akanksha

SUBJECT: Corporate Social Responsibility

ASSIGNMENT

ON

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Submitted to:Prof. Shirke

In partial fulfillment of 2nd semester Post graduation diploma in management

Submitted by: Agnes Dsouza (16) Nilesh Jadhav (26) Prajakta Kambli (31) Manasi Malwade (41) Pooja Tripathi (89) Vinitha Ravindran (94) Laxmi Yadav (96)

GARWARE INSTITUTE OFCAREER EDUCATION

ANDDEVELOPMENT

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction

History

Akanksha: Mission, Akanksha Centers, Board of trustees

Projects: Vocational Projects & School Projects

Akanksha Programmes

Akanksha Shop

Ways to Help

Testimonials

Impact

Bibliography

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INTRODUCTION:

The Akanksha Foundation is a non-profit organization with the vision to one day equip all students with the education, skills and character they need to lead empowered lives. Akanksha works primarily in the field of education, addressing non formal education through the Akanksha centre and also formal education through the Akanksha Schools.

Over the past 19 years, the organization has expanded from 15 children in one centre to over 3500 children in 58 centres and 6 schools. A commitment is made to support each child by giving him or her a strong educational foundation, a good time, self esteem and values, and to help them plan how they can earn a steady livelihood as a step towards improving their standard of living.

"Akanksha" or Aspiration is a NGO that educates less privileged children from Mumbai's slum areas and provides them with vocational opportunities. A centre can be based in a school after school hours, colleges, offices and other existing spaces. Akanksha does not invest money in brick mortar. They use existing under-utilized space.

We believe that an early start with good basic education is the best way to help Mumbai's slum children help themselves. We aspire to provide them balanced education that focuses both intellectual and emotional development. Volunteers are an important part of the programme and over 250 volunteers spend time teaching at Akanksha. Volunteers comprise school and college students, housewives and professionals. For each volunteer, Akanksha is a unique learning, as well as a giving experience.

Education at Akanksha is non-formal but structured, creative, innovative and targeted towards developing each child holistically.  The progamme develops in each child a sense of dignity, integrity and the self-confidence to take on the world.  Thus, in its own way Akanksha is helping mould its children to be socially responsible citizens.Akanksha's vital aim is to integrate the children into the formal school system. For this the teachers counsel the parents on the importance of education and the necessity of going to school. We reimburse parents for the children formal school expenses like fees, books, uniforms, etc. The children therefore attend the formal school as well as the Akanksha School. We provide them with the additional support that they need to keep them in school and monitor their progress. 

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HISTORY:

Akanksha began in 1990 with a simple idea & it was registered as a charitable society and trust in 1991. There were thousands of slum children who needed and wanted to be educated. There were thousands of college students who had the energy, enthusiasm and time to teach. There existed pockets of available spaces located in schools that seemed ideal teaching environments. The simple idea then, was to bring together the three - kids, student volunteers and spaces- in schools for less privileged children run by college students.

The implementation of this simple idea was slightly more complex. Over 20 schools visited said no to a request for space to teach the children in. Reactions ranged from "What you are doing is too revolutionary for our private school" to "those children will give our children diseases." Finally, Fr. Ivo D'Souza, Principal of the Holy Name School opened his doors and the first Akanksha center had found its first space.

The next challenge was to find children and convince them to come. Akanksha's founder, eighteen-year-old Shaheen Mistri, recalls being asked by parents what a young girl who didn't speak Hindi could possibly do with their children. "Come see," she offered. So parents and fifteen kids were brought by bus to the first Akanksha center.

The truth was that Shaheen didn't really know exactly what she was doing. What she knew was that she wanted to make a difference, that she loved children and that she believed that every child deserved a space and time each day where they could just be children. So she recruited her first batch of college student volunteers, convincing them that "together we can make a difference."

With volunteers, kids and a space in place, the next question became what to teach. The volunteers met on Sunday mornings and thought of all the things they enjoyed doing when they were in school. The first very basic Akanksha program emerged from these meetings - clay, paint, counting real objects, lots of songs. The aim - a good time for the children - was clear. A good time that would make a difference.

So we started. There were many days when we had just five children in class, when parents said no, when the children spent more time bathing in the basins than sitting in class, when clay ended up on the ceiling and songs were hard to hear. There were days when volunteers asked, "but you said we were going to make a difference. What difference are we making?" And other days where we just knew that one day it would make a difference

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AKANKSHA BELIEVES

Good education accessible at an early age is the best way to help less privileged children help themselves.

