sujaya foundation report-2014-15... · gaikwad of grade 6 who joined us at the aurangabad centre in...

Annual Report 2014-2015

Sujaya Foundation

Annual Report

2014-15

Sujaya Foundation

Annual Report

2014-2015

Registered Address:

Sujaya Foundation,

401 Lotus House, New Marine Lines, Mumbai 400 020

Mailing Address:

Sujaya Foundation, Adarsh Guest House, 2nd Floor, Above Adarsh Mithai

Mandir, Nana Chowk,

Grant Road (W), Mumbai 400 007


About Sujaya Foundation

Sujaya Foundation was started in 2002 working in municipal schools. 12 years down the line, we now have expanded to a variety of activities and programs, all in the attempt to make a difference to children who do not get the opportunity they deserve to excel. We also work with youth with different abilities in an attempt to help them become financially independent. We teach underprivileged school-going children Mathematics, English, SEAL and Computers; as well as Spoken English and Basic Computers to underprivileged youth, giving them a much needed equal opportunity boost.

Our Programs In order to get closer to our vision and mission, all our programs are tailored to equip the beneficiary with linguistic, digital and soft skills required to succeed in today’s competitive world. Experiential Learning Program (ELP), Sujaya English Active Learning (SEAL), Computer Program, School Support Program and English immersion Program are the various programs that we are currently running.

Our Vision

To provide education to the underprivileged by incorporating the best pedagogical practices at

an elementary as well as an advanced level and to bridge the

gap for students between education and employment.

Our Mission

Our mission is to give underprivileged children and youth an opportunity to launch

themselves into the dignified and bright future they deserve. We bridge the digital

and linguistic divide through education.


SEAL Program Sujaya English Active Learning

Raison d’être “We endeavour, through our activities at Sujaya Foundation, to create a situation where an underprivileged child between 12 to 18 years, will be, in a few years, in a position to get a job, support himself and his family and try to contribute to the community he lives in. The SEAL (Sujaya English Active Learning) Program is a technology-based product which aims for an underprivileged child to speak excellent English. Throughout the school year, our SEAL centres work independently in different geographical locations with teachers, mentors and volunteers. The idea of having a SEAL annual event is to bring together all the geographies we reach out to. It is also to ensure that we are not only teaching our beneficiaries do well in school exams but that we are also teaching them to express, negotiate, communicate and create a unique place for themselves in the world they inhabit. No two human beings experience the world in the same way. Many of our modern day ills are caused due to maladjustment and non-acceptance of the other. At Sujaya we try very hard to address many current issues: violence; non-tolerance; communal divides. We are trying to make each other see that it’s okay to disagree and that disagreements are part of life – we try to honour our differences and perceptions. The SEAL annual Improvisation league aims to foster partnerships amongst various stakeholders while giving a voice to the unheard thoughts and dreams of the underprivileged.”

-Neelambari Rao, Managing Trustee

Program Highlights A two-day conference for all SEAL partners was held on April 28th and 29th 2014 at Deutsche Bank, Goregaon. It had a total of 70 participants. The two-day conference included sessions on teaching and special education for the teachers and fun workshops for the students. A screening of the Sujaya Foundation movie ‘Circles of Success’ was also held. Sujaya Foundation along with its corporate partner, Deutsche Bank, organized the first interactive English Speaking competition – The SEAL Premiere League (SPL). The event was conceptualized by Sujaya Foundation and sponsored and hosted by Deutsche Bank. The SEAL Premier League was the final competition between the 5 school teams based on what they had learnt in the SEAL program. The participants included principals, teachers and students from the various SEAL centres at Sangli, Nanded and Aurangabad, as well as our Mumbai centres (Dadar, Chembur and Kurla). We also had participants from Learning Space, Thane. The Education Officer of Aurangabad also attended the event.

The team from Chembur secured the first place followed by the team from Nanded in second place. Prizes were distributed by Deutsche Bank officials and film actor Varun Dhawan. Varun Dhawan also announced scholarships for 10 students of Kurla and Chembur for the upcoming academic year. The event was a great success.


Operations Highlights

The SEAL team has grown from 2 in 2013 to 10 by 30th March, 2015.

A new training and monitoring methodology for SEAL Evangelists was developed and implemented.

A centralised Student Management System (SMS) was launched on 11th February, 2015 which 1. Has enhanced and considerably simplified the level testing process. 2. Has enabled us to institutionalise regular testing.

