TRANSFORMATIVE DEVELOPMENT EMPOWERING INDIA’S WOMEN & GIRLS AMERICAN INDIA FOUNDATION • ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 A math class at Gagodhar High School in Gujarat taught by an AIF Learning and Migration Program (LAMP) facilitator. TABLE OF CONTENTS FROM OUR LEADERSHIP ...3 17... SHAPING THE NEXT GENERATION OUR IMPACT ...4 OF SOCIAL CHANGE LEADERS LIGHTING THE PATH FOR A 19... GIVING LIFE TO INDIA’S NEWBORNS BRIGHTER FUTURE ...7 20... YEAR IN REVIEW TRANSFORMING THE CLASSROOM THROUGH TECHNOLOGY ...9 24... OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF 30... PARTNERSHIPS AND IMPACT INDIA’S WORKFORCE ...11 38... FINANCIALS INTEGRATING THE DIFFERENTLY-ABLED INTO INDIA’S ECONOMY ...13 42... PEOPLE CREATING ENTREPRENEURS ...15 52... SUPPORTERS FROM THE BOTTOM-UP © American India Foundation 2015. American India Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. The material and all information contained herein is solely owned by and re- mains the property of the American India Foundation. It is being provided to you solely for the purpose of disclosing the information provided herein, in accordance with applicable law. Any other use, including commercial reuse, mounting on other systems, or other forms of publication, republication or redistribution requires the express written consent of the American India Foundation. AIF Rickshaw Sangh beneficiaries, Shyam Kishore Mandal and Phool Kumari, with their children, Vikas and Babli, in Bihar. Cover Photo: AIF Learning and Migration Program (LAMP) students at the Jangi Government School in Gujarat. Back Cover: AIF’s Maternal and Newborn Survival Initiative (MANSI) clinic in Jharkhand. (All Photographs in this Annual Report ©Prashant Panjiar unless otherwise stated) - 1 - FROM OUR LEADERSHIP Dear Friends, When Asma first stared at the screen, her eyes lit up with curiosity and ex- The first impact evaluation of MANSI revealed demonstrable impact in re- citement. This eight-grade student from Chennai had never interacted with ducing neonatal mortality by 32.7% and infant mortality by 26.5%, estab- a computer before in her life. Through AIF’s Digital Equalizer, Asma not only lishing proof of concept for our latest innovation to be scaled up this year is now connected to technology, but also to the larger world. She now can in Uttarakhand and Odisha. Earlier this year in Boston, AIF held its first-ever dream bigger and has aspirations of one day becoming a doctor. This year, MANSI Summit. This event brought together over 100 thought-leaders from the Digital Equalizer has now touched the lives of more than one million chil- around the world to engage in a discussion about maternal and neonatal dren and is helping India to bridge the educational and digital divide. We are health issues. We also developed a partnership with The South Asia Institute grateful for the generous support of organizations such as Dell, the Hans at Harvard University. Leveraging this rich academic ecosystem will chal- Foundation, the Citi Foundation, and Cognizant, in making this educational lenge us to keep innovating in all of our programs. In education, the Learning dream a reality. and Migration Program (LAMP) continues to deliver excellent results for stu- dents. All 183 LAMP students in Odisha passed their Grade 10 board exams, Through your generous support, AIF has served as a catalyst in disrupting outperforming the state average by 18%. poverty in India. Since 2001, we have impacted over 2.5 million lives, raised over $100 million dollars, cultivated 248 NGO partnerships, and reached 23 Despite all of our accomplishments, we realize there is more work to do to states in India. Beyond these accomplishments, what makes AIF truly unique impact the countless girls like Asma across India. We have ambitious goals of is our holistic approach to poverty alleviation in India. scaling all of our programs, as well as expanding the reach of our supporter base across the globe. We hope you will continue to join us in our journey to We are pleased to report of a number of achievements advancing our mis- impact over 5 million lives by 2018-19 and help us create a brighter future for sion through deepening and scaling our impact, and expanding our network those at India’s base of the pyramid. of partners and forming new coalitions. We entered a strategic partnership with the Hans Foundation, who apart from supporting Digital Equalizer also Sincerely, provided catalytic funding to scale up the Maternal and Newborn Survival Initiative (MANSI) in Uttarakhand, as well as the national VEER campaign in India. We are extremely proud that the Government of India has joined us as Lata Krishnan Pradeep Kashyap Venkat Srinivasan a partner for the second year of VEER, a coalition of public and private part- Chair Vice Chair Vice Chair ners including Coca-Cola India, Being Human, and CNN-IBN. In its first year, more than 1,053 persons with