Aakash Emerges as Leading Offline to Online Players, Registering Tremendous Online Engagement Post Lockdown

 According to a recent study conducted by SimilarWeb, a global web analytics market intelligence firm, Aakash Educational Services Ltd. (AESL), the national leader in test preparation services, has emerged as one of the leading O2O (Offline to Online) players to chronicle remarkable online engagement as a major offline service provider. 

The report titled “Understanding the Impact of Coronavirus on E-learning”, released recently, took into consideration 35 top e-learning Indian websites to gauge the growth of ed-tech space over a period of one year. AESL website aakash.ac.in has featured in the Top Ten post lockdown performers in the last 28 days by registering a 2.96% share of online website traffic.  

Commenting on the findings of the report, Mr. Aakash Chaudhry, Director and CEO of Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL), said: “We are proud to be recognized as one of the foremost O2O players to register a tremendous and significant online engagement post lockdown. We are the pioneers who predicted the need for digital learning and started tailoring courses according to the requirement of the students. Without ever compromising on the pedigree of learning while upholding the position of providing best educational services on both the offline and online platforms.” 

The SimilarWeb report finds that during the lockdown period, India has seen the maximum searches for online courses post lockdown, showing a realisation of upskill among others.  

Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL) 

Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL) provides comprehensive test preparatory services for students preparing for Medical and Engineering Entrance Examinations, School/Board Exams and Competitive Exams such as NTSE, KVPY, and Olympiads. AESL believes that the “Aakash” brand is associated with quality coaching and a proven student selection track record in various Medical and Engineering Entrance Examinations, Scholarship exams & Olympiads. 

With over 32 years of operational experience in the test preparatory industry, the company has a large number of selections in Medical & Engineering Entrance Exams and several Foundation level Scholarship exams/Olympiads, a pan India network of 200+ Aakash Centers (including franchisee), and a student count of more than 250,000. 

upGrad’s New TV & Digital Campaign is a Clarion Call to the 100M Indian Workforce to Grow with Specialisation & Not with Licking

upGrad, India’s largest online higher education company, unveils its latest mass media campaign, which can be considered as one of the most clutter-breaking & bold campaigns done by a brand in the recent past. The TV commercial, featuring a donkey, draws from the cultural insight that in the corporate world, everyone wants to climb the ladder and choose various ways to get ahead - one of the most common being the tendency to ‘lick ass’.

Shot in Estonia, the humorous yet charming film has been developed by the creative agency, The Womb & has been directed by Shashanka Chaturvedi, a.k.a Bob, co-founder & director, Good Morning Films, who has worked on close to 100 ads in India and won two Gold Lions at Cannes - the first by an Indian filmmaker and a Grand Prix at Spikes Asia, the upGrad's film marks the first in his career where he directed the shoot crew, including the endearing animal, remotely from Goa, where he has been shooting ads since a month now. 

“Our primary objective is to define the kind of education upGrad provides, that is not constricted by the mode of learning - which just happens to be online. The next ambition was to compellingly summarise all the types of courses we provide - post-graduate degrees, certifications and diplomas. We chose the word ‘degree’ because in India, the concept of a ‘degree’ holds emotional and practical heft across all socio-economic classes. While degrees are available a dime a dozen, the conflict occurs when they tend to be generic, outdated and from not so credible institutions, that are ultimately not valued by employers. Thus, the genesis of ‘Sirf naam ki nahin, kaam ki degree’ - upGrad’s promise to provide outcome-oriented specialisations that help learners to achieve the ROI on education – job/profile switch, increment or promotion, in other words, Employability” said Arjun Mohan, CEO - India, upGrad.

Talking about the campaign, Kawal Shoor, Co-Founder, The Womb said, “upGrad and The Womb got together a few months back to start working on building its brand and business in India. COVID-19 has hastened the need for edtech as a category. upGrad is a very substantive brand in the midst of many lightweight educational institutions that have mushroomed all over India. It has a great culture, knows how to teach, and has tie-ups with some of the best universities in India, and the world. It can fulfil the learning needs of working professionals and undergraduates. We had to bring its various offerings under one, clear positioning idea for the brand that stems from and can influence culture. This spot introduces that idea, along with a clear proposition for working professionals."

