FOR EDUCATION

Asha for Education

Cairn Energy
(project proposal)
Dec. 2002
FOR EDUCATION
Outline
Part I
(a) Asha's Mission
Chapters across the world, Projects, Learning curve
(b) Asha Chennai History & Achievements

Part II
Report Card on Education in India
Asha Chennai Vision

Part III
Cairn Proposal
Value Proposition

Bios & References

FOR EDUCATION Our Mission
To catalyze socio-economic change through education
for the underprivileged children in India

Core Values
• Action Group
• Focus on basic education
• Apolitical and secular
• Volunteerism
• Zero overhead
FOR EDUCATION A Vibrant Global Movement
• At most major universities
• At most large metro with concentrations of Indians

• 34 Chapters in the US. 6 Chapters in India.

10 Chapters in the pipeline.
FOR EDUCATION Over 150 projects in 2001

$850K
disbursed
towards
150 projects

Initially centered on metros

Consciously prioritizing
projects in rural areas
in this new decade
FOR EDUCATION
Education Matrix
Segment Area Education Type Supported Items Drivers

Bonded Inaccessible Empowering Nutrition Govt

Gender Hilly Formal Infrastruct Established

NGOs

Landless Rural Non formal Teacher Salary Secular NGOs

Migrant Urban Mobile Teaching aids Lone ranging

heros

Sex workers Street Technology Clothes Religious

enabled groups

Issue Slums Value based Teacher Non-secular

sensitive Training groups

Special Metros Special Ed Curriculum

Needs Devt

Child labor Violence torn Sustainable Tech support

A unique perspective through collective learning

in Asha from over 200 Asha projects
FOR EDUCATION Striving to be More than Funding Agency
• Deeper involvement in projects
– Project visits
– Asha Stars
– Asha 2000 study
• Learning about issues
– Universal Quality Education (UQE)
– Quality of education (Research)
– Understanding and influencing govt’s role (UPE, Lobby)
– Holistic approach (100block)
• Raising awareness about issues locally
– Giving talks/presentations at various forums
– Newsletters and discussion forums (Jagriti, Publicity, Discussion)

Personal involvement and leadership first

Fundraising second
Sustainable development next
Names in brackets are Asha focus groups
FOR EDUCATION Asha’s Learning Curve 1991-2002
Team goal UQE 2047

Common Agenda

Large scale impact

Evolve into People’s movements
Models for sustainable development
Connect to livelihood
Greater awareness
Projects-Centric Action
Do something, anything!
FOR EDUCATION 2002 Magsaysay Award

Emergent Leadership

Sandeep Pandey, co-founder of

Asha for Education, was
awarded the 2002 Ramon
Magsaysay Award for the
"empowering example of his
commitment to the
transformation of India's
marginalized poor".
FOR EDUCATION
The Hope
than this more of this

When we dream alone,

it is only a dream.
When we dream together,
it is no longer a dream;
It is the beginning of a Reality.
FOR EDUCATION Asha Chennai History
• Several projects in Chennai and Vicinity have been funded by Asha
chapters ever since 1992.
• In 2000 Dr D. Prakash started the Asha-Pride project “to make the
Besant Nagar area a pride of Chennai”. This project was run by Asha as
opposed to funding projects run by other NGOs.
• Asha-Chennai has grown since then to include more than 10 highly
committed volunteers in India and several more contributing remotely
from the US, Singapore etc.
 Coordinators are Lakshmi (Principal of Olcott Memorial School) & Rajaram
(Alumni of IIT Madras Computer Science Dept).
• In financial year 2002-2003, the project disbursements are expected to
exceed Rs. 10 Lakhs (US $20000).
• Asha-Chennai is currently actively managing 6 projects. In the coming
months we would be adding several more projects to the list.
• Asha Chennai leading UQE Chennai 2007 Aug 15 project with an initial
focus on disability segment.
FOR EDUCATION Asha Chennai Project Overview
• Udhavum Karangal
– 1992 - Education activities in Udavum Karangal project taken up for
support. The second chapter of Asha-LA founded by DP contributes
$1500 towards this, its first project.
– 1995 - The number of children at Udavum Karangal grows from 150 to
over 300
Vidyakar advises to "put involvement ahead of fund raising" to develop
character in the volunteer base.
– 1997 - A number of Asha chapters support Udavum Karangal
independently. Number of children grows to 550
Realizing the need for a non-linear solution, Asha helps purchase the first
computer for Udavum Karangal computer center. Later on, Sundar of
Vedas would pick up from this experience and build the Vedas computer
center interconnecting 15 Pentiums.
– 2000 - Asha supports SchoolNet to demonstrate their curriculum
development capabilities at Udhavum Karangal.
FOR EDUCATION Asha Chennai Project Overview
• Project Pride – Urur Kuppam School and Balwadi.
Education of children from low income fishermen community.

