Colors of Life
About You
Section 1: About You
First Name
Anand
Last Name
Koti
Website URL
Country
India
Section 2: About Your Organization
Organization Name
Colorss Foundation
Organization Website
Organization Phone
+91 960 494 1020
Organization Address
E/68 Jyoti Park, B/h Navrachna School, Sama, Baroda -8,Gujarat,INDIA
Organization Country
India
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
Your idea
Name Your Project
Colors of Life
Country your work focuses on
India
Describe Your Idea
Innovation
What makes your idea unique?
Colors of Life is unique because it will use the notion that technology can be used for positive ends towards keeping children interested in education and staying in school. We will teach the children how to use computer programs, develop and produce the content for an e-magazine, and develop leadership skills and understand the importance of education and investing in their futures. The children who are taking part in this program are disabled or impoverished children who are at great risk for dropping out of school, both because of their own lack of interest and their parents’ ideas about the importance of education. By showing them that education can be useful and can help children to develop the necessary skills to be productive members of society, Colors of Life will keep children interested in school and will make them excited about learning, as well as developing and exploring their innate talents.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What impact have you had?
Colors of Life is only starting with its first class, but we have had good success so far. The project starts at the new office space at Sai Baba Seva Dham center, and have assembled a class of interested students from the municipal schools and the villages. We are working on obtaining equipment from the One Laptop Per Child program and are seeking other partners and other help for making this great plan a reality. We have high hopes for the progress of this first class, and we anticipate possibly starting other classes in the future.
Problem
We are mainly addressing the problem of children, especially disabled and poor children, dropping out of school. A very high percentage of children in India leave school before the end of their education. This percentage is even higher among those who are poor, e.g. students in the municipal schools, and the highest among children who are disabled. Children leave school generally because they think they aren’t getting anything out of it, and often their parents agree and remove children from school.
Actions
We have obtained office space and have found several children to form our first class. The team of educationist, psychologist and vocational trainer are ready. Technical team comprising of graphic designer are also with us. We are now looking for the necessary equipment and partners who can help us to take the next steps. Soon the classes will start, the children will begin to develop the e-magazine and learn valuable skills and more importantly valuable lessons about themselves and each other.
Results
Here we are working directly on the holistic development of the child with the help of technology as a medium to motivate the child. Few of the notable changes can be seen in the areas like:
the personality development of the child. Improved communication skills, writing skills, team building and leadership qualities. Inclusion is easier as the team comprises of disabled members, improved community strength, team-building and team-spirit capabilities. And many psychological areas are strengthened which will reduce school dropouts, motivate the child to study, the parents would understand the power and importance of education.
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
This is a very simple project henceforth I am not breaking it each year
10 children every 3 months = 40 children at the end of one year
120 children at the end of three years
We are going to start with 10 children at one time. Preferably in the age group of 9-15 years. Couple of disabled children will also be the part of the project. This will help in making inclusion easier. We are creating a platform to the children to voice out their thoughts and emotions.
These children will be exposed to basic computer education: They would be taught English or their English would be further polished. This is essential so that they can be trained to face the competition. Different social and personality development topics would be taught in the project. We are focusing on the holistic improvement of a child. The ideas and thoughts of a child are always unique, it needs to be groomed and nurtured properly.
Personality development trainer will frequently conduct workshop for them. These workshops would be at a frequent level so that the training programs are absorbed by the children. Exposing to different educational programs will enhance his/her knowledge and give him/her an opportunity to understand life.
Based on the inputs from psychologists the contents would be designed.. They have their freedom to work on it and be as creative as possible.
Every 3 months when new 10 children are added. The role play of the previous 10 children will start being functional i.e.
• Leadership quality starts showing up
• Community strength
• Sense of care and affection
• Finding different ways to teach and deal with problems
• Inclusion is easier as they interact with children with disability
• Sense of responsibility
This activity promotes a lot of psychological boost.
What would prevent your project from being a success?
The only real threat to our project is the inability to obtain the necessary funds and support, but so far we have been so successful in getting support (office space, children to form the class, etc.) that we are confident that our project will succeed and will achieve its much-needed results.
How many people will your project serve annually?
101‐1000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
$50 - 100
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
Yes
Sustainability
What stage is your project in?
Operating for less than a year
In what country?
India
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
Yes
If yes, provide organization name.
Colorss Foundation
How long has this organization been operating?
1‐5 years
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
No
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
Sai Baba Seva Dham provided us with the much required space to make this project in reality. This partnership is like a backbone to ‘Colors of Life’. The support has been outstanding which has been a very motivating factor for us.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
We are working on to have an appropriate fundraising model that suits our organization. We have to redesign the concept of ‘funds or fundraising’. Everyone should know that we are professional and dedicated people trying to bring in social change. Without proper funding and partnership it becomes difficult to move ahead.
Our core strength is the team members and employees. At regular interval they need to be trained, induced in workshop and enhance their skills. We have to update their skills so that we get the maximum output from the projects. The new generation realizes the importance of social change projects and henceforth is learning the required skills to be in this industry. A change has started. The donors, CSR, corporate management and government should also take this fact into consideration. Transparency of the non-for-profit organization has increased, youths are leading these organization.
Along with these two important actions the third is having a self-sustaining model. After three years of a project it should become self-sustained. The participants of the project need to be independent and enjoy financially secured life. This is what I would term as a real justice to our social change projects. Our participants would talk about the change, the society would witness the change and the world would see it.
The Story
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
To begin with, the school dropout rate throughout India has decreased over the past several decades, but remains unacceptably high. The majority of children, boys and girls, will have dropped out of school by the end of eighth grade. Disabled children and children from scheduled tribes and
scheduled castes have even higher dropout rates.
To understand this troubling situation, we need to consider why the dropout rates are so high. Children usually leave school for financial reasons: sometimes they cannot afford supplies or fees, but more often than not children are leaving school because their parents need the children for something else—caring for younger siblings, or providing income from work outside of the home. The all-too-common view of children as an economic resource remains in place in much of India, and many parents feel that keeping their children in school is not a good investment. We are convinced that the best short-term solution to this problem lies in demonstrating that school is a good investment—in other words, by making education relevant to children and their parents. The dropout problem is certainly daunting, but Colorss of Life has the potential to start solving this problem.
We have determined that there is a great need for a project that will provide marginalized children—i.e., poor and/or disabled—with important skills and the confidence to put these skills to use. By enhancing their confidence and abilities, we hope to stem the alarmingly high dropout rates among children at the municipal schools; to prepare them for meaningful careers which would allow them to contribute to society in their adult lives; and to reverse the often negative effects of media on children by showing these children how media can help them to better themselves.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
Anand Koti The creator of this project is a man with a 2nd Dan Black Belt in karate; he formalized the Project Enhance work by registering, in India, the Colorss Foundation, which works towards the mainstream integration of the marginalised population through psychological, social, and professional training and rehabilitation. Through the broad spectrum of its goal, the foundation handles various disability issues involving physical and mental handicap.
Anand Koti has been teaching, assisting, and caring for special needs children for more than four years. He has also been providing vocational training, teaching basic life skills, and working to rehabilitate those suffering from chemical dependencies. Anand also has significant experience in HIV/AIDS care and support, including his work with affected and infected children and women, and his efforts to organize job training for those afflicted with the virus.
He has been very innovative and uses sub-conscious teaching methods. He works on the holistic development of the participant and ensures that he/she should be self-independent.
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Email from Changemakers
If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company
 | 136 weeks agoAnand Koti updated this Competition Entry. |
| 136 weeks agoAnand Koti submitted this idea. |