"upGrad's Data Science and Management programs for working professionals have great pedigree with tie-ups with institutions like IIIT Bangalore, IIT Madras, and Deakin Business School. To make this resonate culturally, we borrowed from culture - work/corporate culture to be specific. We uncovered a very rich insight - in organisations, those who're not good enough to find other means to rise. We built our proposition around this insight. What was even more challenging was to find a way to execute this in a lockdown - so what you'll see, are Indian-origin actors from the UK, performing in an office in Estonia, being remotely directed from a villa in Goa. The clients at upGrad have to be complimented for believing,” added Navin Talreja, Co-Founder, The Womb.

The performance-driven media planning on TV channels is being executed by the agency DCMN and on OTTs and Google platforms by Tatvic Analytics. The mass media campaign will also be complemented by narrative-driven influencer campaign on social media, which the company officials has not revealed yet. In partnership with HTTPool & Twitter India, upGrad also has rolled out an emoji campaign wherein one of the key brand attributes (KBA) - a red arrow moving upwards will be automatically added to upskilling related hashtags when tweeted by any user worldwide during the campaign period.

Vidyadhan Comes Forward to Support Kaushik for his Higher-Education

Vidyadhan, a flagship higher-education program under the aegis of The Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives (SFPI) on Wednesday announced that it would support the higher education of Kaushik Acharya (15), a differently-abled boy residing in Kanchikar Pete in Bantwal district near Bengaluru (Karnataka). Kaushik will receive a scholarship from Vidyadhan starting from class 11th until he completes graduation in any stream of his choice.

"We are humbled to have Kaushik join the Vidyadhan family and glad to support him further in achieving his dreams. By overcoming his physical challenges with sheer hard work and determination to clear the board exams with exceptional marks, he has exemplified that one can conquer all difficulties if one wants to. Such meritorious students who overcome all odds serve as an inspiration to us all," said Mrs Kumari Shibulal, Founder and Chairperson, The Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives.

The scholarship offer letter was handed over in person to Kaushik on August 12th, 2020 by Vidyadhan’s State Coordinator Vishwanath K S, on behalf of the foundation.

“I am very happy and proud to receive the Vidyadhan scholarship. This will help me to pursue my higher education and fulfil my dream of becoming a government officer. It will be a huge help for my parents since this is not just a one-time scholarship but will be available to me until I complete my studies. I am very thankful to Vidyadhan and promise that in the future I will also help students like me who need support to the best of my abilities," said Kaushik. His parents believe that  apart from the scholarship, mentoring and training provided by Vidyadhan will help Kaushik to make the right decisions regarding further studies.

Kaushik didn’t let his inability become a hurdle in studies and wrote the SSLC final examination with his toes without taking help from anybody else. He passed in the first division by excellentmarks, thereby becoming a role model for all those who rise above difficulties in pursuit of knowledge and education. He even received praises from Mr. S Suresh Kumar, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education (Govt. of Karnataka), who personally commended his efforts by visiting him and lauded his achievement on social media as well.

Vidyadhan is currently supporting over 800 students from underserved backgrounds in Karnataka to help them pursue their studies in a field of their choice. The application process to avail the scholarship for this year is currently open and eligible students can apply through their website at www.vidyadhan.org.

About The Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives:

Born out of a sense of responsibility to society, the Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives has been actively supporting those in need through initiatives in education, healthcare and organic farming for the last 20 years, starting from 1999.

The Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives started with a focus on education, based on the simple belief that the founders – Mrs. Kumari Shibulal and Mr. S.D. Shibulal achieved what they did because of it. All its initiatives such as Vidyadhan, Ankur, The Samhita Academy, Vidyarakshak, ShikshaLokam, EduMentum are based on the premise of uplifting the underserved communities and providing them with the opportunity to build a better future.

Mrs Kumari Shibulal is the Founder & Chairperson of the Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives. Passionate about doing her bit for the underserved communities, her vision (and that of the Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives) is to spread knowledge and create an environment focussed on social change through a solution-oriented approach.

