Alibaba Foundation hosts 2nd Philanthropy Forum to drive universal education in India

NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 5: Alibaba Group’s UCWeb, on behalf of its philanthropic arm Alibaba Foundation, hosted the second Philanthropy Forum in India today in a bid to drive universal education in the country. Initiatives announced in the forum include the establishment of “Internet plus Philanthropy Model” by UCWeb, Alibaba’s browser unit, which aims to create a responsible content ecosystem that helps narrow the digital divide, create jobs and alleviate poverty in India. UC Browser is the world's No.1 third-party mobile browser with 1.1 billion user downloads worldwide (excluding China) with half of its global installs from India.

The New Delhi forum, part of Alibaba Foundation’s 9.5 Philanthropy Conference 2019 held in Hangzhou, China today, focuses on education in India and how the internet can be leveraged to empower everyone by giving them equal opportunities for an education.

Hosted by Indian Actor and Author Tisca Chopra, the forum brought together many outstanding speakers from the global welfare, business and social domains including Atishi Marlena, National Executive Advisor to Deputy CM, Govt of NCT of Delhi, Actor Richa Chadha and UNICEF Representative Lalita Sachdeva, amongst others.

Addressing the conference, Huaiyuan Yang, Vice President of UCWeb Global Business said, “In line with Jack Ma’s belief that ‘to earn respect, we have to do good for the world’, Alibaba is the world’s first Internet Company that integrates philanthropy into its core strategy. In accordance to this UC is initiating the concept of “Internet plus Philanthropy” – a transparent and effective model that will use the power of the Internet to mobilize all to participate in a good cause. We aim to construct a responsible content ecosystem using internet technologies to pass on information and knowledge and narrow the digital gap as part of our long-term commitment to the Indian market.”

Atishi Marlena, National Executive Advisor to Deputy CM, Govt of NCT of Delhi and Member, Political Affairs Committee, Aam Aadmi Party said, “Education is the cornerstone on which everything else in the society is based. I feel heartened that philanthropy in education is seeing corporate interest and companies such as Alibaba, who have tremendous clout, are pitching in. I envision a bright future for India through the upliftment of this sector.”

The Alibaba Foundation initiated the ‘9.5 Philanthropy Week’ in 2017, calling on members of society to spend 3 hours getting involved in philanthropic activities, with the belief that “Everyone Participates for a Better Future”. Besides organizing and funding charity programs, the Alibaba Foundation uses Alibaba’s technological advantages to help and empower NGOs to grow faster from all dimensions including data, product, and operation. It also utilizes the characteristics of the internet to make philanthropy more scientific and effective.