Good cause. So I am going to be shameless to share it. I got an opportunity to witness and be part of something meaningful today. Some of these organizations are doing genuinely important work could use more support.
Chargebee, along with Madras Round Table-1 (MRT-1) has been working towards contributing to a school infrastructure - specifically, a government school in Pallavaram, Chennai.
I had a chance to speak with the headmaster to understand the constraints these schools operate under.
Last year, we helped build two floors of the school - 8 new classrooms. Today, the school has 1,400 enrolled students. These are kids who need the system to work for them, and this school is trying hard to make it do exactly that.
What's already happening here in the last few years is remarkable.
HCL has built a center of excellence on campus with a state-of-the-art science lab. They continue to maintain it too. It's become a source of pride for the school, and more than 1,000 students from neighbouring government schools visit it regularly. By all accounts, it's one of the best science facilities in the area, visually demonstrating science fundamentals.
Hyundai is now building another school wing, including an auditorium. These are facilities that private school students take for granted and government school students deserve too.
In five years, the school has improved a lot with the help of public-private partnerships like these. Another challenge is that better infrastructure has driven enrollment, and a strong open-door policy means no student from the neighborhood is turned away. That's the right thing to do and it comes with real challenges.
The school currently has 29 classrooms. Last year, they needed 33. Today, the need is 35. Some classes now have 85–90 students. They could use more support.
Why I'm sharing this? Organizations like MRT-1 have been exceptional at identifying these opportunities through fundraising and community services, and working with reliable contractors who deliver projects within a shorter turnaround time - responsibly and without waste. Also, MRT-1 itself is a run by entrepreneurs and this is one of the many social impact projects taken up by the members.
I'm sharing this so more entrepreneurs and companies with CSR funds become aware of schools like this one, and the organizations that support them.
Infrastructure like this changes the everyday reality for thousands of students. Many of you do this work quietly. We'd love that too. If sharing this story results in one more school getting the timely help it needs then it's worth being shameless to spread it.
Reply if you want the contacts and someone from our team (@chargebee) can share them with you, to explore this on your own. Thank you! 🙏
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