Commissioned and operationalised a film on SEAL that has been very well received for marketing and awareness building.

2 new centres in Hyderabad and Aurangabad were operationalised.

Baseline testing and year end testing was done for all students of Dadar, Chembur, Hyderabad and Aurangabad.

In addition to the Boards we have been working on, the syllabus for CBSE has been developed and implemented.

Existing content made more robust and comprehensive and MOODLE functionality has been upgraded.

Content for Maharashtra and Telangana State Boards for grades 1 to 8 has been completed. The content for CBSE from grades 1 through 8 is in progress.

Year End Level Testing

The year ended with the Level Testing of 538 students from all SEAL centres. On average, Sujaya

students have grown by 0.99 levels in 2014-15.

Average growth is highest in Chembur (1.38 levels) and Dadar (1.2 levels).

Shridhar Dhurat of Class 8 from the Dadar Centre passed Level 1 in July 2014 and was at Level 7 in March 2015 – the maximum growth by a student from any of the centres.

68% of Sujaya students have grown by one level or more this year.

Key Centre Updates

DADAR - 229 students

A bigger, freshly painted room has been

provided by the Chhabildas Lallubhai School. 11

new computers have been purchased bringing

the total to 25.

A written examination was held for 229 students

of standards 3rd through 8th which included SEAL

as well as non-SEAL students. On average, SEAL

students scored 65.29% whereas non-SEAL

students scored 18.75%.

Centre Average Growth

Chembur 1.38

Hyderabad 0.83

Aurangabad 0.56

Dadar 1.2


An activity of writing and posting letters was

introduced in the Dadar centre this month. The

students and teachers can write letters to anyone at

the centre and post them in a letter box. The letters

are delivered by our SEAL Evangelist, Kalpesh Dalvi.

The students have been writing letters not only to

teachers and friends, but also to the non-teaching

staff members as well, thanking them for keeping

their classrooms clean.

AURANGABAD - 140 students

ZP Ranjangaon School SEAL Lab Inauguration Program

On Independence Day, Ms. Neelambari Rao and the Education Officer Mr. Nitin Upasane

inaugurated Sujaya’s first pilot SEAL Lab at the Ranjangaon Zilla Parishad School, Aurangabad.

School Annual Day Program

A wonderful Annual Day function was organized by the school with help from Sujaya Foundation

members on 30th January 2015. Many of our students participated in the event.

ZP Satara Parisar School SEAL Lab

Inauguration Program

A second SEAL Lab was inaugurated by Ms.

Neelambari Rao and Education Officer Nitin

Upasane at ZP Satara Parisar School with a pilot

batch of 20 students.


Story of change at Aurangabad

At Sujaya Foundation, we not only work at improving the

language of our students but also help them boost their self-

confidence.

One of the reflections of our constant effort is Mahadev Gaikwad of grade 6 who joined us at the Aurangabad centre in grade 4. He was a very shy student who would not speak much even with his friends. He also had difficulty learning the alphabet. But gradually, he started building a good rapport with his teacher (SEAL Evangelist Rohit Gadre) and shared with him his fear of language. With guidance from the SE, he started taking interest in the class and started participating in group activities. At present, he is at par with his grade and was one of the students with the highest levels in September 2014 out of a total of 140 students. He was also the 'Student of the Month' in November 2014. He says he has started speaking in English with himself as well. He dreams of becoming a scientist. Sujaya Foundation is happy to see his self-confidence and his desire to learn English.

SANGLI - 380 students

SEAL program in Sangli commenced from January 12th with a total of 380 children.

HYDERABAD - 200 students

Baseline testing was completed and revealed that the students are at an optimum level.

52% of the students are at par with their grade levels which means the gap between their class and

level is zero.

41% are at a gap of one level.

7% have a gap or more than one level.

The school has given positive feedback regarding the program and the SEAL Evangelist.

Mahadev Gaikwad with

SE Rohit Gadre


School Support Program

The School Support Program was started with a view to help under-resourced schools in the following

ways:

To create and sustain an environment for English-language learning.

To help students improve their conversational English skills.

To involve the parents and families in educational and extracurricular activities so that they also feel

free to voice their concerns.

Under this program, Sujaya Foundation is currently working with GEI’s Chhabildas Girls & Boys High

School in Dadar, Mumbai. We teach students from Nursery to grade 8th English, Mathematics and

Computers before school hours. Along with teaching, the Foundation also conducts many

extracurricular activities at the school like yoga, dance, drama, art & craft, sports, etc. All cultural events

and festivals are celebrated. The students are taken on field trips and medical camps (eye check-up,

dental check-up, etc) are also organised for them.

