BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Four thousand new books are being donated to students in the Boston area through the end of June as a result of a partnership between Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, and First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise that has delivered more than 160 million books and educational resources to programs and schools with children in need.
The books will be distributed to registered First Book members in the Boston area, providing additional education resources in the community where Wipro employees live and work. The books will be used to stock classroom libraries, facilitate reading circles and help students build their home libraries.
Launched in 1998, First Book’s National Book Bank is the first and only centralized distribution system for large-scale children’s book donations from publishers to schools and programs serving kids in need. The National Book Bank distributes 10 million books annually, and with Wipro’s support, 19,000 of these books will be donated to schools and programs in Indianapolis, Boston, East Palo Alto and Seattle.
Wipro’s office in Quincy, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, which was inaugurated last year, supports clients across sectors.
Wipro’s presence in Boston is extended through the Wipro Science Education Fellowship, a partnership between UMass Boston and Boston Public Schools, Braintree Public Schools, Cambridge Public Schools, Malden Public Schools and Pembroke Public Schools. Through this partnership, Wipro supports educators committed to growing as teachers and leaders through collaborative and individual work.
“Wipro has been engaged in Boston area’s educational initiatives for several years and is happy to contribute again to promote the critical importance of access to books,” said Anurag Behar, Chief Sustainability Officer, Wipro Ltd. “Our hope is that our reading-focused efforts in Boston will help make an impact on the students’ learning during the critical summer months.”
Since 2015, Wipro and First Book have partnered together to distribute over 118,000 books throughout the U.S. and Canada, with a goal of distributing over 200,000 books to children in need, as part of their three-year partnership.
A simple bag of books can help beat Summer Slide. In fact, research shows that children who are given access to books over the summer perform 35-40 percent better on reading achievement tests than those without access to books. Book ownership and a print-rich environment are leading indicators of a child’s educational success, but for the 32 million children growing up in low-income families in the U.S. alone, books are scarce. A recent study found that in one low-income neighborhood, there was only one book for more than 800 children, whereas in moderate income neighborhoods, there are 13 books for every one child.[1]
First Book, which has operations in both the U.S. and Canada, works with formal and informal educators serving children in need aged between 0-18 years in a wide range of settings – from schools, classrooms, summer school and parks and recreational programs, to health clinics, homeless shelters, faith-based programs, libraries, museums, summer food sites and more. The organization supports more than one in four of the estimated more than 1.3 million classrooms and programs that are serving children in need in the U.S. alone.
“Wipro and its employees in Boston and across North America continue to go above and beyond to help bring First Book’s resources into the communities where they work and live,” said Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book. “Thanks to the dedication and enthusiasm of Wipro’s employees at reading events and at book distributions, along with Wipro’s financial support, tens of thousands of children will experience the transformative power of books, to fuel learning and unlock their future. We are enormously grateful.”
“Access to books is essential to furthering a children’s education and preparing them for the future,” said Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book. “Wipro’s commitment to give back to the communities in which its employees live and work will enable thousands of children to fuel learning and unlock their future.”
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About First Book
First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise founded in 1992 that has distributed more than 160 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada, which, with more than 325,000 members, is the largest and fastest growing network of educators exclusively serving kids in need. By making new, high-quality books and educational resources available on an ongoing basis, First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and elevating the quality of education. Eligible educators, librarians, program leaders, and others serving children in need can sign up at firstbook.org/register. For more information, please visit firstbook.org or follow the latest news on Facebook and Twitter.
About Wipro Limited
Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company. We harness the power of cognitive computing, hyper-automation, robotics, cloud, analytics and emerging technologies to help our clients adapt to the digital world and make them successful. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, we have over 160,000 dedicated employees serving clients across six continents. Together, we discover ideas and connect the dots to build a better and a bold new future.
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