Welcome to Parvaaz’s first edition of the newsletter! The first monsoon rains of the season have commenced and project Parvaaz has taken off, in a manner as envisioned. PARVAAZ - signifies the first flight of a bird to explore the world of freedom. This project will serve as a platform for the marginalized youth to take their first flight in pursuit of self identity, freedom and equality. PARVAAZ is an initiative by TIE Foundation for empowerment of minority youth in partnership with IL&FS Clusters, under Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India for comprehensive skills training and development of rural minority

BPL youth.

n September 7, 2010, TIE Foundation & IL&FS Clusters presented their programme on Comprehensive Skills Training for Rural Minority Youth to the Ministry of Rural

Development (MoRD), Government of India. The meeting was attended by Dr. P. C. Joshi (Minister, Union Rural Development & Panchayati Raj), Mr. Salman Khurshid (then Minister, Minority Affairs), Dr. Arvind Mayaram (Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, MoRD), Mr. Vijay Kumar (Joint Secretary, Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna, MoRD), Mr. R.C.M. Reddy (MD, IL&FS Clusters) and Ms. Saleha Waseem (Director, TIE Foundation).

O

From the desk!

Dr. Arvind Mayaram [Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor (AS&FA), MoRD]

“You need to incentivize education, by assuring better paying livelihoods, that can only happen by linking up skills to get assured organized sector jobs. Mainstreaming is most important. Without economic upliftment, education will hold no value for a rural youth.”

Message from Mr. T. Vijay Kumar, Joint Secretary, MoRD (SGSY/NRLM)

The key to growth and development in any society is education. This is even more important among minority communities, who are lagging behind national average literacy attainments. For inclusive growth to happen, it is important for youth among the minority community, to be educated and skilled. It is only then, that they can take advantage of growth in certain sectors of the economy. This specially designed project for skilling and educating Muslim youth who have dropped out of schools fills a very important gap. It is a need based intervention, and I am sure it will be welcomed by the youth and their families. I expect the youth who benefit from this intervention, to be the role models in the community.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

States selected for implementation of the project: Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are the three states that will be covered in the first phase of the project. West Bengal, Assam and Rajasthan will be covered in the second phase of the project. The states have been selected based on the high concentrations of Muslim population districts within them. Further selection of districts and villages has also been done for the first phase. They are: Haryana: Mewat (Nuh, Punhana, Nagina); Uttar Pradesh: Moradabad (Agwanpur, Sherkhan Sarai), JP Nagar (Masoodpur Nawada), Rampur (Ratanpura, Lalpur Kuan), Barabanki (Kursi and Bansa) and Bihar: Kishanganj (Singhia Kulamani, Pothia and Kachadaman), Purnia (Amour) and Araria.

Baseline survey completed: A baseline survey followed by communication needs assessment survey was duly completed by TIE Foundation in all three states of the first phase. A detailed survey report with key findings is being prepared.

Industry Partnerships: IL&FS has established industry partnerships with over 500 organizations covering Service and Manufacturing industry. These partnerships will be crucial in placing students after the foundation course.

Project Documentation: A detailed process document is being built on for Parvaaz. As the project is novel and innovative, a lot of learning will happen along the way. Also, a detailed learning and design document comprising the teaching methodologies and their delivery is continuously being worked upon.

Parvaaz MoU being signed between TIE Foundation and IL&FS Clusters.

May 18, 2011, New Delhi: Parvaaz MoU being signed by the project partners, TIE Foundation and IL&FS Clusters. In the picture: Ms. Saleha Waseem, Director, TIE Foundation and Dr. Raj Dravid, Chief Operating Officer – Skills Development, IL&FS Clusters Development Initiative.

NEWSLETTER VOLUME 1 | JUNE 2011

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has” - Margaret Mead

VOICES – That echoed the need for Parvaaz!

