ABHYUDAYA GLOBAL VILLAGE SCHOOL

An educational model for the development of rural India (Initiative of Vikalpa, registered as non­profit with 80G and FCRA)

Upbringing Future Agri­preneurs

Vision: To provide high quality education to children from rural India, train them in sustainable agricultural practises and prepare them to be entrepreneurs. Mission: Create an affordable and replicable model for a global rural school with emphasis on the following:

Provide hands on experience to students in sustainable farming and entrepreneurship from the early stages of life

Maintain a balanced physical, mental and spiritual health for higher output Ensure increased joy and happiness in the process of learning

Current challenges for children and youth from rural India: India has made tremendous economic progress in the last 20 years. There has been an increase in job opportunities and disposable income which has led to a higher standard of life. However, much of the development has skewed in favour of the urban areas. Rural areas have not seen a proportionate increase in career opportunities or standard of living. As a result, there is a constant exodus of rural youth to nearest cities leaving their families and agricultural land abandoned. Further, in most cases cities fail to offer any meaningful and dignified job opportunities to the rural migrants. This leads to a large number of disappointed young individuals who struggle to make their ends meet and lead a dignified life. In order to solve the problem one has to control the migration of youth from rural areas to urban areas. One of the ways in which this can be achieved is by developing skills and abilities among children of rural India to realize the vast opportunities they have within walking distance from their homes ­ in and around their very own agriculture fields. Current education system in India is largely theory based and is irrelevant to life in rural areas. This is causing students to drop out from schools in the early stages of their lives, thereby creating uneducated youth that cannot stand at par with its peers around the globe.

Basis for correct solution In order to inculcate a strong interest in agriculture that can serve as a foundation for a prospective career it is crucial to tap children between the ages of 5 to 12 years and introduce agriculture as a subject during this time. Answer: Abhyudaya Global Village School (AGVS): At AGVS, we are constantly trying to inculcate love, respect and pride for agriculture, a profession through which many generations have earned their livelihood. We provide tools that help students to constantly inquire, explore, and discover new ways of thinking, critically analyzing and creatively conceptualizing any situation. Through continuous empowerment, AGVS helps students to free themselves from the traditional ways of looking at their surroundings and instead to constantly question and challenge themselves, society and the world at large and start their journey to become future entrepreneurs. AGVS approach for Sustainability :

School will generate income through school run enterprises (cooperative store, handmade paper products, dal mill, oil mill etc.)

Income generated by producing and marketing farm produce and related processed products (pickles, dal, vegetables, cotton etc.)

Progress report: Started in 2010 with 28 students and 2 teachers

Current student population: 244 (15 teachers) In 2016­17, number of girls are equal as that of boys (122 each)

Our Journey till session 2016­2017:

Special additions to the program ­ Every student is unique and needs flexibility of doing those activities which are of natural interest. The following 4 activities help them identify what works for them the best and then flourish to greater heights. Immediate benefits are increase in students’ IQ, EQ and SQ. Balanced combination of experiential knowledge, skills, physical & mental strength, joy & happiness helps these students to achieve much higher level of efficiency in their lives.

Work with soil/land (Farming related) ­ Practically involving students and giving exposures to natural resource management processes. Giving special emphasis on agriculture and involving students in various processes like making medicines for the crops, sowing seeds, planning crop rotation etc.

Work with body & mind (Develop physical and mental capabilities) ­ Activities related to sports, health and hygiene. Playing games for teamwork building, sportsmanship, cleanliness drives, playing mental games well. Brings sense of equality.

Work with heart and hand (Art and creativity) ­ Activities related to creativity. Practically involving students in making creative things out of waste and building on their imagination, painting, drawing, pottery etc.

Work with energy and synergy (Higher level of self­awareness) ­ Activities related to spirituality. Meditation, chanting mantras, working for the inner peace.

