Vi Foundation, the CSR arm of telecom operator Vi, has unveiled a tech solution- Donate Book with the aim to bring together book donors, organisations/schools in need of books and NGOs working for the cause. This initiative is being launched under Vi Foundation’s Connecting for Good programme which aims to create a bridge between people having access to books and those in need of books.
This solution was launched on Teacher’s Day in the presence of poet Padma Shri Surender Sharma; Rishabh Jain, content creator, entrepreneur and educator; and P Balaji, director, Vodafone Foundation and chief regulatory and corporate affairs officer, Vodafone Idea. On this occasion, Vi Foundation also released ‘Teachers Diary’ – a collection of true stories of remarkable and inspiring teachers from different parts of India, recognised for their exceptional contribution to education. This book serves as a tribute to teachers all over the country who profoundly impact students’ lives and contribute to nation-building.
“Education is a big focus area for us at Vodafone Idea Foundation. We believe in leveraging technology in this space to improve the quality of education and learning outcomes for children from underprivileged communities and rural India where such facilities are not readily available. The Donate Book initiative is born from this objective. We believe there is a large base of book donors who are keen to help needy students. We will provide these donors with a simple, easily accessible mechanism to donate books,” P Balaji, chief regulatory and corporate affairs officer, VIL, said.
Initially offered in Pune and Jaipur, the organisation aims to expand to more towns and cities in India over the coming months. “Our aim is to reach 50,000 students through donation of one lakh of books in the first year itself,” Balaji added.
People with an interest to give away some books can simply log into the platform and donate books. Basis the interest, Vi Foundation in association with its implementation partner Moinee Foundation, will get the books picked up from their residence and deliver it to the people in need of the books. In places where the implementation partner can’t reach, the Donate Book platform offers an option for the donor to courier it to a certain location to then take it forward by the foundation, thus contributing to the large inventory of books.
Simultaneously, organisations or schools in need of books can start a campaign on the portal requesting people to donate books. This will be monitored and managed by the Vi Foundation and Moinee Foundation team for a speedy resolution.