“I am delighted to know about this programme. It’s a ray of hope for me and for my friends in the village.” -Mohd. Noorul Haq, 22 years old

“I am happy to hear about this central govt. project especially made for the minority section. I place my trust on this programme. It will be beneficial for my son if it is implemented positively and honestly. Saab (sir) I hope my village sees a new beginning with Parvaaz.” -Mohd. Noorul Haq’s father, Md. Samshul Haq, 62 years old

“Yes, I know that the situation of Muslim minority is very vile and only some concrete effort could change this situation. I am waiting for you to start study centers and begin full fledged here. This programme can bring a lot of happiness on faces. I can see that happening in the near future.” -Mr. Purusottam Kumar Sinha, BDO, Kishanganj

“Something that appeals me the most about this programme is that along with education, training is also being imparted. This is exactly what is needed in the present day context.” -Md. Munnem, Pradhan, 45 years old

“I think this is a very good effort taken by the central government. Through this programme, awareness about the importance of education will be spread over in the village. As well as multi dimensional growth of children will be assured with skills training.” -Mohd. Ismail, Principal, Singhia High School, Bihar

“My department and I are always with you. For any kind of help regarding resources, please tell us. We will be happy to help our brothers!” -Mr. Umesh Kumar, DDC, Kishanganj

Project Parvaaz has started on a bright note. Support is coming in from the community and the other stakeholders at large. This journey has only just begun. With education and employment, true empowerment will no longer be a distant dream but a reality for all to see.

18 year old Nadeem, works as an artisan labour in a small unit in Kursi, Barabanki, to serve his family. His father died when he was very young and since then, he has been working to support his family. He wants to study and feels the lack of education in his life. He said “Kamayenge nahi toh ghar kaise chalega? (If I don’t earn, how will the household expenses be managed?).” Had he been educated, he feels, he could have done a better job. He says, “Agar padhey likhey hote toh kuch accha kaam kartey (If I was well educated, I could have got a nicer job).”

Abdul Kalam, 19 years, from Kursi, Barabanki is a ninth standard dropout as he lost interest after he failed in the class. He said that teachers never gave good inputs that could keep him encouraged/focused in class. Though he now feels that he made a mistake and now wants to resume studies. He said that lack of opportunity in Kursi repells him. He states in a sad tone, “Yahan karney ke liye kuch hai hi nahi. Badey shehar mein zindagi behtar hai. (There is nothing to do here. Big cities offer better lives).”

Ghazala, 17 year old girl from Samastipur, Bihar says, “I have obtained 72% in class 10, but wish to study further and get a job to support my family and myself. Through this project, I hope my dreams come true!” Her mother is a housemaid in the city. Though money is constant constraint, Ghazala’s mother wants the best career for her daughter. “Khoob padhana chahte hain, apni bitiya ko. (I really want my daughter to study further).”

The first reactions from the community!

Untitled-1 1Untitled-1 1 7/27/2011 3:18:27 PM7/27/2011 3:18:27 PM

“I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning to sail my ship.”

Mudasser Ahmed, Communication Officer, TIE Foundation, Delhi, says, “For me the most interesting instance on the field was when I was in Barabanki, UP. I met a 60 year old man. Though, he had never been to a school, his infectious enthusiasm for learning and life could be compared to a very few, I have seen so far! He had very strong opinions on the necessity and importance of having education in his community. For someone who named his goats ‘Shahrukh & Salman Khan’, strong stance & views on liberal education for girls and boys came as a pleasant surprise for me, when even the educated ones in the village were averse to sending girls for education.”

Community intervention begins at full swing in the first phase of project roll out in Haryana, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The youth is getting inspired….truly!

SNAPSHOTS FROM THE FIELD…!

Induction training and capacity building workshop of state coordinators in

progress at Delhi at the start of the Project Parvaaz at TIE, Delhi office.

Team IL&FS and TIE Foundation at the first fortnightly review meeting,

discussing the project updates and way forward at Niryat Bhawan, New Delhi.

A sneak purview into the internal meetings and capacity building workshops for Parvaaz!

Ramzan Mia, 60 from Masauli, Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh.

