Blue Birds International School is a non-profit organization built and managed by a Frontier Co-op Well Earth partner in Amroha, India. The school's stated mission is to provide "a diverse education in a safe, supportive environment that promotes sound values, self-discipline, motivation and excellence in learning." It hopes to help students to become "independent and self-sufficient adults who will succeed and contribute responsibly in a global community."
Our partner, Norex Flavours, is a family-owned company that was founded in 1994. They have an established reputation for excellence in the industry and are actively engaged in corporate socially responsible initiatives and creating sustainable development in their local communities.
In 2008, Norex established Blue Birds International School with 200 students. The co-educational school is currently serving 2,000 students in kindergarten through twelfth grade in about three dozen nearby villages and towns. This is a poor region of India, and many of the children would not otherwise have access to school.
The school facilities include labs for physics, chemistry, home science, math and computers, as well as a growing library. They have had previous positive results from what they call "smart" classrooms — rooms equipped with smart boards and other computer equipment.
Frontier visited the school in May of 2017 and met the principal, staff and many of the students. The school is located in a rural area and has a major focus on providing quality education to rural children without discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity or financial position.
Following the visit, Frontier Co-op allocated $16,000 through its Well Earth program to Blue Birds International School as part of its support for supplier communities.
The funds will be used to improve the school facilities by installing a water filtration system, converting standard classrooms to smart classrooms and adding playground equipment.
Pollution is deteriorating the quality of the underground water, and a filtration system is needed to maintain safe drinking water. The school has found smart classrooms help students conceptualize ideas and improve the learning process — our grant funds the upgrade of four standard classrooms to smart classrooms. The expansion of playground equipment will provide the increasing number of young children with more opportunities for fun physical activity.
We're glad we can contribute to this life-changing educational opportunity for the children of this Well Earth community in rural India.