Coca-Cola and UN-Habitat today announced the launch of a unique initiative named ‘Support My School’, a programme for healthy, active and happy schools. The soft drink company said that the campaign aimed to create awareness and address issues in schools which lead to absenteeism or children dropping out of school.

The Support My School campaign is being launched in 10 schools in the Kathmandu valley — five in Kathmandu, three in Lalitpur and two schools in Bhaktapur districts. The campaign will initially benefit 10,596 students currently enrolled in the 10 schools. In the days ahead, Support My School will mobilize support from other partners and also expand its reach to other schools in Nepal.

“The Coca-Cola Company places strong emphasis on building sustainable communities across the world. We are launching our signature programme Support My School in Nepal now, having seen its impact across the Southwest Asian region,” said Neeraj Garg, vice-president, operations, Southwest Asia, Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia Business Unit. He added that the company aimed to improve facilities in schools through this initiative so that students can have a clean and hygienic environment for growth and development.

The initiative will focus on the elements of providing clean drinking water, improving sanitation facilities for boys and girls, developing recreation amenities through libraries and sports facilities and promoting environmental awareness through initiatives like a green audit, tree plantation drives and recharging the groundwater through rain water harvesting techniques. “Every child needs a holistic and hygienic environment for learning. Under the Support My School campaign, we aim to provide basic facilities in schools, to create a conducive environment for learning,” said Bhushan Tuladhar, regional technical advisor, South Asia, Urban Basic Services Branch, UN-HABITAT.

“We have already launched this campaign in India and very recently in Bangladesh as well.

source: The Kathmandu post,5 march 2013