Exposure visit

Jun 2011: As suggested by Mr. T. Vijay Kumar, Joint Secretary, SGSY, Ministry of Rural Development; TIE Foundation and IL&FS teams from Delhi, visited M.V. Foundation (MVF), Hyderabad, AP, India. This field visit was undertaken to study its successful and innovative pedagogy for school dropouts and child laborers. The main objectives of the visit included:

i) To acquire understanding of learning needs of young and adult learners ii) To receive deeper insight to challenges of the learners iii) To get a perspective in managing the emotional and motivational challenges of the learner with respect to being mainstreamed into

formal education iv) To study the plausibility of providing some structured interventions by especially pertaining to the youth v) To translate the learning of the visit in developing a robust program for the minorities vi) To adapt best practices in the education space as replicable model for adult learners and school dropouts

The places visited under the exposure visit by the team included, i) MV Foundation, Chandrayangutta Residential Camp for Girl Child ii) Koyothore Bata - Residential camp for Tribal youth in Chinttur iii) RIVER - Rishi Valley Institute for Educational Resources (J Krishnamoorti Foundation), Madenapalli.

(L to R) Ms. Meenu Gulati, Project Head, IL&FS, Mr. A.A.A. Fiazi, Nodal officer from MoRD for Parvaaz, Mr. Zulfkar Ahmad, Project Manager, TIE Foundation with Mr. Zaheeruddin Ali Khan, Managing Editor, Siyasat Newspaper.

The little ones tell their aspirations and share their experiences with the team from IL&FS and TIE Foundation, during their visit to Chandrayangutta Residential Camp for Girl Child, Andhra Pradesh.

Brainstorming session by teams from IL&FS and TIE foundation at Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, during the exposure visit.

Members from TIE Foundation and IL&FS Clusters learning with the children at MV Foundation. The innovative teaching pedagogy, employed through the special bridge courses, was encouraging to put back the students who worked as child labourers, into mainstream government schools, was a major learning for the team.

Mr. Zulfkar Ahmad, Manager, TIE Foundation, and Ms. Meenu Gulati, Project Head, IL&FS Clusters interacting with the children from MV Foundation.

A young girl, concentrates on her lesson from the bridge course taught at MV Foundation which were simple yet very structured in both content and delivery.

Untitled-1 2Untitled-1 2 7/27/2011 3:18:31 PM7/27/2011 3:18:31 PM

“I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning to sail my ship.”

Mudasser Ahmed, Communication Officer, TIE Foundation, Delhi, says, “For me the most interesting instance on the field was when I was in Barabanki, UP. I met a 60 year old man. Though, he had never been to a school, his infectious enthusiasm for learning and life could be compared to a very few, I have seen so far! He had very strong opinions on the necessity and importance of having education in his community. For someone who named his goats ‘Shahrukh & Salman Khan’, strong stance & views on liberal education for girls and boys came as a pleasant surprise for me, when even the educated ones in the village were averse to sending girls for education.”

Community intervention begins at full swing in the first phase of project roll out in Haryana, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The youth is getting inspired….truly!

SNAPSHOTS FROM THE FIELD…!

Induction training and capacity building workshop of state coordinators in

progress at Delhi at the start of the Project Parvaaz at TIE, Delhi office.

Team IL&FS and TIE Foundation at the first fortnightly review meeting,

discussing the project updates and way forward at Niryat Bhawan, New Delhi.

A sneak purview into the internal meetings and capacity building workshops for Parvaaz!

Ramzan Mia, 60 from Masauli, Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh.

Exposure visit

Jun 2011: As suggested by Mr. T. Vijay Kumar, Joint Secretary, SGSY, Ministry of Rural Development; TIE Foundation and IL&FS teams from Delhi, visited M.V. Foundation (MVF), Hyderabad, AP, India. This field visit was undertaken to study its successful and innovative pedagogy for school dropouts and child laborers. The main objectives of the visit included:

i) To acquire understanding of learning needs of young and adult learners ii) To receive deeper insight to challenges of the learners iii) To get a perspective in managing the emotional and motivational challenges of the learner with respect to being mainstreamed into

formal education iv) To study the plausibility of providing some structured interventions by especially pertaining to the youth v) To translate the learning of the visit in developing a robust program for the minorities vi) To adapt best practices in the education space as replicable model for adult learners and school dropouts

The places visited under the exposure visit by the team included, i) MV Foundation, Chandrayangutta Residential Camp for Girl Child ii) Koyothore Bata - Residential camp for Tribal youth in Chinttur iii) RIVER - Rishi Valley Institute for Educational Resources (J Krishnamoorti Foundation), Madenapalli.