About Vidyadhan:

Vidyadhan is the flagship higher education scholarship program ofThe Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives. We identify students in need of financial assistance after matriculation, to support them through senior school and graduation of their choice. We have given over 17000+ scholarships through this initiative. Many have gone on to become productive citizens after completing the program over the years. 4300 students across 10 states are currently in the program.

To make this program more scalable and self-sustainable, a new model has been introduced called ‘Each One, Teach One’. The primary mission is to bring together academically brilliant but financially weak students and individuals and corporates interested in supporting these students to achieve their dreams. Launched in May 2015, this initiative facilitates need-based financial assistance to those pursuing degree courses such as medicine, engineering, nursing, etc.  The SFPI has pledged their support to Each One, Teach One’s vision is to increasing the impact from 17,000 scholarships in 10 States to 100,000 scholarships in all States in the next 5-7 years. Vidyadhan was launched in Karnataka in the year 2014 and currently has around 800 students in the state.

MyCaptain Unveils Free e-Learning Classes on its Seventh Anniversary

 

MyCaptain, an India-based online learning platform, today announces the ‘freemium’ version of its mobile application and website which will allow users to take Free Live Sessions, micro-courses and demo classes covering 40+ number of Potential careers and subjects, such as Photography, App Development, Music Production and Novel Writing, to name a few. 

With over 100,000 paid users, the parent company, Climber Knowledge & Careers Pvt. Ltd. completes seven successful years of operations in online learning and mentoring in India. On this occasion, MyCaptain wanted to go an extra mile by providing a platform to each and every individual who wishes to explore their passion, which will help them evolve in their career as well as personal lives. In this endeavour, the company decided to launch an unpaid version of its Live Online Courses for the first time ever. 

Commenting on this initiative, Mohammed Zeeshan, Co-founder & CEO, MyCaptainsaid “From the very beginning, our motive has been to bring a societal mindset shift when it comes to Careers in India and all across the World. With the launch of our new app which offers all such free features, we aim to reach a larger audience, penetrating through different corners of the country, to provide them a peek into the world of alternative careers and online learning. We want students to learn from the best in the Industry.”

Along with the launch of free e-learning classes, MyCaptain has entered into a rebranding phase that aligns with its anniversary theme ‘Evolution’. The company has come up with a new logo which is a more modern version of the older logo, and has been designed keeping in mind the archetype of its primary user: Creator.

Ruhan Madni Naqash, Co-founder & Chief Marketing Officer, MyCaptain said“Over the past 10 years, the youth has changed, what mattered to the youth has changed as well. We have seen this need to adapt, transform, and evolve in our target market, and we want to reciprocate that need and feel through our rebranding.” 

In the following year, MyCaptain is looking to acquire 300,000+ more paid customers, begin international expansion and have more than 3000+ Top Educators onboard. Additionally, the company is aiming to host 2000+ Free Live Sessions for students to get a taste of each field and learn from the best minds in India. 

New Education Policy 2020 Encourages Holistic Education Through Sports and Play

Sportz Village, India's largest youth sports platform, is in support of the emphasis on holistic development of children in the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 announced by the cabinet. Once the NEP gets implemented, children will benefit from the focus on balanced and all-round development from an early age.  

Commenting on the new initiative by the Modi government Saumil Majmudar, Co-founder, CEO and Managing Director, Sportz Village said that, “The new National Education Policy is a welcome change at a time when the health, happiness and immunity of children are becoming increasingly important due to the pandemic. The new NEP includes several key points that are instrumental for the holistic development of a child. By eliminating the rigid separation between curricular and extra-curricular activities, the NEP acknowledges sports to be equally important as any other subject like English or Science, thereby increasing the Fun and Engagement that children desperately seek in a school." 

Mr Majmudar adds that through Play, children can develop physically, mentally and socially. And we have also found Play to contribute positively to academic outcomes, classroom behaviour and attendance levels. Moreover, assessment-specific reforms such as the development of the National Assessment Centre and tracking a child's progress based on learning outcomes are great initiatives as they focus on the learning progress, thereby focusing on the all-round development of a child. We expect that sports and play, will be delivered and assessed with the same rigor and structure as core academic subjects, thereby ensuring all children experience the magic of Play and Sport, and we develop a nation of healthier and fitter children through the school system. The emphasis on Vocational Education is also a great step towards all-round development of children and we hope children will be able to choose Physical Activity and Sports as a Vocational subject. We look forward to the translation of the policy to reflect in a more playful, fun and engaging school environment for children while meeting the adult goals of learning outcomes.

