about akanksha ngo

7/27/2019 About Akanksha NGO

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MAHALAXMI MUMBAI PUBLICSCHOOL- AKANKSHA

FOUNDATION


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ABOUT AKANKSHA

The Akanksha Foundation is a non-profit organization with a mission to provide children

from low-income communities with a high-quality education, enabling them to

maximize their potential and transform their lives. Akanksha works in the field of

education, initiating school reform through The School Project, and providing asupplemental education through the Akanksha centers.

Currently, Akanksha reaches out to over 4400 children through two models: the after-

school or center model and the school model. Akanksha has 25 centers and 15 schools

in Mumbai and Pune. Through the centers, a commitment is made to support each

child by providing a strong educational foundation, 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. The School Project is a venture to open high-quality

schools serving children from low-income communities in Mumbai and Pune. These

schools are in partnership with local municipalities, with the vision of creating smallclusters of model schools in these cities that can be used to impact the mainstream

education system.

Akanksha or Aspiration is a non-profit organization that educates less privileged children

from Mumbai's slum areas and provides them with vocational opportunities. Over the

past 10 years, Akanksha has managed to create opportunities for 1000 children who

study in Akanksha centers. A center can be based in a school after school hours,

colleges, offices and other existing spaces. Akanksha does not invest money in brick

mortar. We use existing under-utilized space.

They 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 mold its children to be socially responsible citizens.


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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. Weprovide them with the additional support that they need to keep them in school and

monitor their progress.

AKANKSHA BELIEVES

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

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

* It is important to instill dignity and self-worth in children if they are to becomegood citizens.

* Children need a physically and psychologically healthy environment to workand play.

* Volunteers can play a vital role in their educational programmes.

These beliefs from the base of their educational philosophy and curriculum

Established in 1991 as a registered charitable trust, Akanksha today has 17 schools, 850

children and over 300 volunteers.

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 abetter future for themselves. Akanksha tries to be the hand

they can hold and the opportunity they can take.


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HISTORY

The Akanksha Foundation was started in 1990. Registered as a charitable society and

trust in 1991, Akanksha has grown from an organization run completely through

voluntary efforts to a professional institution with full-time and part-time staff that

channel voluntary efforts towards providing educational opportunities to less privileged

children.

Akanksha began with a simple idea. 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 these children. And 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. Once they made this three-way connection the first Akanksha

center was born.

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, centers

are run in under-utilized buildings and spaces for 21/2hours a day, five days a week for a

group of 60 children. Each center 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 centers is to impact the lives of less privileged children

enabling them to maximize their potential and change their lives.

We want each Akanksha child to

* have astrong educational foundation* have a deep sense ofself-esteem* have a good timein a space where they can be children* successfully completesecondary school* Grow into concerned citizens and leave with a job.


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AKANKSHA SOCIAL WORK

It is the social worker who maintains the link between the parents, the community and

Akanksha. They recruit the children: the poorest kids, kids with single parents, first

generation learners are given priority. Besides ensuring that children attend Akanksha

and formal school regularly, and trying to control dropouts from the system; the social

worker monitors parental involvement, educates parents on health, hygiene, AIDS,

against physical abuse and parental neglect, etc, through monthly parents meetings.

The Empowerment Program, conducted by the Social Work team at all the adolescent

centers educates children on dealing with alcoholism, substance abuse as well as issues

related to sex and sexuality.

The Social Workers are in the communities every single day and are respected

Akanksha representatives in the communities; they catalyze social change amongst

the parent community just as an Akanksha center strives to do that with the children.

AKANKSHA TEAM

1. CEO - Vandana GoyalVandana worked with the Boston-based nonprofit organization Citizen Schools,

an organization dedicated to changing the life trajectories of underprivileged

children in urban areas, for four years. At Akanksha, she served on the team to

create a blueprint for Teach for India, later moving on to manage the Beyond

School department serving all adolescent children of Akanksha. In 2007, she

became the Director of The School Project, launched to create a network of

high-achieving schools within the government system. She took over as CEO in

January of 2010.

2. Chief Financial OfficerSmita KaushalSmita is a qualified Chartered Accountant and a law graduate with over 20

years of experience in key roles with Siemens in India and other countries. At

Akanksha, Smita provides leadership and coordination in all administrative,

budgeting, accounting, and business planning efforts, coordinates with the BMC,

while helping to develop strategy and long-term planning.