What could the model scale up to: 1 school for every 10­15 villages in a cluster with a strength of 500 students and 30 teachers Total number of villages in India = 650,000 Potential for total number of schools = 65,000 Number of children who will be impacted = 32,500,000 Impact on rural economy = $32.5 Billion (@$1,000/productive, healthy and happy youth)

Current annual costs at AGVS Teachers’ salary: INR 1,200,000 Academics related (Books, stationary etc.): INR 200,000 Sports and related: INR 100,000 Student transportation cost: INR 10,00,000 Building maintenance: INR 200,000 Other: INR 200,000 Opportunities for individuals to donate: Minimum duration: 1 year, renewable by mutual consent Contributor will get quarterly reports, photos and annual receipts for tax purpose Build teachers of rural India: INR 4,000/month ($60/month) Adopt a student: INR 500/month ($10/month) Help a student to reach the school: INR 500/month ($10/month)

Contact and location:

Abhyudaya Global Village School 1. Contacts ­ Bhagyashree Deshpande +91­9503032244, Sachin Deshpande +91­7757802722 2. Location: About 40 Kms from Nagpur Zero Mile 3. Address: Chinmay Ganesh Mandir, Bawangaon, on Khapa­Badegaon road, Taluka: Saoner, Nagpur Maharashtra, India 4. Email: agvschool2010@gmail.com ; deshpandebhagyashree11@gmail.com ; deshpandesd@gmail.com 5. Website: www.agvschool.in

The Team

Dr. Prakash Gandhi

Dr. Prakash Gandhi, a visionary is the founder of Abhyudaya Global Village School. It is difficult to summarize his work and achievements. Completing his education in rural areas of Vidarbha, Dr. Gandhi went on to complete a double masters and Ph.D. in organic chemistry. After 25 years of experience with rehabilitation and sustainable development as a Senior Environmental Engineer with Western Coalfields Ltd., Dr Gandhi took voluntary retirement, only to be doubly active. But this time, his focus was community development. Dr.Gandhi is the secretary and founder member of Vikalpa’s Society for Sustainable Development, the trust under which he founded the school. He was quick to realize that education (especially inclusion of two subjects: agriculture and entrepreneurship) is the key solution to sustainable change in the society. He is capable of recognizing the gaps in a rotting system of rural education in agrarian societies and instead of seeing people as mere victims of this system, he identified the need to empower them further to take their struggle ahead. It is his vision to see a generation of entrepreneurs’ blossom, who get to work with dignity and equal opportunities. AGVS is where he hopes for a strong beginning.

Sachin Deshpande Sachin Deshpande is the Director (Administration) at AGVS. His work is rooted in both science and spirituality. An engineer who has worked with eminent places like Wipro and Robert Bosch, Sachin found himself craving to follow goals that are closer to his heart. He is currently completing his Masters in Agri­Business and Rural Management from Welingkar’s. Dropping conventional and lucrative fields of work could have been risky, but Sachin’s smiling face on the AGVS campus convinces anybody, that he doesn’t regret his decision to seek satisfaction in working for others. It is his vision to build a robust system of income generation activities that support the school, and to see it come true, Sachin is willing to do whatever it takes, from sowing seeds himself to engaging teachers in sports and capacity building exercises.

Bhagyashree Gandhi Bhagyashree, Director (Academics) at AGVS holds an engineering degree from the National Power Training Institute and a management degree from Flame University. Having worked with corporates like Essar Power Ltd. and Credit Suisse, Bhagyashree was seeking for work that meant more, that promised satisfaction at multiple levels, even if not financial. She personifies sincerity, simplicity and she recognizes the value of good management of resources, especially human resources ­ despite the various backgrounds that hardworking people come from. It is her vision to identity the best that a teacher can offer in rural area and to encourage her to give her best. Bhagyashree herself is keen to learn new and natural ways of learning for children especially those that promote trust, empathy and growth rather than fear, threat and arrogance. Sachin & Bhagyashree Deshpande got married in the year 2013 and before that they left their respective jobs in Bangalore and Pune, just to be a part of the school for the rest of their lives. Their child would also be studying in Abhyudaya Global Village School.

Madhuri Gandhi Madhuri is a mentor at AGVS. A strong woman who can be simultaneously warm and witty, her presence itself is empowering for teachers and students alike. Caring for the most vulnerable around her is natural to her. Having served for thirty years in Life Insurance Corporation of India, Madhuri’s commitment towards ‘service’ is fierce. The fact that she joined AGVS after exactly 1 day of retiring from LIC is proof of Madhuri’s love for work itself. Passionate about botany and organic chemistry, she tries to seek scientific answers for the most banal as well as the most existential or metaphysical things she witnesse ss around her. Her spirit to learn, unlearn and create dialogue amongst various people at the AGVS campus is what makes her a beautiful pillar of the team.