About Sportz Village: 

Sportz Village is India's largest youth sports platform. Established in the year 2003, Sportz Village has a philosophy of: (i) Improving the health and fitness of children, (ii) Getting everyone to experience the magic of sports. 

Launch of Metamorphosis School of Entrepreneurship - Virtual Learning Platform for 6-12th Grade Students

Metamorphosis, an edu-tech company today announced the launch of their ambitious project - Metamorphosis School Of Entrepreneurship (MSE)- World’s First Virtual School for Entrepreneurship at middle and high school level. Students from 12+ cities from across the country have enrolled in the first cohort of Metamorphosis School of Entrepreneurship and the platform is planning to empower 1 million students by the end of year 2020.

MSE is a virtual, dynamic, practicalistic school of entrepreneurship with expertly curated content for the 6-12th grade students. It’s a two year long case-study based program and the entire curriculum comprises 3 divisions i.e Meta Core, Meta Electives, and Meta X. 

On the launch of the virtual entrepreneurship school, Mr. Pavan Allena, Founder & CEO of MetamorphosisEdu says, “We have always been dedicated towards our goal of creating a healthy startup ecosystem in the country. MSE is our next big step in the same direction and through the program we are trying to inculcate the nuts & bolts of Entrepreneurship among the middle and high school students”

Youth is the future of any nation and our prime focus at MetamorphosisEdu is to nourish and empower these seedlings so that they grow up into big Entrepreneurial success” - He further adds.

The MSE program takes students on an entrepreneurial journey (from idea generation to new venture creation) by imbibing the 21st century skill sets, idea pitching opportunities, b-plan competitions and many more. Each and every student works up their way as an entrepreneur under the guidance of 50+ mentors (who are real-time entrepreneurs) and personal proctors. The next cohort of Metamorphosis School of Entrepreneurship will start from October 1, 2020. 

Till date, MetamorphosisEdu has empowered 15000+ students across the country. The company is also responsible for 45 success stories of student entrepreneurs who have launched their ventures that have garnered accolades and market traction. 

About MetamorphosisEdu: (https://www.metamorphosisedu.com/)

Metamorphosis is the world’s first virtual school that teaches entrepreneurship to high school students.  It strives to make students job creators instead of job seekers. The company was founded in 2017 by Pavan Allena when he felt the need to empower young minds with entrepreneur skills and guide them on a path of leadership and innovation.

The company began with a physical business model which quickly evolved into a mix between a physical and digital model. As a result of using digital technologies, the company has been growing exponentially. Between 2017 till 2019, Metamorphosis grew five-folds. Today, more than 16 people work at the company, and aims to build the largest entrepreneurial community across the globe at the school level. 

Ed-Tech StartUp TagHive Collaborates with Government of Madhya Pradesh to Make their Schools Smart Across 52 Districts

Schools Smart 

* TagHive’s flagship product – Class Saathi to onboard 2080 schools across 52 districts in MP

* This decision has been made after successful pilot tests of Class Saathi in 2 districts, which was launched on Children’s day, 14th November, 2019

* Looking at associating with a CSR partner to expedite the deployment 

Samsung Ventures backed ed-tech start-up TagHive Inc., today announced that it has received a letter of confirmation from the Government of Madhya Pradesh to deploy ‘Class Saathi’ to a network of 2080 schools in the state. Class Saathi is an AI powered app by TagHive which, along with its clicker, is an affordable classroom solution that engages every student even in remote schools that have no infrastructure such as Internet, computers and electricity. Class Saathi also provides an app for parents and an app for administrators to monitor progress and take appropriate action. TagHive recently closed its Pre-Series A Funding round by Mr. Joon Hyon from South Korea, currently valuing the start-up at USD 10 million.

