Muskaan

1. Muskaan Deb Kukreja & GarimaBangard September 5, 2012

3. Mission • Muskaan’s Mission • “Promotion of education that is enabling and liberating for the individual and historically marginalized social groups. We believe that education cannot be seen as an isolated package of skills, and is very much linked with a sense of positive self-esteem, a faith in the freedom to explore oneself. This mandates a basic living standard of physical conditions for people.”

4. History • In 1997, Muskaan started out as an effort to provide meaningful education to 20 children from deprived backgrounds in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Muskaan officially registered with the government nine months later in December of 1998. 20 children initially partook in the educational programs; now more than 500 children and their families work with Muskaan! Daily interactions with children and constant exposure to the hardships of the slum community at the onset of their work convinced Muskaan to start community and health care initiatives for families of the children living in the slum areas of Bhopal.

5. Bhopal, India • (Urban) Location

6. Organizational Structure & Activities

7. Educational Programs • 28 Teachers: • 5 – part-time & 1 full-time balwadi teachers              • 8 – full-time teachers at Muskaan’s teaching center      • 10 –full-time teachers involved in improving the government school system    • 3 – camp team members Organization Structure

8. Community Programs • 7 Staff: • 1—Director (ShivaniTineja) • 1 – office assistant   & 1 accountant • 1 – Income Generation (Jitendra) • 2 – Health Workers (Seema & her assistant, Anjali) • 1 – Savings Groups (Preema) • 3 – Health (with government agencies and near slums) + 5 community health workers (women from slums) • 1 – cook in the centre and 1 in the camp     Organization Structure

9. Muskaan • Education Program • JeevanShishkaPahel (a total of 10 tuition centers spread across the slums with ~300 children: 1-5 grades) • Balwadis (7 preschools) • Residential Camps • Government School Strengthening Program Activities

10. Asha Seattle has been funding Muskaan since October 2005 (we are funding an overall of 14% of Muskaan’s total budget) • Asha Stanford is funding some of the residential camps (since 2010) • Asha Frankfurt is partially funding the baldwadis (since 2010: 3000 euros thus far. Funding the early education for the 3-5 year olds) AshaInvolvement

11. Asha, Seattle Involvement • Balwadis • 7 centers with 168 children • Ages 2.5 – 6 • 3 hours a day • Language, cognitive, social, and physical development, hand control on writing & creativity, games, storytelling, reciting poems

12. Asha, Seattle Involvement • JeevanShikshaPahel • 10 centers with 324 children • 1st – 5th standards • Adolescents • Separate center for adolescents: 23 children (14 boys & 9 girls) • For National Open Exams: • In 12th Standard: 5 girls, 1 boy • 10th Standard: ~ 5 boys, 2 girls

13. Asha, Seattle Involvement • Adolescents Continued… • Separate center for adolescents: 23 children (14 boys & 9 girls) • Meeting adolescents in the bastis to discuss: violence, personality, & other issues related to this age group • Involved in ongoing Muskaan tasks • Writing meeting minutes for workshops, conducting activities with camp children, participating in research studies • One boy, Ritesh, has taken is upon himself to clean up and ensure limited consumption of alcohol in one of the bastis

14. Asha, Seattle Involvement • )

15. Asha, Seattle Involvement • Government Schools • Muskaan works in 35 government schools • Trying to improve the quality of education • Trying to show teachers that teaching is possible without physical punishment • Increase knowledge of practical learning for children

16. Asha, Seattle Involvement • “Mr. ArunPandey, the headmaster of Barkhedi Kala School complained that the children with whom we are working are not able to solve the mathematics of 5th standard. When the maths questions were asked by the Muskaan teacher, students answered them correctly. The reason why children didn’t reply to the principal was that he was focusing on the traditional and difficult methods. In Government schools, teachers want students to cram and focus on the theory part, but we believe in practicing that theory through a simple approach. The pressure of exam and the fear of teacher create problems for the • children.”

17. Asha, Seattle Involvement Residential Camps Children who do not regularly attend school come to the residential camps. Most of these children earn money for their families, so it is difficult for them to find the time to attend JeevanShiksha Patel. In 2012, camp was held for 3 months: June-August. (This is the 3rd residential camp.) The camp was held at Ratibad High School. 36 children regularly attended Of the three camps over the last several years, Muskaan has reached 93 children. 24 joined have regularly joined Muskaan’s teaching centers

18. Asha, Seattle Involvement Residential Camps Continued Clay making, puppetry, creative use of waste material, yoga, meditation, exercise

19. Asha, Seattle Involvement • Workshops • Women • Cover Right to Education Act • Caste Certificate Issues of Constitution, Law • Government • Motivate women to try and get ration cards, deal with water-clogging issues, etc. • During basti meetings, cover discussions on hygiene, food, savings, immunizations for children, etc.

20. Asha, Seattle Involvement • Workshops • Children • Scrap-picking • Reviewing Information about Muskaan’s program • Wenlindo workshop for adolescent girls for self-defense and handling teasing • Identity and gender issues

21. Asha, Seattle Involvement • Library • Gautam Nagar Basti has a library. The library is run by kids The books are supplied by Muskaan. The kids who know how to read, read the books among the other kids. Children feel very proud when reading books infront of the parents. • Basti Meetings • Include discussions with parents on hygiene and health, irregularity and absenteeism of children in school, and drug-use.

22. Asha, Seattle Involvement • Muskaan performs a base-line assessment several times of year for children with learning challenges. • Base-line assessment in July • December & March assessments • Muskaan teachers work with children 2 hours each school day. The children are with their class the remainder of the time.

23. Give an overall picture of the finances of the organization. At the minimum include the following information. • Annual expenditures- Rs 56,09,982 • Annual income- Rs 58,34,959 • Sources of income-Individual donations, grants, interest income form Bank deposits, consultancy income, sale of books and education aids • Net Income- 224,977 • Who are the biggest donors? Mostly individual donations • Other non-profits who support the partner-NavajBaiRatan Tata Trust, AshaFrankfurt support Balwadi programs and Stanford also support residential camps • Savings in Bank-Rs 23,23,538 Finances

26. Muskaan Land In Nov 2010 Muskaan bought the land to have a permanent place of work. Funds were raised through individual donations, earnings of Muskaan through consultancy, interest on Corpus funds deposits in bank and from a house that was purchased in 2008 and appreciated in value and was sold in 2012. Some individual donations from US are routed through Asha Seattle in order to make use of matching contribution and tax benefits. Here’s the poll that was created to approve the routing of donor specific funds for the land & building program from Asha. It has the link for the Land and Building budget as well http://www.ashanet.org/projects-new/documents/267/Muskaan_ApprovalPoll_DonationsForLand.JPG

28. Process Checks

29. November 2011 by Sonal Gupta of Stanford Site Visit Report from Asha Stanford