaign. The care kits contain face masks, hand sanitisers, soaps and school necessities. Through the campaign which will be held from 1 September to 31 October 2021, CapitaLand is rallying its staff, business partners and customers to uplift the lives of vulnerable groups by volunteering; shopping for a good cause via CapitaLand #iShop4Good on eCapitaMall[3], CapitaLand’s curated digital mall; and penning messages of hope and encouragement through #Pen4Hope in the key markets of Singapore, China, India and Vietnam.
Mr Tan Seng Chai, Chief Corporate and People Officer of CapitaLand Investment and Executive Director of CHF, said: “As a socially responsible company, CapitaLand is committed to contributing to the communities where we operate as this gives us a sense of purpose and a soul to our company. Since 2005, CHF has been improving children’s access to education and providing a safe learning environment through our CapitaLand Hope Schools initiative. To date, over 26,800 children have benefitted from CapitaLand Hope Schools in China, Vietnam and India. Through ‘CapitaLand #GivingAsOne’ initiatives, we also hope to make a difference in the lives of not just children but also seniors. It is through the collective action by our staff, business partners and customers that we can play our part in touching the lives of others.”
About CapitaLand Group (www.capitaland.com)
CapitaLand Group (CapitaLand) is one of Asia’s largest diversified real estate groups. Headquartered in Singapore, CapitaLand’s portfolio spans across diversified real estate classes which include integrated developments, retail, office, lodging, residential and new economy sectors such as business parks, industrial, logistics and data centres. With a presence across more than 250 cities in over 30 countries, the Group focuses on Singapore and China as its core markets, while it continues to expand in markets such as India, Vietnam, Australia, Europe and the USA.
Within its ecosystem, CapitaLand has developed an integrated suite of investment management and operating capabilities that supports its real estate businesses and platforms in building core competencies across the real estate value chain. With this full stack of capabilities, CapitaLand can optimise the strategies of its listed real estate investment management business CapitaLand Investment, and its privately held property development arm CapitaLand Development; to drive competitive advantage for its businesses.
CapitaLand places sustainability at the core of what it does. As a responsible real estate company, CapitaLand contributes to the environmental and social well-being of the communities where it operates, as it delivers long-term economic value to its stakeholders.
About CapitaLand Hope Foundation (www.capitalandhopefoundation.com)
CapitaLand Hope Foundation, the philanthropic arm of CapitaLand, was established in 2005 to further CapitaLand’s community development commitment to ‘Building People. Building Communities.’, by recognising that the long-term success of the company’s business is closely intertwined with the health and prosperity of the communities in which it operates.
Every year, CapitaLand allocates up to 0.5% of its net operating profit to CapitaLand Hope Foundation. The Foundation is a registered charity in Singapore which promotes the social growth and development of vulnerable children with respect to their education, healthcare and shelter needs. The Foundation also strives to improve the quality of life for the vulnerable elderly through healthcare, deeper social integration and better living conditions. Going beyond donations associated with charitable giving, the Foundation also focuses on giving time and attention to its beneficiaries through advocating volunteerism. The strong commitment of volunteers embodies CapitaLand’s mission to care for and contribute to the economic, environmental and social development of communities.
