As part of that philosophy, five years ago, several employees of Samsung got an opportunity to engage with less privileged students at government schools in rural India, and most of them were taken by surprise that the biggest reason for these children to attend school was to get free mid-day meals provided to these schools through a government programme. Most students did not have basic necessities such as notebooks and stationery.

That’s when employees from Samsung Research Institute – Bengaluru (SRI-B) resolved to begin a donation drive to bring focus back on education and help curb the drop-out rate among students.

This week, our employee volunteers reached out to government schools in six Talukas of Kolar and Ramnagar districts of Karnataka and distributed 550,000 notebooks to 100,000 students in 2,100 government schools.

As the little girls and boys received their new set of notebooks and stationery, the glee on their faces was palpable. The minute they got their hands on their prized possessions, they couldn’t stop writing their names on them. Mr J Manjunath, the District Collector of Kolar, Samsung executives and other officials participated in the drive along with Samsung employees. The students also made a solemn promise to study to the best of their potential.

Samsung has always shared a strong relationship with the state of Karnataka. Bengaluru is home to SRI-B, Samsung’s largest research and development centre outside South Korea, and Samsung Opera House, the world’s largest mobile experience centre. Samsung also recently installed the world’s largest Onyx Cinema LED screen at the city’s Swagath Cinema theatre.

In the fifth edition of the notebook donation drive for around one lakh students studying at government schools, volunteers from SRI-B reached out to schools in six Talukas of Kolar district (Kolar, Malur, KGF, Mulbagal, Bangarpet and Srinivaspura) and one Taluka of  Ramanagar district (Magadi) to distribute notebooks and stationery items.

School Boys in Taluka of Kolar district  show their new notebooks.

The notebook donation drive was conceptualized five years ago when Samsung employees, on a field visit, interacted with students of different government schools to understand their challenges and more importantly, the reason for attending school. A majority of students said they come to school only for mid-day meals. They also mentioned that they lacked necessities like notebooks and stationary items. Engineers at SRI-B formed a volunteer group and along with the CSR team has been conducting donation drives, bringing the focus back to education and helping arrest school drop-out rates.

“We urge more corporates to come forward and participate in the development process of our region. These students are our future and I appreciate Samsung’s efforts towards the development of rural areas of Kolar. We seek continued support to brighten up the lives of these children,” said Shri Manjunath, District Collector, Kolar.

School Girls in Taluka of Kolar district show their new notebooks.

“Samsung has undertaken conscious efforts towards the development of young minds in this region. The continued collaboration with Karnataka government is a testimony of our commitment and we feel deeply satisfied to see our young talented engineers participate with enthusiasm. While we continue to make the lives of our consumers better with our innovations, we will also focus on contributing to the development of our country with sustainable initiatives,” said Dipesh Shah, Managing Director, Samsung R&D Institute – Bangalore.

Since 2015, members of the volunteer group, ‘SEVA’ and the CSR team at SRI-B have contributed over 850,000 notebooks to over 70,000 school students across 1,200 government schools. With the latest drive, they would have contributed over 1,400,000 notebooks. The team has also initiated the construction of a new school building in Kolar district and has installed water filters in 85 schools in the district.

Samsung has had a strong relationship with Karnataka. The state is home to Samsung’s largest R&D centre outside Korea, the world’s largest mobile experience centre, the Samsung Opera House and the recently launched cinema LED screen at Swagath Cinema, Bangalore.

Employees of Samsung Research & Development Institute – Bangalore (SRI-B) visited 1,200 government schools across Karnataka over three days to donate notebooks and pens to 70,000 students. This is SRI-B’s largest notebook donation drive in collaboration with the Government of Karnataka.

As part of the initiative, members of the SEVA team at SRI-B, which is committed towards community related voluntary programs, distributed close to 5 lakh notebooks and 88,000 pens to students in the state.

The donation drive was held in three phases and saw volunteers from SRI-B reaching out to schools in Kolar, Malur, KGF, Mulbagal, Bangarpet, Srinivaspura and Devanahalli districts of the state.

