Business initiatives on education
Companies can assist in improving the accessibility and quality of education. Below is a selection of articles and reports exemplifying some ways in which some companies have done this. For further reports on business & education see the Resource Centre’s website section on education.
Case examples
International
Africa
Americas
Asia & Pacific
Europe & Central Asia
Middle East & North Africa
International
The MDGs – Everyone’s Business – MDG 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
Growing Inclusive Markets, 21 Sep 2010
Describes steps that multinational corporations, large domestic companies and SMEs can take; provides examples.
Global Education Initiative
A World Economic Forum initiative. From its website: “The Global Education Initiative has helped over 1.8 million students and teachers and mobilized over US$ 100 million in resource support in Jordan, Rajasthan (India), Egypt, the Palestinian Territories and Rwanda. Today, the GEI engages over 40 private sector partners, 14 governments, 7 international organizations and 20 non-governmental organizations.”
IKEA Social Initiative backgrounder (by UNICEF)
The IKEA Social Initiative, founded in 2005, aims to “promote the rights of every child to a healthy, secure childhood and access to quality education”. It is a partnership between IKEA, UNICEF and Save the Children.
- IKEA Social Initiative (Ikea website)
- IKEA (Save the Children website)
- IKEA Social initiative (on business.un.org)
One laptop per child
Initiative aims to “create educational opportunities for the world's poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop”. Founding members are AMD, Brightstar, Ebay, Google, Marvell, Nortel, Quanta, Red Hat, SES Astra. Partners are Underwriters Laboratories, UNDP, Foley Hoag, Greenberg Traurig, Citigroup, Fuse Project, Pentagram, Nurun.
Bridging the Global Digital Divide, One Laptop at a Time
[email protected], Univ. of Pennsylvania (USA), 11 Jun 2008
Bulgari pledges $7.4 million commitment to support children’s education
International Business Times, 1 Nov 2010
A Bulgari ring designed and sold to benefit Save the Children.
Africa
Solar-powered internet school set to benefit children in rural Africa
David Smith, Guardian (UK), 28 Oct 2011
Mobile company eyes girl education drive [Tanzania]
Abduel Elinaza, Daily News (Tanzania), 18 Nov 2010
Intel Enhances E-Learning
Daily Nation (Kenya), 12 Oct 2010
South Africa's Fairtrade benefits need to be higher – and spread wider
Zoe Wood, Guardian (UK), 14 Feb 2010
Fairtrade wine premium invested in schools in South African wine district.
PricewaterhouseCoopers donates $4 million to educate Darfur's refugees
UNHCR, 12 Aug 2008
Americas
BBVA reinforces its commitment to education in Latin America with a project that will benefit more than eight million people through 2021
BBVA, 15 Sep 2010
Worldfund Raises more than $1.5 Million to fund Education Programs to Fight Poverty in Latin America
CEOs of three firms awarded “2010 Education Leadership Award” for their companies’ “outstanding and continuous commitment to education development in Latin America”: Jim Skinner of McDonald’s; Woods Staton of Arcos Dorados; Paolo Rocca of Techint.
Worldfund, 9 Jun 2010
Asia & Pacific
Vedanta to strengthen computer education program in Rajasthan [India]
India Infoline News, 16 Jul 2010
Partnership with a small NGO for ensuring quality education [India]
Ballarpur Industries Limited Annual Report 2008-2009 (page 27), 21 Sep 2009
Partnership to increase quality of education and school enrolment.
India CSR still on Ikea radar
Ishani Duttagupta, Economic Times (India), 21 Jun 2009
Education was a substantial part of IKEA’s first CSR initiative in India.
Merck KgAa / PT Mercj Tbk – Fight anemia, increase learning achievement!