The Education Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri. Prabhuram Chaudhary, along with the Principal Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, Mrs. Rashmi Arun Shami and thier delegation had personally visited South Korea last year. The objective was to benchmark best practices in Korean schools. And, they witnessed successful implementation TagHive’s clicker solution across schools of South Korea. The visit convinced the team of Indian delegates to kick-start Class Saathi’s pilot on 14th November, 2019 (Children’s Day).

Speaking about this collaboration, Mr. Pankaj Agarwal, Founder & CEO of TagHive said, “TagHive entered the Indian market in 2019 and has been looking to strengthen and rapidly grow the presence of ‘Class Saathi’ – world’s first patent pending clicker solution to work on a mobile phone app. We did a successful pilot with government schools in 2 districts of Madhya Pradesh last year. Over 4,800 questions were solved by students during the pilot test. The government officials could see the learning outcomes of the students in real time and take corrective action almost immediately. With this collaboration, Class Saathi would be deployed in over 2000 schools catering to over 100,000 students and 4000 teachers. Class Saathi as a solution is ideal for government schools because it is low-cost and does not need schools to have any additional infrastructure, besides the teacher’s smartphone.”

Mr. Lokesh Kumar Jatav, Commissioner of School Education Department in Madhya Pradesh said, “We believe Class Saathi will revolutionize the K-12 education system of the state. On the basis of the pilot done in our schools, the results are extremely encouraging as it helps to increase student engagement in the classrooms and learning outcomes of the students. To begin with, we are now looking at installing the Class Saathi clickers in 40 schools in each of the 52 districts.  We are also looking for a suitable CSR partner to help us accelerate the deployment of Class Saathi across the state.”

Speaking on the future plans of TagHive, Mr. Pankaj Agarwal further added, “Not only does Class Saathi improve the learning capabilities of students, it also helps identify students that need help in specific subjects. The interactive quiz solution of the app enables teachers to understand the strength and weaknesses of the students. Post Madhya Pradesh, we are also looking at expanding to other states. Our mission is to help students and teachers achieve more on a daily basis and provide Class Saathi to all 250 million students in India.”

About TagHive Inc.:

Incorporated in April 2017, TagHive Inc. is a Samsung funded, education technology company headquartered in South Korea and with corporate infrastructure and operations in India. The edtech startup is founded by Mr. Pankaj Agarwal, an IIT Kanpur graduate with an MBA from the

Harvard Business School. TagHive offers clicker-based classroom response systems and AI powered at-home learning app under the ‘Class Saathi’ brand in India and under the ‘ClassKey’

brand elsewhere. This mobile and desktop enabled smart and low-cost classroom technology solution is currently being used in over 450 K-12 schools in Korea alone. Also, over 85,000 students have already benefited from Class Saathi at-home learning app, which, for now, caters to students from Class 6 to Class 10. Currently, TagHive owns 13 registered patents and trademarks and 8 more are in the pipeline. The EdTech company recently raised its latest round of investment and stands at US$10M valuation.

Edtech Superapp Ken42’s StartNXT Ideathon Records Over 13,000 Registrations Since Launch

Within less than a month of launch of its StartNXT Ideathon programme, Edtech Superapp Ken42 has recorded over 13,000 registrations from students of leading universities across the country. The company announced the launch for the startup acceleration programme in the beginning of July itself, inviting students to submit their innovative ideas and has received an overwhelming response for the same. The Ideathon will be conducted in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) with support from multiple corporate giants.

Over 30 universities have participated across the country with leading names including IIT Kanpur, Indian School of Business (ISB), IIT Delhi, St. Xaviers Kolkata, Vellore Institute of technology, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology, National Institute of Technology Delhi, IIMT College of Engineering, BITS Pilani, IIT Bhubaneshwar, IIT Varanasi, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Birla Institute of Technology Mesra Ranchi, IIT Jammu. 

The entries also include international institutions like RMIT University Melbourne and James Cook University Singapore International Campus. 

Talking about the programme, Ganesh Raju, Founder & CEO, Ken42 said “We are delighted to receive such an overwhelming response from leading institutions across different cities in India. The core purpose for kickstarting this 6-month acceleration programme was to provide a solid impetus to generate a new wave of future-ready leaders. However, we are hoping to double the amount of entries received so far by the end of the registration period, with more students to share their ground-breaking ideas.”  

