INTRODUCTION

The Akanksha Foundation is a non-profit organization with a mission to impact the lives of children from low-income communities, enabling them to maximize their potential and change their lives. Akanksha works primarily in the field of education, addressing non-formal education through the Akanksha center and also formal education by initiating school reform.

This idea of the collaboration emerged at a conference organized by Akanksha. In the subsequent meetings with the coordinators computer training evolved as a need. Having the resources and the conviction, we jointly decided to partner in this exchange. Their students have been coming to Orchid school once a week for computer training . This collaboration is in synch with our ideological belief that “all children can learn once they are given the opportunity in an appropriate, productive learning environment.”

We strongly believe that this collaboration is a mutual one, providing all students, our citizens and policy makers of tomorrow rich opportunities to respect, partner and learn from each other.

CORE OBJECTIVES

• Partnering with other educational organizations so as to exchange knowledge, ideas and best practices.
• Extending our resources to the community as per their needs.
• In demonstrating each child’s innate potential and hunger to learn, creating opportunities for each one to respect the other as individuals.
• Providing computer skills, an essential skill today, to the students of Akanksha.
• In providing opportunities for interaction, helping to foster confidence amongst both groups of children
• As adults, sensitizing us and enabling us to extend ourselves with a feeling of equality

BROAD GOALS

• To enable students to operate a computer effectively and efficiently independantly
• To enable the student to operate basic functions on a computer-what it is, parts, software that can be used at their level
• To enable the student to become comfortable with using the key board, ,E mail ,net surfing, basic word, Excel, Power Point,
• To assess at intervals so as to gauge their understanding and plan ahead

EXECUTION

All working Fridays, from 9.45-10.30, around 25 children from Akanksha will be a part of TOS for learning computer skills (in the senior computer lab).

They are accompanied by their teacher, and maushi.

In short, this program has a well thought, pre-planned syllabus with clear well defined learning outcomes. The students will be assessed at regular intervals. It is envisioned as complementing the existing work done by Akanksha. We believe school is a space that is meant to meet the needs of the student population and the community at large. This project is a step in that direction.