BHUMI Annual Report 2016-2017

Change Today ... Change Tomorrow

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Executive Summary

Aug 15, 2016 was a milestone for Bhumi.

Ten incredible years of change, and many of us were left nostalgic with moments that have helped create an organisation of this scale and scope.

In 2006, when a small group of individuals came together to volunteer, little did we imagine Bhumi would bridge the gap in education through its ongoing comprehensive programme that caters to four different target segments.

We see the last decade as a foundation for what is likely to come; and owe this significant achievement to our volunteers, who have magnanimously put down hours to teach, mentor, lead, train, fundraise, be an ambassador, and most importantly be changemakers of today for a better tomorrow; to our employees who have streamlined processes and strengthened programmatic approaches; to our individual and corporate donors who have consistently believed in us, participated in our programmes, and given valuable feedback to do better and bigger; to our orphanage authorities and community workers who inspire us to do more; to our programme partners who have been graciously supporting our needs; and to our well-wishers who stand by us at all times.

As we continue this journey, the urge to create continued and deepened impact becomes stronger and Bhumi shall strive to provide holistic education and sustainable livelihoods for all.

Thank you.

Vaishnavi Srinivasan Executive Director 15 August 2017

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Theory Of Change The volunteers are oriented to the background of our work, provided with interesting activity based content, trained in pedagogy as well as content delivery. This equips them to provide a supplementary after-school education support to the children to bridge the gap in learning outcomes. Our volunteer to student ratio of 1:5 helps the volunteers to provide more focused intervention to The ASER report published every year has been painting a bleak picture of the Indian education system. For example, one of the details identified in ASER 2016 is that only 42.5%of children in Std III are able to read at least Std I level text.

improve the learning outcomes of every child. The programme is primarily managed by volunteers, who also have the opportunity to hone various skills including leadership. This platform provides volunteers an opportunity to enhance their skills and accelerate their

Bhumi is addressing the problem of limited learning outcomes among children in urban/semi-urban lowincome schools. This not only impacts the capability of children to learn further at school but also limits their chance of pursuing opportunities in higher education and livelihood. We believe that all children deserve a solid foundation that will give them livelihood opportunities later in life to help their families break out of the poverty cycle.

We have transformed this conviction into a volunteering opportunity for India's educated youth, launching a snowball effect of talent nurturing talent on the path to an educated, poverty-free India.

professional journeys and helps them contribute as socially conscious citizens.

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About us

Mission: Bhumi drives social Vision: Helping build a more

change by fostering an

influential, equal and socially conscious society since 2006.

environment where young adults & children learn, lead and thrive.

Ignite & Catalyse

Ignite: Bhumi bridges the gaps in formal education and opportunities by providing under-privileged children language and STEAM education, life-skills support and scholarships for higher education: • through volunteers during weekends at orphanages • through teachers during the week at low-income private and government            schools • through community youth every evening at after-school community centres in      urban slums 

Catalyse: Bhumi provides a platform for volunteers to take up causes linked to the Sustainable Development Goals. There are one-off and regular volunteering activities towards animal welfare, road safety, disability, environment, health etc.

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Our People The interventions from Bhumi, delivered and managed by volunteers, not only provide a platform for them to contribute to society but also to hone their skills and explore various interests.  The teaching, learning opportunity has created a skilling opportunity for the volunteers, who not only get to manage various projects but also work in various specialised areas like HR, CSR, training, communications, event management, marketing etc. 

Bhumi invests in the leadership development of the volunteers. In partnership with the Blue Ribbon Movement, we do several city, regional level workshops and a national workshop each year. This helps not just in personal but organisational growth too. Volunteers participate in the workshops organised by Bhumi to take up leadership roles within the organisation and to learn various aspects of leadership development.

Starting off with a handful of volunteers, we have engaged close to 12,610 volunteers this year and have clocked an estimated 1.4 million volunteering hours cumulatively since 2006.

If one engaged volunteer can change the life trajectory of five children - the social, economic and environmental returns on our society are immense.

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Our People Volunteer growth since inception

13,000

9,750

6,500

3,250

0

7 10 2

6 10 2

5 10 2

–

–

–

–

–

–

6 10 2

5 10 2

4 10 2

3 10 2

2 10 2

11 0 2

9 0 0 2

8 0 0 2

7 0 0 2

0 10 2

–

–

–

–

–

4 10 2

3 10 2

2 10 2

11 0 2

0 10 2

9 0 0 2

8 0 0 2

7 0 0 2 6 0 0 2

Estimated volunteer hours clocked: 2,80,229

Bhumi also recruits the best of potential to manage programmes, operations and other administrative work, and currently has full-time employees in Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune and Tiruchirapalli.

This year, additionally, Bhumi has recruited part-time tutors from communities for the after-school programme. Mostly college students and young housewives, this pool of tutors are trained in pedagogy and content delivery by our in-house experts.

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Ignite

A platform to discover and explore science, technology, art, engineering and mathematics

A safe, positive and healthy environment

A trigger to social consciousness for the young minds to contribute towards their own community 

Empowering teachers for augmenting digital literacy

Hone literacy, numeracy and life skills

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Impact

A strong future orientation and life skills to ensure future success

Reduced drop out from school

Increased opportunities for college and future employment

Financial and social stability

Engagement in their community’s civic life

The change in skill levels is gauged through a

For language, the baseline is a

Baseline Assessment administered at the

combination of both oral and written.

beginning of the year, followed up by a

The structure is similar to ASER’s, with

year-end assessment. This is diagnostic in

four questions primarily from reading

nature, and helps the facilitation team in

fluency and will help identify the

identifying the learning needs of each child

children’s skills in letter recognition,

and create individualized plans (if needed).

reading of words, reading of sentences, reading and

For example: The Baseline Assessment for

comprehension of story.