A balanced education must focus equally on a child's physical, mental and emotional development.

 It is important to instill dignity and self worth in children if they are to become good citizens.

Children need a physically and psychologically healthy environment to work and play.

Volunteers can play a vital role in their educational programmes.

WHY AKANKSHA?

Today an increasing number of children are born and live in one of the numerous slums spread all over Mumbai. Trapped in a daily cycle of forced work and physical and emotional abuse they grow up without experiencing any part of childhood. They need someone to show the joys of childhood, they need educational opportunities so they can build a better future for themselves. Akanksha tries to be the hand they can hold and the opportunity they can take.

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND PATRONS

Board of Trustees

Anu Aga Director, Thermax India Ltd. Shaheen Mistri Founder & Chairperson, The Akanksha Foundation Srila Chatterjee Executive Producer, Highlight Films Nandita Dugar Ex-consultant, BCG Neel Shahani Senior Vice President, India Infoline Ltd. Amit Chandra Managing Director, Bain Capital Advisors Ramesh Srinivasan Partner, McKinsey & Co Somasekhar Sundaresan Partner, J Sagar Associates

Patrons

Deepak Parekh Chairman, HDFC Anand Mahindra Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. Arjun Waney Chief Executive, Argent Fund Limited

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THE AKANKSHA CENTRE

Akanksha believes that a strong afterschool model can effectively fill many of the gaps in the school system. Founded on the principle of maximizing existing resources, centres are run in under-utilized buildings and spaces for 21/2 hours a day, five days a week for a group of 60 children. Each centre is staffed with professional teachers trained in imparting the Akanksha curriculum and methodology, assisted by volunteers and social workers.

AKANKSHA MISSION

The mission of the Akanksha centres is to impact the lives of less privileged children enabling them to maximise their potential and change their lives.

We want each Akanksha child to have a strong educational foundation have a deep sense of self-esteem have a good time in a space where they can be children successfully complete secondary school grow into concerned citizens and leave with a job.

We want to encourage them to dream. But more importantly, we want to empower them to deliver on their dreams.

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PROJECTS:

VOCATIONAL PROJECTS

Vocational training is imperative for teenage children.  A range of in-house courses and links with other institutes provide opportunities for Akanksha children to develop vocational skills. Akanksha provides vocational opportunities to its older children, running tailoring, gardening and a unique art project for its children

Art for Akanksha is project where the Akanksha children produce artworks in an environment of fun and laughter. The artworks are then packaged by the children's mothers or transformed into various products. Bank accounts are set up for each child in the project, which act as a method of saving and as an incentive for the children to complete school.  In addition to being a source of income for the children and mothers, the project channels the creativity of these children towards a productive endeavour, and serves as an important form of vocational training. 

Gardening class teaches children the different techniques of gardening and vermiculture. The children enjoy their theory and practicals at the gardening classes.

Sewing and Tailoring Class is another vocation offered at our centres. Boys and girls learn sewing, embroidery and other skills on sewing machines donated to us. All products made here are sold at exhibitions. This skill will enable children to work as apprentices with tailors and become independent. 

Computer Class is conducted at the Akanksha office on Saturdays and Sundays. Children are introduced to computer and taught basic computer skills. This will help them take up a job as office assistants in offices and small businesses. 

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THE SCHOOL PROJECT:

The Akanksha School Project represents Akanksha’s first effort to work within the formal school system. It is an effort by Akanksha to extend its activities in the field of education, leveraging our experiences with less privileged children to improve the quality of learning in Municipal and Private Aided Schools. Specifically, we hope to provide inputs in the fields of teaching, extra-curricular activities, community support and infrastructure that will significantly enhance the learning opportunities for children in formal schools.

The School Project is an initiative that seeks to build a small cluster of high-performing municipal schools, that redefines what is possible for children from some of the poorest slum communities in Pune and Mumbai, and has the potential for wider systemic reform. These schools are a partnership with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Thermax Social Initiatives Foundation (TSIF) in Pune; and with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) in Mumbai.

With the effective management of these schools, Akanksha hopes to bring about transformation in three major areas of education. The first is to prove that every child has the ability to learn and achieve at high levels. The second is to demonstrate the importance of skilled educators by investing the majority of the school's resources into the recruitment and retention of high-quality school staff. The last, long-term objective is to effect systemic reform by using these schools as learning laboratories to improve the quality of education in municipal and low- fee private schools around the country.

