Azad India Foundation

Supported by the Nalanda Charitable Foundation, Azad India Foundation is actively running 50 Child Learning Centers, catering to the pre-primary and primary levels, strategically located in chosen villages within the Thakurganj block. In the academic year 2022-23, 3804 children successfully completed Class I, II, and III. Out of these achievers, 974 children were seamlessly enrolled into government schools at the Class IV level. Since the project's inception in 2016 until March 2023, a total of 7017 children have graduated from these learning centers and are now pursuing their education in mainstream schools. An additional activity by AIF involves establishing mini libraries within all 50 learning centers. The core aim of this program centers around ensuring that every child establishes a solid foundation in learning by the time they reach Class III. AIF has adopted the Gyanshala model, which hinges on utilizing workbooks and activity sheets for effective learning. These worksheets are built upon subject-specific narratives and inquiries, designed to be comprehensible for young children. Teachers are furnished with comprehensive teaching manuals tailored to their daily routines. Incorporating engaging methodologies, such as storytelling, songs, poems, and interactive activities, is integral to making the learning process captivating for the children.

Azad India Foundation, in collaboration with IIMPACT, operates educational centers across 20 villages within the Thakurganj block, aimed at empowering girls. The primary objective of this initiative is to provide foundational education to girls and subsequently integrate them into formal educational institutions. During the 2022-23 academic year, a notable achievement was recorded, as 600 girls successfully transitioned into government schools. Among these, 240 girls entered Class VI, 255 girls advanced to Class VII, 60 girls joined Class VIII, and 25 girls became part of Class IX. Additionally, approximately 20 alumni girls from the program sat for the Class X examinations and achieved remarkable success.

Azad India Foundation, in collaboration with Sud Chemie India Pvt. Ltd. based in New Delhi, is actively engaged in the running of Child-Learning Centers within 18 carefully selected villages across the Baisi and Dagarwa blocks of Purnia district. During the academic year 2022-23, with an emphasis on foundational literacy and numeracy, a total of 755 children benefitted from this initiative. Among them, 497 children successfully completed Class I, 205 children progressed to Class II, and 53 children achieved proficiency in Class III. It is noteworthy that all 755 children were seamlessly transitioned into government schools spanning Class II to IV.

With the support of the Malala Fund, Azad India Foundation initiated a comprehensive program to promote girls' education across three distinct blocks: Kochadaman, Bahadurganj, and Dighalbank in the second phase of the project. Through this initiative, AIF undertook the vital tasks of mobilizing, educating, and integrating 1274 out-of-school or never-before-schooled girls, with the support of community. The Foundation set up 86 groups, encompassing 978 girls, within which sessions centered around life skills and reproductive health were thoughtfully organized. This program extended its impact by engaging closely with community members, religious leaders, Vidyalaya Shiksha Samities (VSS), and government schoolteachers operating within the intervention areas. This collaborative approach played an integral role in fostering a conducive educational environment and promoting the participation of girls in their educational journey.

Azad India Foundation believes that educating women sparks transformation. When women learn, they become powerful forces for positive change in their families and communities. To achieve this, we continued our women's literacy program in 06 villages across Purnia and Kishanganj Districts, reaching 180 women.
This program is all about empowering rural women through education, helping them lead, manage, and create positive changes in their communities. AIF formed 30 Self-Help Groups in these villages, where 120 women came together to learn and save money. These groups are also part of the Jeevika program by the Government of Bihar, which offers small business loans. AIF taught these women how to use mobile phones, read calendars, and fill out bank forms. Our team held meetings to explain government schemes and provided information on the necessary documents for applications.

The objective of the livelihood support program is to reduce poverty and inequality by generating employment among poor households and by moving highly vulnerable families into sustainable livelihoods and toward economic stability.Azad India Foundation set up small stitching cum tailoring centres in different blocks where girls and women are learning skills in basic cutting and stitching batch wise. These stitching centres provide skills training and a viable living for women. 40 women are self-employed after completing the training program.

Azad India Foundation has been assisting women from the marginalized and poor social backgrounds in optimising their livestock resources and taking goat rearing as a potential livelihood activity. Under this program AIF focus has been on the induction of new animals and training of women in better housing and veterinary care, especially against certain well-known killer diseases like PPR. The rearing of goats has been an important economic activity allied to agriculture in generating additional income to women. In this regard AIF has given goats to 25 women from Dighalbank, Thakurganj and Kochadaman blocks and also conducted training for them.