Asha for Education

Project Brief: ETASHA is a non-profit founded in 2006 with the aim to make youth from under-served communities employable and to connect them with reputable companies in the organized sector.
Project Type: Vocational Training (description)
Primary Focus: vocational training (description)

Secondary Focus: other

Area: Tribal
Supporting Chapter Contact:
San Francisco

Status: CURRENT
Project Steward: Ramya Narasimha
Co-Steward: Sindhu Kashyap
Project Partner(s): Meenakshi Nayar
Project Address: Etasha Society - Prerna
E 48 Greater Kailash Enclave II
N/A
New Delhi, Delhi 110048
Tel: 91 11 0 29221320
Stewarding Chapter: San Francisco

Project Prerna

"Project Perna" is Etasha's vocational and employability skills training program serving youth from impoverished colonies in New Delhi, India. It teaches relevant employability skills and training to the youth to ultimately get them sustainable and respectable employment in the private sector. Its curriculum encompasses spoken English, computer skills, inter and intra personal skills, social confidence, world of work, and selling & customer service skills. They adopt practical, experiential, hands-on training methods in their programs such as taking students for site visits to companies, shopping malls, and restaurants, encouraging them to explore what professions they would like to pursue. In the last two weeks of the program, Etasha's placement team works closely with the students to create their resumes, prepare them for job interviews and connect them with several corporations. Etasha's useful connections with important companies greatly facilitate the ability to find the most appropriate jobs for students.


Project Shruti
(Asha-wide Quality of Education 2011 initiative)

In addition, Etasha was also chosen for Asha-wide's QED initiative in 2011 through which they will be using the funds (~$2,400) to provide digital lesson plans for Spoken English to supplement the traditional classroom lectures. This will be achieved by providing MP3 players to students containing the digital lesson plans. The purpose is two-fold - 1) to improve student engagement, 2) to boost morale and provide students with an independent outlet to study that protects that from any discouraging or critical family interference. This idea came from collaborative discussions between Asha SF, Etasha's staff and the students themselves who shared with us their problem - at their homes, they do not receive much support from their families who want to watch TV in Hindi, and also do not always encourage doing homework. Etasha came up with this solution of MP3 players so that students can be independent, and can also find the subject more interesting when listening to lessons instead of just reading from a book.