First Book, Wipro Bring 50,000 New Books to Kids in Need through Year-long Partnership

Partnership kicked off at 2016 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference, will continue with book distributions across North America

WASHINGTON, September 15, 2016 – First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise, and Wipro Ltd. (NYSE:WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, launched a year-long partnership yesterday at the 2016 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference that will provide 50,000 brand new books for children in need in the U.S. and Canada.

Book ownership and a print-rich environment are leading indicators of a child’s educational success, but for the 32 million children growing up in low-income families in the U.S. alone, books are scarce. Studies have found that in low-income neighborhoods there is only one book for every 300 children; whereas in moderate income neighborhoods, there are 13 books for every one child.

First Book, which has operations in both the U.S. and Canada, works with formal and informal educators serving children in need ages 0-18 in a wide range of settings – from schools, classrooms, summer school and parks and rec programs, to health clinics, homeless shelters, faith-based programs, libraries, museums, summer food sites and more. The organization estimates there are more than 1.3 million classrooms and programs that are serving children in need in the U.S. alone, more than 5,000 of which sign up with First Book every month. First Book’s community of 275,000 educators is the largest and fastest growing educational network exclusively serving children in need in North America. First Book now supports an estimated one in five educators working in the lives of children in need in the U.S.

The partnership between the organizations kicked off yesterday at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s professional development program.

Today, First Book and Wipro joined the Caucus member’s spouses to serve a hot breakfast and provide clothing, toiletries, health screenings and other resources to approximately 350 people at Central Union Mission in Washington, D.C. First Book and Wipro also donated a laptop to the Mission, and provided 700 brand new children’s books. The conference marked the start of a series of book distributions by First Book and Wipro to schools and programs in Wipro communities in the U.S. and Canada, including San Francisco, Tampa, Dallas, Atlanta, Toronto and other locations.

Upcoming Events

• September 27, San Francisco: Bryant Elementary in the Mission District will host a reading event and celebration of a 3,000-book donation, including bilingual books, to create 10 brand new individual classroom libraries. An additional 3,000 books will go to John Yehall Chin Elementary, creating another 10 brand new individual classroom libraries, for a total of 20.
• September 30 – October 1, Tampa, Fla.: Wipro, First Book and American Federation of Teachers will donate a truck full of 40,000 books, plus 3,000 diverse books and First Book Marketplace credits for educators to access more resources through First Book.
• Dallas: Wipro, First Book and American Federation of Teachers will also donate a truck full of 40,000 books, plus 3,000 diverse books and First Book Marketplace credits for educators to access more resources through First Book.
• Atlanta: Wipro employees will pack 500 brand new backpacks with three brand new books each from First Book, a total of 1,500 books and backpacks for area children in need.
• Toronto: Wipro and First Book will be donating 8,000 books to under-resourced schools and programs.

“Wipro and its employees have gone above and beyond to help bring First Book’s resources into the communities where they work and live,” said Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book. “Thanks to the dedication and enthusiasm of Wipro’s employees at reading events and at book distributions, along with Wipro’s financial support, tens of thousands of children will experience the transformative power of books, to fuel learning and unlock their futures. We are enormously grateful.”

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About First Book

First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise founded in 1992 that has distributed more than 150 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada, which, with more than 275,000 members, is the largest and fastest growing network of educators serving kids in need. By making new, high-quality books and educational resources available on an ongoing basis, First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and elevating the quality of education. Eligible educators, librarians, providers, and others serving children in need can sign up at firstbook.org/register. For more information, please visit firstbook.org or follow the latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

About Wipro Limited

Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading information technology, consulting and business process services company that delivers solutions to enable its clients to do business better. Wipro delivers winning business outcomes through its deep industry experience and a 360 degree view of “Business through Technology.” By combining digital strategy, customer centric design, advanced analytics and product engineering approach, Wipro helps its clients create successful and adaptive businesses. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, Wipro has a dedicated workforce of over 170,000, serving clients across 6 continents. For more information, please visit www.wipro.com

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Contacts:

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Subhashini Pattabhiraman
Wipro Limited
subhashini.pattabhiraman@wipro.com