Samsung to sponsor poor kids' education

NEW DELHI, INDIA: As a gesture of philanthropy, electronics major Samsung on Thursday committed to spend Rs.100 from the sale of every Galaxy Note, the company's latest android phone, to sponsor education of poor children in India.

"For every Galaxy Note sold in the period between February and June 2012, Samsung will contribute Rs.100 towards supporting the selected projects with non-governmental organisations," said Ranjit Yadav, country-head for mobile and IT, Samsung Electronics. The product is priced around Rs.38,000.

Through partnership with NGOs which are selected on the basis of their work in the field of education by a jury constituted by Samsung, the project aims to reach out to children across villages in Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

The two NGOs selected are Aid India and Smile Foundation, which will be funded for their pro grammes 'Samsung Super Kids' in Tamil Nadu villages and 'Mission Education' in Delhi and UP.

"We not only aim to provide quality education to underprivileged children but also create an environment which is conducive to their overall growth and development. Our objective is to ensure that children are encouraged to go to school and are mainstreamed," Yadav added.

Yesteryear's actress and former chairperson of Central Board of Film Certification, Sharmila Tagore is the ambassador of the company's Project Hope.

Tagore said, "There is a need to focus not just on giving basic education to children and mainstreaming them, but also for ensuring that quality of education imparted is improved and school drop out rate is controlled."