Wipro, a global Information Technology company based in Bangalore, and First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise, have partnered to donate 6,000 brand new books to two San Francisco elementary schools.
Bryant Elementary, in San Francisco’s historic Mission District, and John Yehall Chin Elementary, were readying to receive 3,000 brand new books — enough to create 10 individual classroom libraries at both schools — plus 300 Spanish/English bilingual titles for Bryant’s main library.
The donation builds on Bryant’s significant achievements in literacy. Bryant’s literacy scores have jumped 15 percent over the last five years, an increase the school attributes to support from the San Francisco Unified School District, the Mission Economic Development Agency’s mission promise neighborhood initiative, and strategic partnerships, like the one with Wipro.
Anurag Behar, chief sustainability officer of Wipro said that the company is committed to being an involved participant in its communities. “High quality universal education is critical to the future of children and young people. Our partnership with First Book, and our investment in San Francisco’s schools, underscores our commitment to work with local communities and educators to further educational opportunities for children in need,’ he said in a statement Sept. 27 ahead of the delivery of the books.
Wipro’s donation is part of a $1.5 million initiative by SFUSD and First Book that provides books, educational resources and other essentials to children to provide every K-5 classroom in San Francisco with a new classroom library.
While book ownership and a print-rich environment are believed to be leading indicators of a child’s educational success, for the 32 million children growing up in low-income families in the U.S. alone, books are scarce.
Studies have found that in low-income neighborhoods there is only one book for every 300 children, whereas in moderate income neighborhoods, there are 13 books for every child.
Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book noted that Wipro and its employees have gone above and beyond to help bring First Book’s resources into the communities where they work and live.
“Their commitment to learning and to innovation is filling 20 San Francisco classrooms with books that are diverse, grade-appropriate, and brand new. The transformative power of books goes hand in hand with the transformative power of technology, and Wipro understands that. We are fortunate that we have been able to support Bryant and Chin Elementary Schools, and we look forward to continuing to work with the San Francisco Unified School District to support every school in the city,” Zimmer said in a statement.
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