To support this initiative, Akanksha runs a School Leadership Institute that recruits and trains school leaders as well as an intensive Teacher Training Program that provides pre- and inservice teacher training and development. The organization sources trainers, materials, and best practices from successful educational endeavors both in India and abroad.

Objectives

The Akanksha School Project has the following objectives: 

Meet Akanksha’s four goals – education, good-time, self-esteem and preparation for a job – directly through the school system. 

Reach out to a wider community of children through a more scalable, lower cost model 

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OTHER AKANKSHA PROGRAMS

Medical Education project for parents and children, including routine check-ups and treatment for all the children

General Awareness Programmes instructing the parents and children on aspects such as hygiene, sanitation and family planning

Value Education and self-esteem Field Trips, outings and Summer Camps to encourage learning through recreation Computer Class Art for Akanksha Empowerment Programme Drama club Sports Programme Dance Class

The Mentor Program

The Mentor Program seeks to pair each Akanksha class 8-10 child with a corporate mentor. The mentor-mentee pair meet once a week to work on matching a child's aspirations with his or her skills and family reality. Mentors open the world of careers to mentees and guide them through the difficult adolescent phase. Mentees, in turn, offer mentors a meaningful insight into a different world, friendship and respect, and the ability to bring about positive change through service.

The Learning to Lead Program

The Learning to Lead Programme seeks to identify those children from Akanksha who have the potential for leadership and excellence and instill in them a sense of purpose and determination to succeed, by providing them with intensive academic and leadership opportunities. Through this, we believe that we would be creating role models who effect change in their lives and in the society in which they live.

The Social Leadership Program

The Social Leadership Programme, inspired by Gandhiji's words "Be the Change that you Wish to See in the World", encourages older Akanksha students and alumni to "Be the Change". Through a curriculum that focuses on giving them an understanding of social issues and builds social leadership values, this program helps them take the initiative to be the change agents in their communities. Students learn to bring about changes first in themselves, then in their families and homes and finally in their communities

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The Akanksha Alumni Program

The Alumni Program is a link that helps us to reach out to our alumni to help and support them with additional life skills even after they have graduated from Akanksha. The alumni students meet once a month and discuss career opportunities and other professional skill upgradation programmes. They also help each other and provide emotional and social support. We have around 100 alumni in our programme. Some of them also volunteer in other Akanksha activities.

Volunteers

Volunteers form the backbone of all Akanksha activities. Over 500 individuals annually volunteer their time at Akanksha. Volunteers are school and college students, housewives and professionals. The Akanksha volunteers add energy, creativity and compassion to each Akanksha centre.

Volunteers help in many ways such as:

Assist in teaching the children at the Centres Help at the art class and other vocational training classes Collect and donate materials for the centres Conduct workshops for our kids Make worksheets and other educational aids for Akanksha Organise special events for the children Lend a hand with administrative tasks in the office

For every volunteer, Akanksha is a unique learning, giving as well as receiving experience

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AKANSHA SHOP

ART FOR AKANKSHA:

The Art for Akanksha programme is part of the curriculum and develops vocational skills and creative expression in our children.Enter an Akanksha art class and you are dazzled by a sea of colour. Happy children sing while they paint and produce a variety of products. These include: hand painted cards, attractive T-shirts, gift bags, wrapping paper, telephone diaries, photo frames, calendars and paintings.

The children’s mothers help in the finishing of the items. The sale proceeds of the products are divided between the children and mothers involved in the project. Payment to the children is banked in an account set by Akanksha for each child. The balance of the profits is channeled back into Akanksha projects.

When you buy an Akanksha product you do more than buy a beautiful work of art. You lend your support to the creativity and enthusiasm in every child that is the source of that beauty.

Children and Children

Encourage your children to support Akanksha’s children by buying Akanksha products. Birthday parties will be more fun and meaningful with Akanksha birthday packs with theme based invitation cards, gift bags, T-shirts and return gifts. 