disabilities in India were trained in various skills through our Ability-Based Livelihoods Empowerment (ABLE) initiative, and M.A. Ravi Kumar Nishant Pandey AIF Learning and Migration Program (LAMP) beneficiaries at the Jangi Government School in Gujarat. now have a shot at a brighter and more productive future. CEO India Country Director - 2 - - 3 - OUR IMPACT Santosh, the General Manager of Lemon Tree Premiere & Red Fox Hotels, meets with AIF’s Ability-Based Livelihood Empowerment (ABLE) program beneficiaries in Telangana. - 4 - - 5 - LIGHTING THE PATH FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE Like millions of migrant workers in India, Ashasura Akhiyani’s parents nev- Ashasura benefits from several of the LAMP interventions, which focus er had a chance at receiving an education and instead pursued work on continuous high-quality education as well as community engagement migrating in the fields to earn a living. Ashasura was destined to repeat and ownership of education. Primary students benefit from LAMP’s learn- the life of her parents until AIF’s Learning and Migration Program (LAMP) ing enrichment classes before and after school to keep students on track, intervened in her village in Gujarat. The program provided her with an ed- while in later years continue on to ensure they stay in school through the ucation, as well as hostel living arrangements when her parents departed new LAMP Pathways project, run in partnership with the John D. and Cath- for migration season. erine T. MacArthur Foundation and Human Dignity Foundation. “I will grow up and become a teacher. I want to teach children. I want more children “Coming to school is great fun,” says Ashasura. “In our classes, we get work- to benefit from LAMP classes,” beams Ashasura. sheets which help us to understand the concepts that the school teacher has taught us. My English has really improved.” Ashasura says she is deter- mined I WILL GROW UP AND BECOME A TEACHER. I WANT TO TEACH CHILDREN. I WANT MORE CHILDREN TO BENEFIT FROM LAMP. LAMP Pathways has a special focus on girls’ education, including the for- to complete Class 12, and if her parents agree, she says she will go for mation of girls groups, peer-to-peer learning support networks to address higher studies. common challenges and take their learnings outside of the classrom into the community. Anjani Rajgor, who is a facilitator for one of the girls Raju Chawda Valabhai, who has been working with LAMP in Gujarat’s groups, says that these sessions allow the girls to think for themselves and Kutch district for the last eight years, says there has been an incredible also learn life skills from each other through sharing their experiences. The mindset change in the local ecosystem. Earlier, he says, parents from groups help girls “become role models in the school,” says Anjani. “As a the Koli, Rabari and Dalit communities would not send their children to member of the girls group, each of them develops confidence and drive school, despite the hostel facilities and mid-day meals, and preferred to to reach their potential.” send them to work in the salt pans. Now, children from the same commu- nity are at the top of their class. Ashasura Akhiyani, an AIF Learning and Migration Program (LAMP) student in Lakhamsarai Village, Gujarat. - 6 - - 7 - TRANSFORMING THE CLASSROOM THROUGH TECHNOLOGY With a graceful ease, Nisha Chavda switches on her tablet, clicks on the AIF has been working to revitalize public education in India by bringing tech- computer icon, and turns up the volume. Today, she is learning about nology to underresourced government schools and utilizing technology to measuring temperature at different scales. “In the past, I’ve learned about transform teaching and learning into a collaborative, project-based learn- so many different areas such as magnets in science and ancient civiliza- ing environment through the Digital Equalizer. With the rapid growth and tions. All this is in our textbooks, but I learn faster and can remember it all proliferation of technology, AIF continually works to integrate new technol- very easily when I see it on the tablet screen.” ogies and the latest innovations in instructional pedagogy in order to keep ahead of THE ATTENDANCE OF THE SCHOOL CHILDREN HAS IMPROVED. PARENTS ARE KEEN TO SEND THEIR CHILDREN AND STUDENTS ARE EAGER TO LEARN. emerging trends Thirteen year-old Nisha and ensure whole schools and their teachers and students are equipped studies in the sixth grade at the Galathra Primary School in Gujarat. She is with the knowledge, skills, and tools to be successful. To date, the Digital a beneficiary of AIF’s Digital Equalizer Tablab program, enabling students Equalizer has reached more than one million children. to learn through computer tablets. When her parents got to know about the Tablab, they visited the school in excitement and curiosity. Nisha’s “The attendance of the school children has improved.