The purpose of the StartNXT Ideathon is to facilitate innovation and entrepreneurship in India. After idea submission, refinement, solution generation and evaluation, pitching and assessments, the most impactful ideas will be recognised with cash prizes and assistance in building a company.

Ken42 is awarding the Top 3 winners with funding up to INR 2 crores each, and INR 10 lakh each to the runners-up as well, along with internship opportunities with leading startups and firms. Students will also have access to one-on-one mentor sessions with noteworthy Turbostart advisories where they will receive guidance from industry experts.

Registrations for the StartNXT Ideathon close on 31st August- Sign up here to submit your revolutionary ideas and kickstart your entrepreneurial journey!

About Ken42:  

Ken42 is a complete education ecosystem that revolutionizes how administrators manage their institutions, faculty imparts learning, and how students gain academic and real-world knowledge and skills. Designed to support students at every stage of their crucial learning years, from Class 6 through 12 in its offering for schools, and from standard 12 through higher education and placements, Ken42 is strongly differentiated from other learning management platforms.

Conceptualized by serial entrepreneur Ganesh Raju in October 2019, Ken42 also enables online classroom and exams, certificate courses from universities around the world, and opportunities for personal growth in the form of interview preparation, public speaking and professional skills.   

Backed by Turbostart, a bi-yearly programme for early-stage startups that aspire to be part of a unified and encouraging startup ecosystem, Ken42 occupies a unique position as mentors to the startup ecosystem with a focus on ed-tech. It boasts a series of strategic alliances as well as long-standing relationships with premier educational institutions and governmental organizations, enabling it to create a solution that is not just cutting edge with unmatched user experience but closely aligned to educational policy and change.   

With its one-of-a-kind integrated platform, Ken 42 is set to disrupt both universities and the K12 edtech industry by ensuring maximum student success, without the need of managing multiple platforms.  

PMI Educational Foundation to Invest $1 Million in Children International to be Social Change Agents

* More than 20,000 youth in 10 countries will strengthen critical life skills as they execute social good projects

PMI Educational Foundation (PMIEF) today announced its partnership with Children International (CI) to integrate project management into programming that gives young people the resources, tools and skills needed to act as change agents in their community. As a result, they will be better prepared to address challenges such as infrastructure dilapidation, substance abuse and violence, public health and safety, and the environment.

This initiative will help vulnerable youth build the competencies necessary to lead happy, productive lives as a result of PMIEF’s more than $1 million investment in CI over three years, including a US$ 681,349 grant plus in-kind project management fundamentals training, expert project management coaching, and educational resources.  The experiential learning opportunities CI provides will strengthen young people's understanding of, and appreciation for, civic engagement. Furthermore, CI's youth programming involves families and community members to ensure collective impact.

“Children International’s mission is to empower youth to create lasting change in their own lives and communities," said Susana Eshleman, President & CEO of CI. "With the support of PMIEF, our youth leaders will be equipped with new project management skills that enable them to lead community projects, become even more employable and multiply more good in their communities. We are grateful to PMIEF for investing in our mission over the next three years, and we are proud to be associated with such a world-class, philanthropic organization. We look forward to partnering in the 10 countries where we work to teach this very marketable skill to thousands of facilitators and youth. Together, we will prepare our CI youth to craft their own pathways out of poverty… for good.”

More than 20,000 young people participate in CI's Youth Empowerment Programs each year in Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico, Philippines, the U.S. and Zambia. In addition to its focus on youth, PMIEF will provide training and a one-year mentored experience for CI staff so they successfully achieve sustainable best practices in project management.

Jeannette Barr, Executive Director of PMIEF, echoed these sentiments. "Learning project management helps youth eradicate barriers in their pursuit of academic, professional and personal goals. Not only do they gain the confidence and skills needed to lead themselves and others, but they also develop resilience and a never-give-up attitude. In addition, CI's Youth Empowerment Programs touch entire communities through meaningful projects that engage stakeholders of all ages, so everyone gets involved. We are delighted to play a pivotal role to make this happen while we also help CI professionals hone organizational efficiencies."

