Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) today inaugurated the third floor of a barrier-free residential school for differently abled children, who are beneficiaries of the Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled. The 9,500 square feet floor area, sponsored by Morgan Stanley, is part of a residential school cum facility that provides vocational training, placement based rehabilitation and nutritious food to the disabled children from underprivileged backgrounds.
The Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled - Residential School, located in HSR Layout, Bengaluru, opened in 2018 and houses 300 children.
As part of Morgan Stanley’s corporate social responsibility programme in India, the Firm sponsored the refurbishment of the School’s third floor, which will house 220 beneficiaries in four dormitories for boys and young adults, along with bathrooms, a warden room, an emergency clinic and a waiting area. The disabled-friendly building comprises special features including lighting and paint schemes to help the visually impaired, specialized lifts and ramps, sign boards to help the hearing impaired, carpeting and acoustic tiling, accessible toilets and brightly coloured slope edges and steps for easy recognition.
“Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled’s mission to empower disabled children by supporting their education and livelihood needs aligns with Morgan Stanley’s global commitment to children’s health and education,” said Aisha De Sequeira, Co-Country Head and Head of Investment Banking for Morgan Stanley in India. “The Morgan Stanley-sponsored floor of facilities aims to improve the quality of life for the differently abled children as well as their family members.”
Sanjay Shah, Co-Country Head and Co-Head of Institutional Equities for Morgan Stanley in India, added, “Over the past three years of Morgan Stanley’s partnership with Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, our employees have actively volunteered over 1,000 hours in a wide range of initiatives including life skills and soft skills training, meal preparation and developing learning materials. This new facility reinforces the Firm’s core value of Giving Back to the local communities where we work.”
About Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in more than 41 countries, the Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For more information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.
About Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled
Samarthanam, a National Award-winning NGO established in 1997, strives towards creating opportunities for differently-abled children to keep pace with the rest of society. Samarthanam Trust stands to be a complete solution provider by supporting education and livelihood needs of persons with disabilities and those from under privileged backgrounds. The organization also facilitates direct livelihood opportunities to hundreds of persons with disabilities and women in distress through its Social Enterprises. Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI), the cricketing arm of Samarthanam, fosters the game of blind cricket and visually impaired players across India. Samarthanam envisions to touch at least 100,000 lives by 2020, providing comprehensive solutions to disabled and underserved communities.] For more information about Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, please visit www.samarthanam.org