AKANKSHA PRODUCTS

HANDMADE PRODUCTS:

Gift Bags Greeting Cards Wrapping Paper Trays Tablemats Photoframes Candles Paintings

PRINTED PRODUCTS

Textured Cards Diwali Cards X’mas Cards New Year Cards General Cards

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Ways to Help: 

One can get involved in Akanksha’s activities in any of the following ways:

1) Be an Akanksha volunteer: Volunteers are students, housewives, or professionals. Our volunteers add energy, creativity and love to our centres, or contribute their skills to administering our projects, and they gain meaningful experiences to their own lives

2) Help find a space for an Akanksha centre: We use under-utilized space in colleges, schools and office premises. We are in urgent need of space for more centres in Central and South Mumbai.

Help Akanksha financially by:

1. Sponsoring a school for Rs.2.5 lakhs per year:  Corporate donors, trusts, and individuals already sponsor nine of our nineteen centres.

2. Corpus Donations:  We endeavor to build a Corpus of 5 crores in order to become a financially independent organisation. Corpus donations of any amount would be highly appreciated.

3. Sponsor a child for Rs.1500 per year: This scheme covers the cost of education of one Akanksha child for one year.

4. General Donations

5. Sponsoring a vocational project: We also operate vocational projects for our children such as sewing, gardening, computer applications, and art. These classes provide the children skills in a vocation that will help them to earn a livelihood and be productive citizens.

6. Sponsoring a Teacher: For Rs.30,000 a year, you can sponsor a Head Teacher at Akanksha, or for Rs.!8,000 an Assistant Teacher.

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TESTIMONIALS

Seema Kamble is a first generation learner from a single parent home. Her mother works as a domestic helper and cleaner in a school in Worli. Seema started off as an extremely irregular student at Akanksha. In her years at Akanksha, she developed very strong internal values and work ethics. After graduating from Akanksha, she completed Junior College with 70% and stood 2nd in her second year of college. She has graduated in Commerce with a first class. She has done a year of teacher training and conducts tuitions for children in her community. She is computer literate and has been working as an HR Executive in the Akanksha office.

Her Testimonial:

"My name is Seema and I have studied in Akanksha for nine years. I have learned so many things in Akanksha that it is difficult to list. I have learned to be courageous, confident, to believe in myself and never give up. I remember a time when I used to be irregular at my Akanksha center and Didi used to pull me out from my house. But now I tell other people to be regular at Akanksha, whether its students or volunteers. I have got lot of opportunities in Akanksha and each time, I have learned a lot. The thing that I want to change about myself is to control my emotions, and to always smile. My mother and my Akanksha Didis and Bhaiyas have always been my source of inspiration and always trusted me and that I can "make a difference."

Sumeet Gade: Exposure to drug abuse, gambling and alcoholism and innumerable other negatives in his community have not deterred Sumeet. He has not only abstained from them but also resisted them completely - even helping and advising others while he worked as a full time social worker at Akanksha. He spent seven years as student at Akanksha centres, and is clear about his aspiration and spends his time working hard at achieving his dream

His Testimonial:

My dream is to graduate from the best college in social work and I am working hard to do just that. I manage the 'Social Leadership Programme' Pragati project in the pediatric ward of the Bombay Hospital. My biggest achievement was when I stood second in my college in the last exams and scored 63 per cent. I really learnt a lot from our visit to Manav Sadhna and am impressed by their community based projects. I think I would be able to do well in social work because we stay in the community and are aware of the day to day struggles that our community faces, my own background and my single mother's struggle have also helped me understand the need for empowerment and other social issues better."

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IMPACT:

Akanksha believes that clear goals and a structured approach will enable us to best deliver results to the Akanksha students. Akanksha tracks individual child performance and attendance across centers. Each center also follows a “model center” process, where monthly meetings encourage team members to define focus areas and implement initiatives that move each center closer to its vision of a “model center.” Every six months there is a formal review of each center and every year we compile a non-financial center audit.

Here are a few impacts or trends of Akanksha Foundation:

1. Reach2400 Akanksha children come to an Akanksha center everyday.2000 Akanksha children are part of the Akanksha school project.

2. Attendance and Drop OutAverage attendance at an Akanksha center is 80%.Around 40% of students between class 1 - 4 drop out of schools in Mumbai. At Akanksha, all our students are in school and stay in formal school at the primary school level. Drop out from the Akanksha centers is less than 10%.