CI staff will begin project management training and coaching the latter half of this year. The organization will pilot its project management-integrated programming for youth in four countries in 2021, with scale up of these activities through a full rollout in all 10 countries in 2022. 

About Children International

Children International, based in Kansas City, Missouri, is a global nonprofit humanitarian organization working to help end the cycle of generational poverty. Through a long-term, customized approach, Children International supports children and youth for the first two decades of their lives, providing access to information and inspiration in the areas of health, education, empowerment through life skills, and employment. When equipped to transform their own lives, young people also transform their families and communities, and as a result, multiply good in the world. For more information, go to www.children.org

About PMI Educational Foundation

PMI Educational Foundation (PMIEF) is a 501(c)(3) supporting organization of the Project Management Institute (PMI), the world's leading not-for-profit professional membership association for those who consider project, program, or portfolio management their profession. Founded in 1990, PMIEF cultivates long-term relationships with nonprofits across the globe to help them integrate project management in their youth programs and to build their own project management capacity. The foundation achieves its mission to “enable youth to realize their potential and transform lives through project management” and its vision for “inspiring youth to achieve their goals, making dreams a reality” by investing in high-quality organizations that exemplify a commitment to preparing young people for 21st century success and an appreciation for both the societal application and value of project management. Visit PMIEF.org for more information.

About Project Management Institute

Project Management Institute (PMI) is the world's leading association for those who consider project, program or portfolio management their profession. Through global advocacy, collaboration, education and research, we work to prepare more than three million professionals around the world for The Project Economy: the coming economy in which work, and individuals, are organized around projects, products, programs and value streams. Now 50 years in the making, we work in nearly every country around the world to advance careers, improve organizational success and further mature the project management profession through globally-recognized standards, certifications, communities, resources, tools, academic research, publications, professional development courses and networking opportunities. As part of the PMI family, ProjectManagement.com® interactive website fosters online global communities that deliver more resources, better tools, larger networks and broader perspectives. 

$50 bn Madoff victims include super rich to charities

From a Jewish youth charity in Boston to major banks as far afield as Zurich, the list of investors who say they were duped in one of Bernard L Maddoff Wall Street's biggest Ponzi schemes is growing.

Around the world, investors who sunk cash into veteran Wall Street money manager Bernard Madoff's investment pool spent the weekend calculating how much exposure they might have. The 70-year-old Madoff, well respected in the investment community after serving as chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Market, was arrested Thursday in what prosecutors say was a $50 billion scheme to defraud investors.

One thing was clear in the fallout from his arrest: The alleged victims span from the super rich, to pensioners and powerful financial institutions, to local charities. Some investors claim they've been wiped out, while others are still likely to come forward.

"There were a lot of very sophisticated people who were duped, and that happens a great deal when you've had somebody decide to be unscrupulous," said Harvey Pitt, a former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, a regulator in charge of monitoring investment funds like the one Madoff operated.

"It isn't just the big investors," he said. "There's a lot of charitable and foundation money involved in this, which is the real tragedy."

Charities across the country are expected to be directly affected by the collapse of Madoff's investment fund. The assets of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC were frozen Friday in a deal with federal regulators and a receiver was appointed to manage the firm's financial affairs.

One of the largest financial scams to hit Wall Street has investors wondering if they'll ever get their money back.

In Boston, the Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation, a charity that financed trips for Jewish youth to Israel, said on its Web site Sunday that the money for its operations was invested with Madoff.

"The money needed to fund the programs of the Lappin Foundation is gone," it said. "The foundation staff has been terminated today."

New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg, one of the wealthiest members of the Senate, entrusted his family's charitable foundation to Madoff. Lautenberg's attorney, Michael Griffinger, said they weren't yet sure the extent of the foundation's losses, but that the bulk of its investments had been handled by Madoff.

Lautenberg's foundation handed out more than $765,000 to at least 100 recipients in 2006, according to the most recent listing on Guidestar, which tracks charitable organization filings.

The foundation helps support a variety of religious, educational, civic and arts organizations in New Jersey and elsewhere, and its contributions range from a gift of than $300,000 to the United Jewish Communities of MetroWest New Jersey to a $2,000 donation to a children's program at the Hackensack Medical Center.

Source: Agencies