“At Samsung, education is a cause that is close to our heart. We are committed to helping students across the state learn and fulfill their dreams. With notebooks being a basic necessity for students, we would like to empower the children of rural India through such drives,” said Mr. Dipesh Shah, Managing Director, Samsung R&D Institute, Bengaluru.

SRI-B came forward to help these students as it was observed that these students did not have sufficient number of notebooks and other essential items required for the academic education. SRI-B took the initiative of distributing study materials to keep the students engaged and improve their education outcomes.

Last year, this drive had brought smiles on faces of over 30,000 students, who had received notebooks, dictionaries, stationery kits and other essential items under this initiative. On special request of government officials for greater support, SRI-B fulfilled its promise this year by directing more efforts towards the uplift of student fraternity and empowering rural India.

The program has brought about a huge difference as the number of students who drop out of school, especially girls, has dropped considerably in the schools where these study materials were distributed.

Volunteers from Samsung R&D Institute, Bengaluru with students

Samsung India has collaborated with the Karnataka government to donate notebooks and pens to students in 450 government schools across Bengaluru, Kolar and Mulbaghal districts in the state.

A team of over 120 volunteers from Samsung R&D Institute, Bengaluru visited these schools and distributed 160,000 notebooks and 38,500 pens to over 30,000 students in two days.

“As a market leader, Samsung caters to the needs of its consumers with meaningful innovations and quality products, and also pledges to contribute to the needs of the society to create a better life for people,” said Mr. Dipesh Shah, Managing Director, Samsung R&D Institute, Bengaluru.

“The notebook donation drive, through which we have been able to reach out to over 30,000 students in Karnataka, is a small step in that direction,” he said.

Earlier this year, Samsung donated stationery items such as dictionaries, exam pads, geometry boxes, bags and stationery pouches to around 500 schools in Karnataka.

Another important milestone was the agreement with Government of Karnataka to help the state efficiently manage its public healthcare facilities. As part of the agreement, Samsung Research & Development Institute, Bangalore (SRI-B) provided over 1,000 Samsung Tab IRIS devices to the Department of Health, Government of Karnataka. Samsung Tab IRIS, the first commercial tablet to be approved by UIDAI for Aadhaar and KYC verification, is enabling Public Health Centers (PHC) in the state to build their database in a digital format.

Samsung began its journey in India in 1995, and in over two decades, it has grown into one of the country’s biggest consumer product companies, with 2 manufacturing plants, 5 R&D centres, 1 design centre, 1.5 lakh retail outlets and over 70,000 employees. Samsung is also India’s Most Trusted Brand and is pioneering local manufacturing through its ‘Make for India’ initiative.

Samsung India Citizenship Initiatives

At Samsung, our aim is to harness the Company’s legacy of innovation to positively transform communities and create a better life for people through different initiatives.

Samsung Smart Class, the Company’s flagship citizen program in India, promotes digital education among underprivileged students, especially in rural India. This initiative aims to bridge the digital gap between rural and urban India and provide equal opportunities for quality education to children from all backgrounds. Since 2013, over 470 Samsung Smart Class have been set up at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya schools across the length and breadth of India benefitting over 2.5 lakh students. In addition, over 8,000 teachers have been trained on how to use interactive technology to teach.

The Company has also established Samsung Technical Schools in partnership with the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), Government of India and ITIs in the states of Bihar, West Bengal, Kerala, Rajasthan and Delhi, to address the need for talented manpower with practical know-how and relevant industry experience. Students at the 22 Samsung Technical Schools also benefit from exposure to Samsung manufacturing facilities and authorized service centers. Till date, Samsung Technical Schools have provided technical training for job opportunities to over 2,000 youth.

One of the Company’s key citizenship initiatives is the Samsung Smart Healthcare program that has been designed to support the Government’s efforts to provide the best of healthcare to millions of citizens especially from the economically weaker sections. Through this program, Samsung provides government hospitals its innovative healthcare equipment such as ultrasound, digital radiology and accessories, with the aim to make affordable healthcare accessible to the large number of patients at select Government hospitals in Chennai, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Gurugram and Delhi.