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May 13, 2017: In India, about 8.31 million children drop out of school every year to support their families financially. Commemorating Mother’s Day, Janalakshmi Financial Services (JFS) has taken a step towards creating awareness among mothers from low-income groups and stressing the importance of formal education for their children. Thousands of mothers across 434 locations have come forward and pledged to educate their children. JFS firmly believes in helping individuals realise their dreams and aspirations and that formal school education is the key to achieving this. The event, conducted across 17 cities, celebrates the spirit of motherhood and entrepreneurship. A ‘dream wall’ in every location displayed the dreams of several mothers for their children.

The Mother’s Day activities included; a JFS representative educating mothers on the significance of their children’s education, a panel discussion on how a mother is the 'President' of the family, various activities to unwind and a conversation with children on why they feel their mothers are the best. A speech on rising from grassroots and how education can lead towards making a successful career was aimed to inspire mothers and reiterate the importance of education and the opportunities it could open up for their children.

On addressing all mothers, Mr. Ramesh Ramanathan, Chairman and Founder, Janalakshmi Financial Services, said, “In India, six out of ten children drop out of school each year to support their family financially. Due to this, they end up working as labourers, doing menial jobs for the rest of their lives and hence are never able to break free from the vicious circle of poverty.” He added, “We understand the important role of a mother in a child’s upbringing. Thus, our endeavour is to create awareness among mothers on the need to put their children for formal schooling to be able to improve their quality of life.” To emphasize the need for mothers to stay healthy, a free health camp was organised across several locations. JFS will also be supporting children of participating mothers with stationeries and other essential goods for their school education. JFS’s celebration of Mother’s Day builds on the deep bond that the organisation has in the communities they serve.

About Janalakshmi Financial Services
Janalakshmi Financial Services (JFS) recently received the operating license to set-up a small finance bank. It is the largest Micro Finance Institution (MFI) in India. JFS gave out its first loan in October 2000 and currently serves over 5 million families across 259 cities in India. It has over 16,000 employees, referred to as JanaNayaks. JFS has deep domain expertise in banking and financial services with over 500 years of consolidated banking sector expertise and a highly proficient senior management. The organisation is recognised globally as one of the world’s innovative financial institutions working on the problem of financial inclusion.

JFS is promoted by Jana foundation, which is an urban inclusion think tank based in Bangalore with a vision to transform urban India where financial inclusion and enhanced quality of life are assured to all those who aspire to help themselves. The Foundation undertakes various activities that deepen understanding of financial inclusion and its many challenges. It addresses policy issues through its financial advisory services. Through education, skilling, livelihood initiatives, and community connect activities it aims to help meet customer needs comprehensively and assist them to improve the quality of their lives.

In March 2016, JFS was recognised and awarded as the ‘Best Financial Services firm in India’ by VC Circle. In 2017, JFS was featured in Fortune 500 magazine as one of the largest corporations in India. Recently, JFS was awarded in the category of 'Best Financial Sector Transaction' by ADB Private Sector-CNBC awards.