Naandi was set up in 1998 at the behest of Chandrababu Naidu, the then chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. He asked business houses to set up a trust that would work as a funding agency and attract funds from nris which could then be channelled into development of rural areas. Very little funds actually trickled in from overseas. But thanks to generous indigenous donors, Naandi survived.
It now works closely with the government in many projects. Take education for instance—rather than setting up new institutions, the foundation works with existing government schools. "We prefer to complement the government’s work. State-run schools today cater only to those who cannot afford expensive schooling. Our objective is a total makeover of these schools," says Manoj Kumar, CEO, Naandi Foundation. A developmental economist, he says this involves planning by professionals—not just ideologically driven individuals.
Naandi’s intervention in government schools is multi-pronged. It includes honing learning skills of students, providing textbooks and building libraries. It also trains and motivates teachers and builds infrastructure. The foundation is now working with some 1,500 schools across Andhra Pradesh.
Over the years, Naandi has ensured a surge in enrolment in state-run schools. But it is up against high dropout levels owing to the poor quality of education at large. "Most parents are convinced their children should get education but children are the first to realise they’re wasting time in the government schools. Our objective is to ensure children stay in school and actually get the benefit of education," says Kumar.
Given that government school students can exhibit a proficiency gap in even the basics due to lack of focused attention, Naandi organised 50 reading and writing camps during the summer vacations this year, covering over 3,000 kids. At the end of the 40-day workshop, at least 80 per cent of the children were able to read and write with fluency, claims Kumar.
Vidyawathi, the headmistress of the upper primary school for boys in Hyderabad’s Sabzimandi, says there was suddenly a perceivable enthusiasm among the students, especially the ones who would have otherwise dropped out. "Both students and parents were involved in the camp and today attendance levels in classes have significantly improved," she says.
Naandi is also trying to sensitise corporates and civil society about their responsibilities towards improving the quality of education in these schools. It holds presentations to convince people to adopt some of the schools and play a participatory and observatory role as well. "We want people to come and see the mess. For most, ‘my school’ means either their alma mater or their children’s school. They are ignorant about the local government school or the state it is in," says Kumar.
Naandi’s Support Our Schools programme is backed by another one called the Power 10 where people are asked to make donations in multiples of Rs 10. It raises funds through corporate and individual donations. In the first four years, it spent Rs 314.14 lakh in education initiatives. This includes Rs 276.25 lakh on mid-day meal programmes for all 880 state-run schools in Hyderabad. Given its success, Naandi has been invited to run similar projects in Bihar and MP.
You can contact Naandi at: 502, Trendset Towers, Road #2, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad—500 034. Tel: 040-23556491/92 email info@naandi.net
