27 June 2023
Lila Poonawalla Foundation (LPF) is a non-profit public charitable trust in India committed towards 'Creating women leaders for organizations and the society at large' since 1995. Since its establishment, LPF has transformed the lives of 14,000+ girls and their 82,000+ family members.
In 2010, LPF started offering merit-cum-need-based scholarship and skill building programs to girls belonging to poor households or lower-middle class homes who aspire to pursue an undergraduate degree in science, engineering, pharmacy or nursing. The program was initially launched in Pune and was later extended to other cities like Wardha, Amravati and Nagpur in Maharashtra. The motto of this 'Undergraduate Scholarship and Skill Building Project' by LPF is 'Leading Indian Ladies Ahead (LILA)' and the beneficiaries of this project are named as LILA Girls.
Tietoevry India has been partnering with LPF to support LILA Girls in pursuing Bachelor of Engineering After Diploma degree in Pune through scholarships. Since our collaboration with LPF in 2014, we have sponsored over 130 meritorious girls from economically challenged backgrounds as part of the LPF Undergraduate Scholarship and Skill Building Program. We have sponsored 10-11 girls in the program every year from 2014 onwards and last year i.e. in 2022, our sponsorship was extended to close to 50 LILA Girls with an aim to increase coverage in the upcoming years.
Apart from undergraduate education, we also support skill building interventions to equip LILA girls with holistic professional development and skills to make them employment ready in addition to providing industry exposure through internships, volunteering, and placement support. The scholarships and skills development initiatives are key for enhancing the LILA girls’ self-confidence and resilience, improving their employability, ensuring social equality, and promoting their empowerment.
We feel happy to have this opportunity to support the educational aspirations of meritorious LILA girls who, after completing the program, are pursuing successful careers in technology with some leading organizations. We are extremely pleased that many of our LILA girls are able to improve the living conditions of their families and enable their access to a better life.
Stefan Krebs and Ashwani Batra, members of the Tietoevry India CR committee, visited the Lila Poonawalla Foundation office in Pune in February this year and were welcomed by Mrs. Lila Poonawalla, Chairperson, LPF and Ms. Priti Khare, CEO, LPF. They were given a detailed presentation of the LPF work in general and the specific results of LILA girls that Tietoevry is contributing towards. Our team was impressed with the way the LPF programs are planned, including the rigorous selection of the most deserving girls, the onboarding and orientation of the girls into the sponsorship program, the delivery of skill development training, and the monitoring and evaluation of the program. We are pleased with the improved learning levels over the years monitored through individual assessments by LPF.
Tietoevry India is proud of its holistic partnership with LPF and is looking forward to strengthening this collaboration to support higher education and skill-building of young girls and create opportunities for their families to prosper. We will continue to make efforts and contribute towards helping women and girls build careers in technology and enabling them to make a positive impact on society.
