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 OF
CAREER EDUCATION
AND
DEVELOPMENT

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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. Reach
2400 Akanksha children come to an Akanksha center everyday.
2000 Akanksha children are part of the Akanksha school project.

2. Attendance and Drop Out

Average 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 opportunities
Akanksha 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 service

Over 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 values

All Akanksha Didis and Bhaiyas use positive reinforcement and no negative
consequences are used at Akanksha.

6. Girl's empowerment
The 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 Models
Eleven 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 Events
Hundreds 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 empowerment

Akanksha 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. Relief
After 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 documentation

Akanksha 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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