– 2000 – Project pride launched to make Besant Nagar the pride of

Chennai. Urur Olcott school founded by Gandhi in 1939, receives a major
facelift. Schoolnet curriculum made available to Urur Olcott School.

– 2001 – Class 6 introduced at Urur Olcott for the first time. This is an event
that never occurred in the school's 60 year history. Drop outs and child
labor supply are addressed.

– 2002 – Class 7 added to the school. Supplements added to noon-meal

scheme to better the food children eat.
FOR EDUCATION Asha Chennai Project Overview
• Project Build
– Addressing the education needs of children of migrant brick-kiln
labourers.
– Establishing 5 teaching centers at brick-kilns at rural Thiruvallur.
– Adviser – Vijaya Ramachandran (expert on migrant labourer
issues and daughter of former President R. Venkatraman).

• Project Bridge – at Olcott Memorial School

– Develop a Computer center at the Olcott Memorial School to
serve as a center of excellence for the neighbourhood schools.
– Supporting Tamil CD content development initiative.
– Of strategic importance to Asha’s UQE mission.
FOR EDUCATION Asha Chennai Project Overview

• Asha Scholarships
– Low income group children from isolated families.
– Support includes school fees, uniforms and books.
– Wide range from UKG to 1st yr MSc in Bio-Technology.
– 45 children are supported this year (first year of the program).

• Seva Chakra
– Funding ongoing expenses of computer center in Orphanage.
– Critical and timely support from Asha Chennai team saved
computer lab from going under.
FOR EDUCATION Pictures from Urur Kuppam
FOR EDUCATION Pictures from Urur Kuppam

Before Asha After Asha

FOR EDUCATION Pictures from Udhavum Karangal
FOR EDUCATION Report Card on Education
References
(i) Public Report on Basic Education in India (PROBE Report)
(ii) 2001 Census India

Net
700,000 villages
5 decades after UEE mandate in Constitution

Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram - success stories

Avg Indian adult has < 2 yrs of schooling

400 million people never read a single book in their life !
69 million boys & 108 million girls aged 6-14 yrs out of school

Pace of improvement slow # illiterates on the rise

<2 % of budget going into education
The whole world is watching

Collective Team Grade for Indians - C minus (underperforming)

 FOR EDUCATION
Evolving vision of Asha
UQE India 2047*
Universal Quality Education (UQE) by 15th Aug 2047
Proposed by DP Prakash

Implications
 Every child in 700,000 villages of India to be in school and learning before India's
100 year independence day mark.

 Calls for constructive cooperation at a very large scale between NGOs, Govt,
Corporations, and Individuals.

 Connecting to the peaceful independence movement of the past is a unique

strategy to inspire and unite Indo people across diverse boundaries.

 Every Independence day becomes a checkpoint to measure against that goal.

 Requires use of Technology as a key lever.

