Mitel Serves: Mitel India funds construction of rural schools with One School at a Time (OSAAT)

Across the globe, our colleagues at Mitel make meaningful differences in our communities through Mitel Serves. We’re so proud of our team in India, who are being spotlighted for their amazing work with One School at a Time (OSAAT), a non-profit organization focused on rebuilding infrastructure of needy rural schools in India that are in dire need of a safe and strong infrastructure. Through partnership with OSAAT, Mitel India has helped fund the construction of 6 schools in the Karnataka region since 2017, and our employees have been invited to the Inauguration of the most recent schools to see the work that they have sponsored.

“This is my heart and soul in Mitel. I have travelled to three of these schools in person to do the due diligence. These are not just schools; these are shelter homes for entire villages when a flood or natural calamity occurs. There would be one school in 70kms where economically backward students would be studying,” said Sajana Shankaran, Director of HR in India. 

The organizations that Mitel Serves aims to partner with are those whose missions lie in efforts to support education, healthcare and the environment. With OSAAT, we are so thankful to help fund projects that will have an impact on young lives and education. According to OSAAT, these rural school children are, “predominantly from poor families that struggle for day-to-day survival. A crumbling building that poses as a school does not inspire or even show a glimpse of a better future for the parents. As a result, kids are vulnerable to being pulled out of schools, leading to a cycle of child labor.” 

Through the construction of these education facilities, we hope we can continue to make an impact on the futures of kids and families across this region, not just to provide a building for schooling, but to use education as a way for these kids to rise from their economic situations. 

 

“I feel so proud that I work for Mitel,” Shankaran said. “Education is the biggest gift you can give to the future and Mitel is marking an impact here.”

“India is the first country to have statutorily mandated Corporate Social Responsibility investments for organizations," said Patrick Peisker, Vice President R&D, International Development Labs. "We are in a unique position to make yearly contributions to select causes and our engagement with OSAAT has been amazing. It’s been extremely fulfilling to support challenged schools in the state we operate in and witnessing these schools benefiting from our efforts.”

Schools funded by Mitel held inauguration ceremonies on October 25 and 28, and our peers in India were in attendance to see the difference they’ve made for these students. We’d like to thank OSAAT for giving Mitel the continued opportunity to sponsor such an important and significant cause and especially thank our team in India for all the good they are doing for their community.