The Tree Room

The Tree Room at the Dadar School has been designed to help the students deal better with real world

situations. Various activities like games, videos, role-plays etc. are undertaken in the Tree Room in

accordance with the classes held in the previous week.


Various events and extracurricular activities that the children participated in this year ranged from

sports, field trips to various celebrations like Independence Day, Teacher’s Day etc.

Inter-NGO Sports Day

Organised by Narsee Monjee College, this event was attended by 6 NGOs and had many competitions

like box cricket, football, lemon and spoon, sack race, relay, 100 and 75 meters running race.

Independence Day Celebrations

The Sujaya staff and students celebrated India’s 68th Independence Day at the Dadar centre with great patriotic fervour.

Teachers’ Day Program

The Teachers’ Day at Dadar was celebrated on 6th September. The students conducted ‘Special Assembly’ in the morning during which they talked about the importance of Teachers’ Day. The students conducted all the classes for the day. There was a small cultural program presented by the children.


Field Trip to Museums

Our teachers, Farida Aurangabadwala and Sachin Achlerkar accompanied seven students on an excursion to six museums on 6th February.

Bhau Daji Lad Museum - The students got to see the paintings of Atul Dodiya. The

paintings were based on traditional and contemporary art.

Chemould Art Gallery - Students got to see watercolour paintings and paintings made

out of melted toys. Jehangir Art Gallery - An artist made a

painting about a woman who is waiting for

something good to happen in her life. The

students got a good opportunity to interact

with the artist and she explained the picture

in detail.

Gallery Seven - The students got the chance

to see various abstract paintings.

National Gallery of Arts - Sachin Tendukar’s

journey as a cricketer and the general

expressions of the public when he plays

cricket were displayed. The children were

captivated seeing this art.

Tao Art gallery - The students got to see

spiritual and abstract paintings.


Experiential Learning Program

The Experiential Learning Program trains hearing impaired youth in data entry skills, gives them a real-

time internship and places them at various companies. Beneficiaries referred to the ELP must complete

a 3-month training program in data entry skills, followed by a minimum 6-month long internship. If their

work is found to be satisfactory, they are assisted with placements at corporate organizations.

Training So far, 66 people (53 differently-abled and 13 computer students) have been trained in the ELP.

One-on-one parent meetings were held to update the parents with progress and the participants

were counselled before placements.

2 skill training sessions were held for new projects.

2 skill training sessions were conducted based on the feedback received from HDFC Bank, NSE and

Clear Concepts.

Operations This year saw an increase of 23% in the entries made for HDFC Bank as compared to last year. Annual

entries done in the year were 51, 46,170/-, whereas this year the annual entries have increased to

63, 07,980.

Regular interactive sessions are conducted for interns and their families to encourage them to

continue their education since most of them are only SSC passed. As a result of these sessions, 4 of

them are continuing with their education and one is pursuing MBA.

Additional Projects:

Mirai Health Ltd. has entrusted us with making databases of patients for 2 individual

doctors.

We worked with Dr. Rashmi Bansal of The Bloody Good Books on certain transcription

projects.

Placements Pre Placement Training: 2 sessions were held on Shares, Share Markets, Mergers, Acquisitions and

other basic terms used in the NSE for the placed candidates.

8 have been placed in the NSE, 7 have found jobs on their own, 2 are working part time in their own

shops.

51,46,17063,07,980

2013-14 2014-15

HDFC Entries

HDFC Entries


Software Updates Updated the security systems based on KPMG highlights and improved the productivity of the

interns.

Various Activities conducted during the year A new Quarterly Newsletter for the ELP Department

has been started.

A partnership with Dr. Ajay from Koshish for regular

health checkups for the beneficiaries has been

arranged.

A WhatsApp group was created to source more

beneficiaries.

Various events such as Mothers Day, Birthdays,

New Years, Makarsankranti, etc. were celebrated.

ELP beneficiaries and staff went for a half-day picnic

to Hanging Garden on the 11th of August 2015.

Volunteers from Wells Fargo taught the

beneficiaries advanced Excel commands like Data

Filter, VLookUp and HLookUp functions.

An eye camp was conducted on 22nd September

2014 with the help of Aditya Jyot Foundation.