* Mission named Project Honor
FOR EDUCATION Asha-Chennai’s Vision

UQE for the Disabled by 15th Aug 2005

And for all of Chennai by 15th Aug 2007
• Asha Chennai aims to be the leading Asha Chapter that advocates and articulates the
UQE Vision.
• Demonstrate proof of concept for UQE.
• Disability focus in 2003. Research in progress to identify disability statistics.
• Estimates for disabled children in Chennai ranges from 30000 to 40000.
• Aim is to enhance collective impact by bringing together several organizations inclusive
of
– Udhavum Karangal a best practice leader and long term Asha partner
– Vidyasagar Spastics Society
– Jeevan Gnanodaya school for deaf
 Partnering organizations benefit through worldwide publicity, enhanced reach.
 Asha intends to create a space for organizations to share.
 We do NOT intend to be an umbrella organization.
FOR EDUCATION Proposal for Cairn Energy

Project Honor
Phase I - Proof of Concept
 UQE for Disabled by 2005 and UQE for all of Chennai by 2007

 Proof of concept demonstrating teamwork between different partners

(Govt, NGO’s, Corporations, Volunteers)

 Use of IT as a key leverage for accelerated progress

 Measurable and Monitorable large scale impact on the disability segment

FOR EDUCATION Project for Cairn Energy (Specifics)
1. Establish first UQE node at Udavum Karangal
– Enhance computer center education project at Udhavum Karangal

– Make it a show case, replicable model, the first node of UQE

– Enhance computer center facilities incl. Internet access.
– Add software and hardware needed to make it disability friendly
– Provide access for disabled at their school.

2. Establish second UQE node at Urur Olcot School

– Boost education facilities at Urur Olcott school (10 Lakhs)

– Build a dedicated computer lab as the second key node for UQE
– Build a classroom for the 8th standard, 9th standards
FOR EDUCATION
Project for Cairn Energy (Cost)

Udavum Karangal (Need specific cost breakdown)

Disability related hardware and software
PCs, SchoolNet and internet connectivity = 2 Lakhs
Access for Disabled to school.

Urur Olcott School 12 Lakhs

Construction Cost per class 2 Lakhs
3 classrooms = 6 Lakhs
PCs, SchoolNet and internet connectivity = 2 Lakhs
Improvements at Urur Kuppam Balwadi = 4 Lakhs
FOR EDUCATION Project for Cairn Energy (Team)
• Asha Chennai Team
– Asha Chennai Coordinators, Lakshmi Suryanarayan (Principal of Olcott memorial
school with over 30 years experince in the field of Education) and Rajaraman
Krishnan (IIT Chennai, UNC Chapel Hill Alumni, currently running Solnet
Technologies).
– Asha Chennai US Coordinator, Dr. D. Prakash (Served Asha for over 11 years and
served as President of Worldwide Asha for 2 years).
– Part of the Asha family that is founded and coordinated by volunteers such as
Magsaysay award winner Dr. Sandeep Pandey.
• Udhavum Karangal
– One of the most reputed and well-run Social Service Organisations in all of India.
– Winner of Best Social Service Organisation for the Disabled for the year 2002 from
Govt. of Tamilnadu.
• Urur Olcott School
– Founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1939.
– Serving the Underpriviledged in the Urur fishermen village right in the midst of
Chennai Metropolis.

We have the plan

We have a unique strategy
We have the team to execute
FOR EDUCATION Value Proposition for Partner Organisations
Cairn Energy
– The distinction of being the first Corporation to participate in the UQE
2047 goal of Asha.
– Setting standards for corporate social responsibility beginning in Chennai.

Asha Chennai
– Evolving to be the leading Asha chapter to advocate and articulate the
overarching strategy for Indians to systematically address the problem of
education effectively.

Udhavum Karangal
– Opportunity to flower into a greater organization with all its experience
and gain volunteer/donor base and also increased Indiawide/worldwide
recognition.
– Opportunity to be a prime partner in Asha’s UQE India Vision.