By Sekhar Seshan. Consulting Editor, Business India

Global technology and services firm Extentia has moved beyond its business of helping clients transform and realise their digital strategies to conduct an English communication programme for economically vulnerable children.

The company’s CSR arm, Sakaar, runs Project Uday at the Pune NGO Friends of Children (FoC) – a project it describes as an effort of hope and positivity for the future.

Extentia, which has been doing community projects almost since its inception in 1998 through volunteering, blood donation camps, also participates and supports various causes and the NGOs behind them. For the last 10 years, it has been supporting FoC, which itself has been working with economically vulnerable children for the last 17 years.

Project Uday, an initiative that Extentia launched during the recent national lockdown imposed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, involves mapping volunteers to students on a one-to-one basis to help improve the latter’s spoken English through telephonic conversations. Such communication skills are a must for various job profiles, and through such activities students will eventually be prepared to face tough competition in the industry. 

Four Extentia employees are currently engaged with 10 students, speaking to them over the phone once or twice a week. Project Uday ensures social distancing and has not allowed the lockdown to become a deterrent in helping these students to acquire spoken English skills, a basic prerequisite for any job opening.