3. New opportunitiesAkanksha has 58 alumni currently.30 children are currently in college. 31 children are working, 18 of who are employed in Akanksha.6 Akanksha children are in the Akanksha Teacher Fellowship. 4. Changing attitudes and creating a culture of serviceOver 1000 people have at some point in their lives volunteered their time with Akanksha and that means spending time directly with the kids. Akanksha currently employs 150 people, and all of them receive on going training both on aspects of their job but also participate in service projects. 5. Self-esteem and valuesAll Akanksha Didis and Bhaiyas use positive reinforcement and no negative consequences are used at Akanksha.

6. Girl's empowermentThe Akanksha girl marries around 2-3 years later in comparison to their sisters not in Akanksha. This means that they are becoming mothers later and are having healthier children.  

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7. Creating real Role ModelsEleven children who have graduated from Akanksha are now interning in various roles within the organization such as trainee teachers and social workers. They are serving as real role models to the hundreds of small children who now have an Akanksha Bhaiya/Didi as their neighbor. Akanksha has employed its first alumni employee in the social work department. 8. The stage is set Akanksha has staged 3 successful Musicals. More than 700 kids have had a unique chance to perform in a professional show. 13,000 people have seen an Akanksha show taking home an understanding that with opportunity, potential is limitless. 9. Other EventsHundreds of Akanksha children have participated in special events like the Art for Akanksha Auctions and the Mumbai Marathon. The events have showcased their talent and potential and taught them tremendous self-confidence.

10. Women’s empowermentAkanksha employs 30 mothers from the community. They are either helpers in the centers or package the Akanksha merchandise. This is a unique way of building community partnership.

 11. Health Akanksha does annual health camps for all the children. This year a special TB campaign focuses on eliminating TB. Around 100 children identified are undergoing the DOTS treatment. Akanksha social workers follow up on all medical problems.

12. ReliefAfter the tsunami in December 2004, Akanksha mobilized around Rs 1.3 crores and shipped several truckloads of relief materials for the affected families. The money is being used to support two NGOs in the South, Suyam and AID India, who are rebuilding schools and children’s lives.Akanksha produced “The Giving Sea” Activity book and story/coloring books for teachers and children in the tsunami-affected areas. Over 25,000 children were covered under the Giving Sea program.After the August 2005 floods in Maharashtra, Akanksha mobilized around Rs. 25 lakhs that was disbursed to flood victims. Thousands of families were fed through NGOs working in the affected areas and over 20,000 children received notebooks as part of the aid.

13. Curriculum and documentationAkanksha has an extensive range of curriculum manuals, and has documented its entire process of setting up an Akanksha center. Materials have been shared with anyone interested at no cost.

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Potential for Impact:

Akanksha National will provide high-quality education to low-income communities across India, serving as a model that can impact both the lives of individual children as well as policies that can create systemic change. Entrepreneurs will become leaders and advocates for the communities they serve as well as help build a workforce dedicated to alleviating educational inequity in India.

A recent study of Akanksha’s impact on its alumni has shown the tremendous potential of this model to fundamentally impact and transform children’s lives. Children are not only learning about values, but they are learning to live by them. They not only discover their potential, but also learn how to take concrete steps to reach it. Over 87% of Akanksha students who sit for the 10 th standard exam pass and move on to higher education. Recently, 5% of those students passed with distinction; 38% passed with first class honors. Akanksha’s alumni are pursuing work in professional fields such as finance, sales, human resources, social work, and education.

Through this model, entrepreneurs can not only reach over 1,000 children over the course of three years, but can create additional clusters of Akanksha centers within their cities, create new programs to meet region-specific needs, and explore new initiatives in their respective regions that allow them to meet the needs of the children and communities they serve

Partners:

Corporates

Corporates with a strong desire to impact the communities in which they are located are great candidates for Akanksha partners. As an established organization with a successful history of working with corporate partners, Akanksha provides an avenue for corporates to make impact in their respective communities by maximizing resources and remaining committed to transparency. By investing in programs that empower the local community and its people, corporates are ensuring social and economic development as well as serving as catalysts for change.  

 Schools

Schools committed to the development of their surrounding communities as well as to the high-quality education of their students are ideal partners for this venture. Schools can house Akanksha centers and programs during non-school hours that can become an integrated part of the school’s service learning initiatives, maximizing existing resources. Students and teachers from the school and Akanksha can interact in meaningful ways during and after school, learning together as well as from each other.

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Bibliography:

Websites:

http://www.akanksha.org/

http://www.indiaparenting.com/ngo/akansha/akansha001.shtml

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