(L to R) Ms. Meenu Gulati, Project Head, IL&FS, Mr. A.A.A. Fiazi, Nodal officer from MoRD for Parvaaz, Mr. Zulfkar Ahmad, Project Manager, TIE Foundation with Mr. Zaheeruddin Ali Khan, Managing Editor, Siyasat Newspaper.

The little ones tell their aspirations and share their experiences with the team from IL&FS and TIE Foundation, during their visit to Chandrayangutta Residential Camp for Girl Child, Andhra Pradesh.

Brainstorming session by teams from IL&FS and TIE foundation at Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, during the exposure visit.

Members from TIE Foundation and IL&FS Clusters learning with the children at MV Foundation. The innovative teaching pedagogy, employed through the special bridge courses, was encouraging to put back the students who worked as child labourers, into mainstream government schools, was a major learning for the team.

Mr. Zulfkar Ahmad, Manager, TIE Foundation, and Ms. Meenu Gulati, Project Head, IL&FS Clusters interacting with the children from MV Foundation.

A young girl, concentrates on her lesson from the bridge course taught at MV Foundation which were simple yet very structured in both content and delivery.

Untitled-1 2Untitled-1 2 7/27/2011 3:18:31 PM7/27/2011 3:18:31 PM

Welcome to Parvaaz’s first edition of the newsletter! The first monsoon rains of the season have commenced and project Parvaaz has taken off, in a manner as envisioned. PARVAAZ - signifies the first flight of a bird to explore the world of freedom. This project will serve as a platform for the marginalized youth to take their first flight in pursuit of self identity, freedom and equality. PARVAAZ is an initiative by TIE Foundation for empowerment of minority youth in partnership with IL&FS Clusters, under Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India for comprehensive skills training and development of rural minority

BPL youth.

n September 7, 2010, TIE Foundation & IL&FS Clusters presented their programme on Comprehensive Skills Training for Rural Minority Youth to the Ministry of Rural

Development (MoRD), Government of India. The meeting was attended by Dr. P. C. Joshi (Minister, Union Rural Development & Panchayati Raj), Mr. Salman Khurshid (then Minister, Minority Affairs), Dr. Arvind Mayaram (Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, MoRD), Mr. Vijay Kumar (Joint Secretary, Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna, MoRD), Mr. R.C.M. Reddy (MD, IL&FS Clusters) and Ms. Saleha Waseem (Director, TIE Foundation).

O

From the desk!

Dr. Arvind Mayaram [Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor (AS&FA), MoRD]

“You need to incentivize education, by assuring better paying livelihoods, that can only happen by linking up skills to get assured organized sector jobs. Mainstreaming is most important. Without economic upliftment, education will hold no value for a rural youth.”

Message from Mr. T. Vijay Kumar, Joint Secretary, MoRD (SGSY/NRLM)

The key to growth and development in any society is education. This is even more important among minority communities, who are lagging behind national average literacy attainments. For inclusive growth to happen, it is important for youth among the minority community, to be educated and skilled. It is only then, that they can take advantage of growth in certain sectors of the economy. This specially designed project for skilling and educating Muslim youth who have dropped out of schools fills a very important gap. It is a need based intervention, and I am sure it will be welcomed by the youth and their families. I expect the youth who benefit from this intervention, to be the role models in the community.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

States selected for implementation of the project: Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are the three states that will be covered in the first phase of the project. West Bengal, Assam and Rajasthan will be covered in the second phase of the project. The states have been selected based on the high concentrations of Muslim population districts within them. Further selection of districts and villages has also been done for the first phase. They are: Haryana: Mewat (Nuh, Punhana, Nagina); Uttar Pradesh: Moradabad (Agwanpur, Sherkhan Sarai), JP Nagar (Masoodpur Nawada), Rampur (Ratanpura, Lalpur Kuan), Barabanki (Kursi and Bansa) and Bihar: Kishanganj (Singhia Kulamani, Pothia and Kachadaman), Purnia (Amour) and Araria.

