Top NGOs Harnessing the Power of Technology and Providing Education to Kids in Rural Areas

From vans enabling teachers in local communities with the right tools to taking classrooms to the doorsteps of the underprivileged, technology holds great promise in helping NGOs use their limited resources effectively. It has the potential to help NGOs reach more people and create a greater impact.

Here’s a list of NGOs across India that are harnessing the power of technology to bring about widespread sustainable impact on our educators and students.

Agastya International Foundation

Based in Bangalore, Agastya International Foundation is an NGO that seeks to stimulate the creative thinking potential of rural children in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh with an emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.

Over the years, Agastya has established a network of science centers, making it easier for more children to access education. However, for many children living in rural villages, commuting to – centers is largely difficult. This is why Agastya decided to take education to the doorstep of these less fortunate children.

Agastya launched iMobile labs, small vans that are set up to carry laptops that are equipped with Lab on Tab, a unique multi-sensory learning method containing digitized content for students from class 6 to 9. In this program, youth from the local community are trained to be teachers – thus creating job opportunities and helping the local communities grow.

So far, the program has reached 15 million students and 2,50,000 teachers.

TechnoServe

Working across 30 countries, TechnoServe is an NGO that aims to alleviate poverty through business solutions such as linking people to information, capital and markets. It provides individuals with the knowledge, skills and tools needed to lift themselves out of poverty.

The NGOs projects focus on skill development, local economic development, water and natural resource development and women empowerment. As a part of their initiatives, TechnoServe is empowering women in technology by providing technical skill training to female students from marginalized communities studying in colleges in Mumbai.

To help students build a career in the IT sector they will be trained in the IT/ITES and BFSI along with other soft skills. Post this training, 75% of the students get a confirmed placement and certification.

Medha

Started in 2011, Medha provides skill training, career counseling and job placement to students at their existing educational institution. Lenovo supported Medha by establishing Career Service Centers at government and government-aided educational institutions. These centers connect students from disadvantaged backgrounds to internships and placement opportunities.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Medha has been providing digital access to students by lending devices to complete their internships and to access other training modules.

Door Step School

The Society for Door Step Schools, also known as Door Step School or DSS, was established in Mumbai to provide education to the marginalized sections of society. DSS provides education and support to children of pavement dwellers, slum dwellers, construction site families and other underprivileged sections of society.

DSS has helped teachers to use digitized content, prepare lessons that can be taught over phones and tablets. Additionally, DSS trains teachers to use mediums such as Zoom and Google Meet to conduct online classes. Since the closure of schools due to the pandemic, this initiative has helped teachers reach over 1,140 young students.