Summary
Trust fund for children aims to provide well-equipped outdoor play spaces that can be accessed by needy kids
Set up in 2007, Bengaluru-based People4People has worked to provide school playgrounds through the pandemic and plans to expands to other states as well
Bengaluru-based trust fund People4people has completed a milestone by installing over 500 playgrounds for children in government schools in Karnataka, as well as in other states such as Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand.
It is with the aim to provide well-equipped outdoor play spaces that the founders of The Telerad Group — Sunita Maheshwari and Arjun Kalyanpur — set up a trust fund for kids called People4People (P4P). Ever since its first playground in 2007, P4P has come a long way, setting up playgrounds in 500 plus schools.
Maheshwari and Kalyanpur summarised their foundation’s goal, saying, “P4P is a trust fund for kids and was born from our joint wish and dream to fill up childhoods with fun memories of playtime, sunshine and Vitamin D; social bonding and stress-free quality hours of physical activity.”
Outdoor play equipment such as slides and climbers are important for a child’s physical and social development. Sadly, due to increased habitation pressure and economic disparities, open-air playgrounds are becoming scarce for kids belonging to lower economic classes. Most government schools that cater to kids from lower economic categories have decent open space but lack in play equipment.
Vishu Kumar, headmaster of Government Higher Primary School, Bekkare, Mysuru, was very happy with the impact of the playground installation by P4P. “We were not able to gather funds to buy play fixtures. In 2017, People4People installed several play equipment like a seesaw, swing and slide. Since then, I have seen a lot of excitement and joy on the faces of the children.”
Prema Kumari, headmistress of Government Lower Primary School Nandagudi, Bengaluru (Rural), expressed her gratitude, saying, “I am seeing an increase in school admissions after People4People made it possible for them to build a playground in 2016. The number of children who approached the school for admission went up by 17%. This can be attributed to the school having a play area with all kinds of equipment. I am very thankful to People4People for making this possible.”
Ashwani Sinha, chief impact officer of The Telerad Group, said, “People4People, our voluntary contribution-driven CSR wing, creates play spaces in schools. Our founders hope that someday this activity would be identified as a national priority and more organisations would join hands to move forward towards providing a happier childhood to those in need.”
Even during the pandemic-ridden 2021, P4P donated and completed the set-up of 40 playgrounds. Due to logistics and proximity of headquarters, P4P has catered primarily to Karnataka (19 districts) so far. However, People4People is gradually expanding to other states, including Jharkhand, informed Sinha.
Last updated on 14 Mar 2022