Mathematics looks for children’s current learning levels or skills in number

The other quantitative parameters will

identification, place value, addition,

be gauged from data collected

subtraction, multiplication, division, fraction,

before, during and after the

integers and measurements.

programme year.

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Impact

No. of children: 4,963 No. of learning centres: 132 No. of wishes fulfilled: 7,021

Here’s a snapshot of the skill wise improvements made by children from learning centres in slums. This is in reference to the skills children are expected to know at the respective classes:

Mathematics

Mathematics

Literacy

Class 3 - 5

Class 6 - 8

Class 3 - 5

% yretsaM sllikS

...............................

...............................

60

45

30

15

0 BAT

EYA

BAT

EYA

BAT

EYA

*BAT - Baseline Test      EYA - End of Year Assessment

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Bring Smiles: Story of Change In our quest towards a better future, there are some stories that inspire more than most. One such story is that of young Bhuvaneshwari, a tenacious girl who has benefited from Bhumi’s Bring Smiles. Initiated in 2011, the programme funds the education of children from lesser-privileged backgrounds.

The situation for the oldest of three daughters of a mason and a household helper was far from ideal. But rather than daunt, Bhuvaneshwari's drive and determination to succeed was immense. Her guardian, Mrs Gayathri Ramadoss, after learning of her impressive score of 462/500 in class 10, approached Bhumi seeking support for her education. Bring Smiles gifted her with a sponsorship for class 11, keeping track of her academics. She performed consistently, thereby securing a sponsorship for class 12 as well. And yet again, she proved herself by securing the first rank in her school with a score of 1147/1200.

"One must not search for role models among others, but aspire to be a role model for others", she says. Bhuvaneshwari now pursues a degree in B.Com, with CA classes in parallel, again backed by her Bring Smiles Scholarship. Her dream to be an auditor is supplemented by her desire to help children in need, and provide free tuition to those who can’t afford expensive coaching centres, thus, continuing to bring smiles long after this sponsorship program has run its course for her. Hers is just one of many stories that Bring Smiles has helped write. So far, the numbers are:

2013-14 

2014-15 

2015-16 

2016-17 

19 Children

10 Children

12 Children

293 Children

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Nakshatra

Our children, mostly from vulnerable communities, have minimal exposure to art and literature. However, have inherent talent that needs a platform to experience, and some time to hone.

A one of its kind initiative, Nakshatra is Bhumi’s inter-centre annual talent festival to unleash the creative potential of children. Nakshatra provides a platform for our beneficiaries to showcase their extracurricular capabilities.

No. of children: 5,338 No. of orphanages: 148 Cities: Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune and New Delhi

The events include a wide array of arts (like Clay Modelling, Face Painting, Rangoli), literary (like Adzap, Quiz, Story Writing), cultural (like Singing, Dancing, Skit) and sports (like track & field events, indoor sports, football).

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Catalyse

Bhumi strongly believes in citizen level initiatives to address social issues that plague communities throughout India. With the aim to raise awareness about responsible citizenship and to foster civic change, Bhumi encourages citizens to volunteer for causes of their choice. Promoting volunteerism, activating citizens, and incubating innovative projects add a layer to our child-focused efforts. These make it possible for people to join Bhumi’s virtuous cycle at multiple places. From short term to longterm opportunities, our civic projects span a variety of causes linked to the Sustainable Development Goals.

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TN Flood – Rehabilitation

In the days and weeks following the disaster, Bhumi focussed on distribution of groceries and other essential supplies to affected communities and orphanages. Subsequently we revisited almost a hundred orphanages and educational institutions assessing the damage focussing not only on replacement of stationery, uniforms and other school supplies but also in repairing and replacing computers, roofs, toilets etc. Our choices of projects were more inclined towards building resilience against future floods and disasters.

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Financials

2015-2016

Income

2016-2017

5,15,90,792 

Total Income

3,46,68,440

Expenditure

1,40,54,880 

TN Flood Relief

2,42,65,459

42,47,664 

Ignite

1,32,90,894

4,30,746 

Catalyse

43,74,529

8,32,558 

Nakshatra

28,41,589

17,81,541 

Miscellaneous

54,72,437

2,13,47,389 

Project Expenses

5,02,44,909

15,90,354 

Admin Expenses

8,60,085

2,29,37,743 

Total Expenses

5,11,04,994

Full Audit report is available at www.bhumi.ngo/legal

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Help Us Grow Rs. 1,000 will help us educate a child for a year 

Rs. 3,000 will help us train 50 new volunteer teachers

Rs. 13,000 will help us get a new computer for our children

Become a ‘Friend of Bhumi’ - Contribute every month

Details on www.bhumi.ngo/donate

Be our knowledge partner - share your corporate/management expertise and provide pro-bono consulting

Engage employees/students in team volunteering opportunities through the volunteers.org platform

Donate used computers/laptops/tablet PCs to help scale our technology driven educational projects.

Help with scaling and increasing impact in your region by partnering with us for your CSR initiatives

3/2, Karpaga Vinayagar Kovil Street, Alandur, Chennai - 600 016 [email protected] | +91-87544-13255 | www.bhumi.ngo

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