Beneficiaries were given certificates and cash prizes

for their overall conduct, 100% attendance,

punctuality, being the best dressed, most helpful,

etc. were distributed among the beneficiaries.

HDFC Bank staff visited the ELP department and

presented the beneficiaries with gifts on the

occasion of Diwali.

A session on health and hygiene was conducted for

the beneficiaries.

Staff member Kalpana conducted meditation

sessions for the beneficiaries regularly.

Eye Camp by Aditya Jyot Foundation

Wells Fargo volunteering session

HDFC Bank staff distributing clothes on the

occasion of Diwali

Celebrating Makar Sankranti

Talk on health and hygiene


Computer Program Aimed at teaching and enhancing the computer skills of school and college going youth, our Computer

Program is being run at 2 centres – Chembur and Bandra.

Key centre updates

Chembur Deutsche Bank English Grammar Sessions April 5th 2014 English Grammar Sessions were conducted for the Computer Program students every Saturday for duration of 8 weeks by volunteers from Deutsche Bank.

Computer Immersion April 14th 2014 A Computer Immersion Certificate Program was organized at Bandra for the XI batch of Computer Program students at the Chembur centre.

English Immersion June 14th 2014 An English Immersion Program was conducted by Mala Krishnan, our Dadar centre teacher, for two months starting on 14th April 2014. Successful students were provided with certificates on 14th June, 2014.

Computer Immersion August 2nd 2014 Similar to the event on 14th April, 2014, a Computer Immersion Certificate Program was organised at Bandra for the XII batch of the Computer Program students at the Chembur centre.


Larsen and Toubro Volunteer Session November 15th 2014 Some members of Larsen and Toubro volunteered to spend time with the children. By taking charge of 4 to 5 children each, the volunteers helped the children read short stories. These short story books were provided by the volunteers themselves. With the help of the volunteers, the children also filled out worksheets and enacted the short stories which they had read that day.

Deutsche Bank English Grammar Sessions November 22nd 2014 English Grammar Sessions were conducted for the SEAL English students every Saturday for duration of 8 weeks by volunteers from Deutsche Bank.

Deutsche Bank Movie Screening December 11th 2014 Deutsche Bank had arranged a screening of the movie “Hawa Hawai” at Oberoi Mall, Goregaon during the Children’s Film Festival. All the children enthusiastically attended this movie screening. Larsen and Toubro Secret Santa December 16th to 26th 2014 In spirit of the Holiday Season, Larsen and Toubro organized a ‘Wish-Making’ campaign for the children. Every child was made to tell one item (e.g. pencil box, writing materials, sports equipment etc.) that they would like to receive from Santa Claus. The volunteers from Larsen and Toubro fulfilled their wishes by providing them with their desired gifts.


New Years’ Party January 3rd 2015 A New Year’s Party was organised at the Chembur centre for the SEAL and Computer Program students. 80 students, along with the volunteers of Deutsche Bank who teach the kids on Saturdays, attended the party.

Sanjay Gandhi National Park Excursion January 25th 2015 An excursion to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivali and the Kanheri Caves was arranged for the SEAL students. The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves on their day out.

Deutsche Bank Art Workshop January 27th 2015 An Art Workshop was organized by Deutsche Bank in their office premises for the students of Chembur centre. The workshop included lessons on paper-quilling, card-designing and envelope-making.


Larsen and Toubro Science Workshop February 28th 2015 Larsen and Toubro made science more interesting by organizing a Science Workshop for the students. The students were divided into five groups – Planet Earth, The Human Body, Plants and Animals, Science and Technology, and Space. The volunteers provided interesting information about the different topics, and each group prepared and presented a poster on those topics.

Bandra

Deutsche Bank English Grammar Session April 5th 2014

With the co-operation of Ms. Anju, a teacher at the Bandra centre, English Grammar Sessions were conducted for the SEAL English students every Saturday for the duration of 8 weeks by volunteers from Deutsche Bank.

Jumble Sale, a great learning experience in practical marketing, was organized for the Computer Program students.

Computer Immersion April 19th 2014 In co-operation with the Chembur centre, a Computer Immersion Program and Jumble Sale was conducted at Bandra East Community Centre.


English Sessions by Spanish volunteers July 16th to 31st 2014 During this period, a group of individual volunteers spent two hours every morning with the students. The students were divided into 2 groups based on their age and English level. The volunteers aimed at improving the vocabulary of both the groups and used the aid of cards, games and video clips to do the same. The more advanced group among the two was also given guidance on how to make professional presentations.