CSR WeltWeit, Initiative occurred between 2006-8, Indonesia
Providing access to primary education for the under-privileged girl children in India
Mahindra & Mahindra, 21 Oct 2002
Europe & Central Asia
Case study: Business and school partnerships [UK]
Miranda Green, Financial Times, 4 Nov 2010
OSRAM Türkei – Osram’s Student Illumination Movement
CSR WeltWeit, 2008
Middle East & North Africa
UNICEF and Nokia partner to rebuild eight schools in Iraq
UNICEF, 20 Oct 2008
Related stories and components
Solar-powered internet school set to benefit children in rural Africa
Author: David Smith, Guardian [UK]
Children in the farthest corners of rural Africa are the target of a mobile, solar-powered classroom...The classroom, built inside a 12-metre-long shipping container by electronics firm Samsung, has an array of gadgets including laptops, a video camera...
- Related in-depth areas: Business initiatives on education Latest news on Children Positive initiatives on children's rights
- Related companies: Samsung
[DOC] IKEA Social Initiative
Author: UNICEF
IKEA Social Initiative works together with UNICEF and Save the Children to promote the rights of every child to a healthy, secure childhood and access to quality education. IKEA Social Initiative was formed in 2005 to address the company’s commitment...
- Related in-depth areas: Business initiatives on education Key initiatives Positive initiatives on children's rights
- Related companies: IKEA
Mobile company eyes girl education drive [Tanzania]
Author: Abduel Elinaza, Daily News [Tanzania]
Experts say the girls’ education and the promotion of gender equality in education are vital to promoting national development...Enter Zain Tanzania. The mobile phone giantt has just come up with an motivated plan aimed at supporting girls to acquire...
- Related in-depth areas: Business initiatives on education
- Related companies: Bharti Airtel
Bvlgari pledges $7.4 million commitment to support children's education
Author: International Business Times
Italian luxury house Bvlgari has introduced a specially designed silver and ceramic ring as part of its pledged commitment to provide $7.4 million (6 million euros) as support for quality education to the world’s neediest children. The brand’s...
- Related in-depth areas: Business initiatives on education Positive initiatives on children's rights
- Related companies: Bulgari
Intel Enhances E-Learning
Author: Daily Nation [Kenya]
Intel Corporation will scale up its investments to help bridge the digital divide by rolling out more ICT projects targeting the country's education sector… Intel is currently visiting with a team of five volunteers as part of the collaboration with...
- Related in-depth areas: Business initiatives on education
- Related companies: Intel
Case study: Business and school partnerships
Author: Miranda Green, Financial Times
Alongside a package of professional work for 150 further education colleges, 100 universities and some schools, which includes auditing and advice on everything from tax and pensions, HR, regulatory issues, risk and compliance or cost optimisation,...
- Related in-depth areas: Business initiatives on education
- Related companies: KPMG
[PDF] Millenium Development Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
Author: Growing Inclusive Markets
Elimination of child labour requires the development and enforcement of appropriate legislation as well as collaborations between the private sector, governments and civil-society organizations...Evidence from around the world shows a positive...
- Related in-depth areas: Business initiatives on education
- Related companies: IKEA
BBVA reinforces its commitment to education in Latin America with a project that will benefit more than eight million people through 2021
Author: BBVA
Francisco González, Chairman and CEO of BBVA, and Álvaro Marchesi, secretary general of the Organization of Ibero-American states (OEI) forged an alliance at the Ibero-American Conference on Education to help improve state educational policies in Latin...
- Related in-depth areas: Business initiatives on education Positive initiatives on children's rights
- Related companies: BBVA
Vedanta to strengthen computer education program in Rajastha
Author: India Infoline News
Government of Rajasthan…signed an MOU with 'Vedanta Foundation' and 'Hindustan Zinc' [part of Vedanta] for providing e-contents in 482 government schools…which will benefit 50,000 children every year…‘Vedanta Foundation’ will provide ‘e-Contents’ which...
- Related in-depth areas: Business initiatives on education
- Related companies: Vedanta Resources
Worldfund Raises more than $1.5 Million to fund Education Programs to Fight Poverty in Latin America
Author: Worldfund
The 2010 Education Leadership Award was bestowed on three business leaders whose organizations have demonstrated an outstanding and continuous commitment to education development in Latin America: Jim Skinner, Vice Chairman and CEO, McDonald's; Woods...
- Related in-depth areas: Business initiatives on education
- Related companies: Coca-Cola FEMSA General Electric Kimberly-Clark McDonald's Petrobras Techint Telmex Vale