The Brief

Aarambh is an NGO that works for children and their problems. They were concerned about children in rural schools. As most schools in rural India don’t even have basic facilities such as desks. The kids have to sit hunched on the floor for hours. This gives them bad posture, poor eyesight and bad handwriting. So, Aarambh asked us to come up with an easy and economical solution that would improve the quality of education in rural schools.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

We needed to come up with a solution that was effective and economical. We decided to use discarded cartons. For this, we approached corporate houses and retail outlets. Using these, we created Help Desk – a folding desk that could also be used as a bag. We distributed Help Desks to several rural schools. This helped children study with ease. It also helped them carry books on their long walks to school. Most importantly, Help Desk played an important role in improving the quality of education in rural India. And it cost less than twenty cents per piece.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

We distributed Help Desks in over 600 schools in villages. Now, around 10,000 kids in rural India write with ease. They study more comfortably and cheerfully. It has also made their long walks to school easier by helping them carry their books. There has been a significant increase in the number of children attending schools, regularly. With a desk under their laps, a bag over their shoulders, life at school is a lot more fun.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

Raising funds has always been a task for NGOs. Even in this case, Aarambh did not have deep pockets to fund the project. We needed something that was cheap and easily available. So, we decided to use discarded cartons and created Help Desks. This cost-effective and sustainable solution made it easy for us to involve corporates and retail outlets. And with their support, we could reach thousands of children in hundreds of rural schools.