Baseline survey completed: A baseline survey followed by communication needs assessment survey was duly completed by TIE Foundation in all three states of the first phase. A detailed survey report with key findings is being prepared.

Industry Partnerships: IL&FS has established industry partnerships with over 500 organizations covering Service and Manufacturing industry. These partnerships will be crucial in placing students after the foundation course.

Project Documentation: A detailed process document is being built on for Parvaaz. As the project is novel and innovative, a lot of learning will happen along the way. Also, a detailed learning and design document comprising the teaching methodologies and their delivery is continuously being worked upon.

Parvaaz MoU being signed between TIE Foundation and IL&FS Clusters.

May 18, 2011, New Delhi: Parvaaz MoU being signed by the project partners, TIE Foundation and IL&FS Clusters. In the picture: Ms. Saleha Waseem, Director, TIE Foundation and Dr. Raj Dravid, Chief Operating Officer – Skills Development, IL&FS Clusters Development Initiative.

NEWSLETTER VOLUME 1 | JUNE 2011

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has” - Margaret Mead

VOICES – That echoed the need for Parvaaz!

“I am delighted to know about this programme. It’s a ray of hope for me and for my friends in the village.” -Mohd. Noorul Haq, 22 years old

“I am happy to hear about this central govt. project especially made for the minority section. I place my trust on this programme. It will be beneficial for my son if it is implemented positively and honestly. Saab (sir) I hope my village sees a new beginning with Parvaaz.” -Mohd. Noorul Haq’s father, Md. Samshul Haq, 62 years old

“Yes, I know that the situation of Muslim minority is very vile and only some concrete effort could change this situation. I am waiting for you to start study centers and begin full fledged here. This programme can bring a lot of happiness on faces. I can see that happening in the near future.” -Mr. Purusottam Kumar Sinha, BDO, Kishanganj

“Something that appeals me the most about this programme is that along with education, training is also being imparted. This is exactly what is needed in the present day context.” -Md. Munnem, Pradhan, 45 years old

“I think this is a very good effort taken by the central government. Through this programme, awareness about the importance of education will be spread over in the village. As well as multi dimensional growth of children will be assured with skills training.” -Mohd. Ismail, Principal, Singhia High School, Bihar

“My department and I are always with you. For any kind of help regarding resources, please tell us. We will be happy to help our brothers!” -Mr. Umesh Kumar, DDC, Kishanganj

Project Parvaaz has started on a bright note. Support is coming in from the community and the other stakeholders at large. This journey has only just begun. With education and employment, true empowerment will no longer be a distant dream but a reality for all to see.

18 year old Nadeem, works as an artisan labour in a small unit in Kursi, Barabanki, to serve his family. His father died when he was very young and since then, he has been working to support his family. He wants to study and feels the lack of education in his life. He said “Kamayenge nahi toh ghar kaise chalega? (If I don’t earn, how will the household expenses be managed?).” Had he been educated, he feels, he could have done a better job. He says, “Agar padhey likhey hote toh kuch accha kaam kartey (If I was well educated, I could have got a nicer job).”

Abdul Kalam, 19 years, from Kursi, Barabanki is a ninth standard dropout as he lost interest after he failed in the class. He said that teachers never gave good inputs that could keep him encouraged/focused in class. Though he now feels that he made a mistake and now wants to resume studies. He said that lack of opportunity in Kursi repells him. He states in a sad tone, “Yahan karney ke liye kuch hai hi nahi. Badey shehar mein zindagi behtar hai. (There is nothing to do here. Big cities offer better lives).”

Ghazala, 17 year old girl from Samastipur, Bihar says, “I have obtained 72% in class 10, but wish to study further and get a job to support my family and myself. Through this project, I hope my dreams come true!” Her mother is a housemaid in the city. Though money is constant constraint, Ghazala’s mother wants the best career for her daughter. “Khoob padhana chahte hain, apni bitiya ko. (I really want my daughter to study further).”

The first reactions from the community!

Untitled-1 1Untitled-1 1 7/27/2011 3:18:27 PM7/27/2011 3:18:27 PM