Interactive Session by Australian volunteer

August 1st 2014

Myriam Kassis, a volunteer from Australia, conducted a session on Australia for the Computer Program

students. She gave them information about Australia’s culture, traditional food, people etc.

Computer Immersion

August 2nd 2014

In co-operation with the Chembur centre, a Computer Immersion Program and Jumble Sale was conducted at Bandra East Community Centre.

September 1st to 30th 2014

Deutsche Bank Session

Deutsche Bank employees conducted various sessions for two hours every Saturday for a month to

improve the students’ conversational English skills.

L&T Infotech Computer Skills Session

Employees of L&T Infotech conducted two sessions on 6th and 27th September to teach computer

software and hardware skills to the students.


Deutsche Bank Nature Park Excursion

October 11th 2014

Deutsche Bank arranged an excursion to

Maharashtra Nature Park, Sion for the Computer

Program students as well as for the students who

had attended their session. 20 students were

present for the excursion.

Deutsche Bank Movie Screening December 11th 2014 Deutsche Bank had arranged a screening of the movie “Hawa Hawai” at Oberoi Mall, Goregaon during the Children’s Film Festival. All the children enthusiastically attended this movie screening.

Jumble Sale

December 31st 2014

A Jumble Sale had been organized at Bandra East Community Centre (BECC). Games were conducted for

the Computer Program students as well as the BECC students. Arrangements had also been made for a

free-of-cost mehendi stall.


Eye Camp Organised by Sanika Shidhaye

January 24th 2015

Sanika Shidhaye, an employee of Deutsche Bank had been volunteering with us for a very long time. For

her mother, Dr. Sumitra Shidhaye’s birthday, Sanika arranged an Eye Camp for the Computer Program

students and the Bandra East Community Centre beneficiaries. She had also arranged for snacks to be

distributed after the checkup. Ms. Neelambari Rao was present to felicitate the doctors, Sanika and Dr.

Sumitra Shidhaye. The Eye Camp was very successful with a turnout of around 170 students.

Deutsche Bank Art Workshop February 28th 2015 An Art Workshop was organized by Deutsche Bank in their office premises for the students of Chembur centre. The workshop included lessons on paper-quilling, card-designing and envelope-making.

Umeed Bus Program In co-operation with Umeed Foundation, a bus program was conducted to teach Microsoft Office to students who have no access to computers. Such students living around Khar pipeline, Bandra Lal-Mitthi and Gareeb Nagar were the beneficiaries of this program.


English Immersion Program

The English Immersion course is an intensive short term courses targeting underprivileged children and

youth to enhance their employability prospects.

We have been conducting English Immersion Program for the past 12 years at Sujaya Foundation. The

focus is on spoken English. The methodology followed is that the program is instructor led for half of the

day. The second half includes structured activities on computers and the iPod. The idea is to give

practical knowledge. All activities are focused on getting the student to speak in excellent English. If time

permits and depending on the abilities of the group, the course also includes a section on grooming and

professional etiquette. Voice & accent training is also provided.

One of the major components of the Immersion course is to have guests and volunteers come in and

interact with our students. This year 85 students have completed English Immersion successfully from

Nana Chowk, Bandra and Chembur centres. In all of these centres importance was given to speaking

grammatically correct English.

By the end of the program, all the students who completed the course had shown tremendous

improvement. They were able to speak, write and construct proper sentences in English.


Health Program

Designed in collaboration with Dr. Zarir Udwadia, of P. D Hinduja National Hospital & Medical Research

Centre.this program provides free medication and counseling to MDR-TB patients. Multidrug-resistant-

tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a form of TB that does not respond to two of the most powerful anti-TB drugs.

More than half of the patients enrolled under this program have been fully cured of the disease.

Total Number of Students (April 2014 - March 2015)

Sr. No.

Program Sujaya Centres Count of beneficiaries

Total

A) School Support Program Dadar 288 288

B) English Immersion Nana Chowk 46 85

Bandra 17

Chembur 22

C) Computer Program Chembur 185 403

BECC 218

D) Experiential Learning Program

Nana Chowk 66 66

E) SEAL Dadar 229 1164

Chembur 45

Nanded 260

Sangli 330

Aurangabad 140

Hyderabad 160

Total No. of Beneficiaries : 2014-2015 2006


Audited Report

sujaya foundation report-2014-15... · gaikwad of grade 6 who joined us at the aurangabad centre in...

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