3. Chief Learning OfficerReena Shah4. Director EducationAnjali Sabnani

Director

OperationsAnandhi Yagnaraman.5. Director CLASS (Career, Life and Socio-emotional Skills)Poorvi Shah6. ConsultantStrategySreeja Nedungadi7. Director ArtRuchika Gupta8. Director Human ResourcesNupur Bhargava9. Director MarketingChitra Pandit


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ABOUT MAHALAXMI MUMBAI PUBLIC SCHOOL

Mahalaxmi Mumbai Public School Pre- primary

Coordinator: Ruzin Master

Timings: 12:30 PM5:30 PM

Address: Near Mahalaxmi Temple, Behind Shobha Hotel, Bhulabhai Desai Road,

Mahalaxmi, Mumbai

Students: 32 Students

Retention Rate: 94.1%

Teachers: 4 Teachers

Attendance Rate (2012-2013): 93%

* Has Junior & Senior KG in Afternoon sections.* Offers a unique program where children learn through multiple intelligences.* 8 basic intelligences that the school successfully use in their lessons: musical,

linguistic, mathematical, inter-personal, intra-personal, spatial, visual, and

kinesthetic intelligence.

MANAGING FUNDS TO RUN AKANKSHA

* Akanksha Foundation does not get any aid from the government to run itsprogrammes.

* It generates funds from corporations and individuals through word of mouth,presentations, proposals, marathons and other fund raising events.

* Also, they collect funds through online donations.


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1. How do they are attract students (why people send their children to theirschools)?

At Akanksha they offer a unique teaching program where the underprivileged

children learn through multiple intelligences

They want to impact the lives of less privileged children enabling them to

maximize their potential and change their lives.

They want to encourage them to dream. But more importantly, they want to

empower them to deliver on their dreams.

2. How they are differentiating themselves from other private schools?

Akanksha has a strong afterschool model can effectively fill many of the gaps in

the normal school system.

It is founded on the principle of maximizing existing resources; centers 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 center is staffed with professional teachers trained in imparting the

Akanksha curriculum and methodology, assisted by volunteers and social

workers

It works on donation and it is not expensive as other private schools.

ACTIVITIES DONE

* Aid teachers in maintaining class order.* Assisting teachers with differentiated learning strategies.* To help the students to learn and write.* Everyday revision of days, numbers, etc.* Encourage students to give answers.* Everyday homework.* Focus of each and every student while teaching.* Theoretical as well as practical education.


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* Volunteers are an integral part of Akanksha classrooms in both schools andcenters.

* They aid teachers in maintaining class order and assisting teachers withdifferentiated learning strategies.

* More than this, they become role models and friends to all Akanksha students,often times finding they becoming more and more involved with Akanksha as

the years progress.

* In Akanksha, as a volunteer the activities done by us were to help the student tolearn and write English Language.

* As per the guidelines given by the Akanksha group we also taught the studentsEnglish letters and correcting them if they went wrong in given homework.

* Along with that we made numbers chart for the children to understand theaddition.

LEARNING

* MMPS has a unique style of teaching* Education at MMPS 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

* How to mould children to be socially responsible citizens* How to integrate the children into the formal school system* Making children understand about what is good and bad for them* As a volunteer, Akanksha was 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 sociallyresponsible citizens.

* With the help of Akanksha's group we were able to learn about how to integratethe children into the formal school system.

* We learned about how to make childrens understand about what is good andbad for them in the way of teaching them in schools and cultural activities.


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CONCLUSION

* MMPS is a BMCs organization that educates less privileged children fromMumbai's slum areas and provides them with vocational opportunities

* Now BMC schools are revamping their education system with the help of NGOslike Akanksha

* It aspires to provide them balanced education that focuses both intellectualand emotional development

* Akanksha or Aspiration is a non-profit organization that educates less privilegedchildren from Mumbai's slum areas and provides them with vocational

opportunities.

* Over the past 10 years, Akanksha has managed to create opportunities for 1000children who study in Akanksha centers.

* They believe that an early start with good basic education is the best way tohelp Mumbai's slum children help themselves.

* It aspires to provide them balanced education that focuses both intellectualand emotional development

about akanksha ngo

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