Kanavu

Supported by: Wipro

About Kanavu

Kanavu (meaning ‘dreams’ in Tamil) dreams of an India where circumstance does not dictate destiny. Kanavu envisions quality education (one that caters to the growth of head, heart and hand) for children from the backward districts of rural India. Currently, we realize this dream by bridging the skill and opportunity gap across all the key stakeholders.

Through 5 schools, Kanavu works with 55 teachers and 5 school leaders serving 1300 children in rural Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu. As a rural and nationally recognized backward district that has faced the wrath of tsunami and subsequent natural disasters, Cuddalore battles complex issues of systemic poverty and injustice. Earning on average, INR 4500 (USD 63.34) per month, teachers battle poverty, inability to access learning opportunities and a dearth of opportunities. 2% of teachers we work with passed the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) in 2019-20 – one of the many indicators pointing to the need to work with teachers.

Schools are unable to deliver quality education, considering the literacy and knowledge gap in teachers is so high. In rural India, opportunities to bridge a teacher’s literacy, knowledge and skill gap are few. This scenario increases in complexity in Affordable Private Schools (APS), as schools do not invest in teacher training. With a significant move in student enrollment towards APS nationally, this is a problem worth solving.

COVID 19 and its Impact on Kanavu

COVID has significantly affected all the communities we work with. With sudden loss of livelihoods, families were struggling to earn enough to afford the next meal. There was a lot of misinformation and widespread fear. There was a lot of uncertainty and changing needs in our communities.

With schools being shut, we needed a quick change in our program delivery. After speaking to teachers, HMs, parents, and students, we designed Kathir (means ‘ray’ in Tamil), our online learning program to support all our students from KG till 10^th.

Plan for the next 1-3 years

Focus for the next year is going to be primarily to kick-start schools in a safe and meaningful manner. To help children, teachers, HMs, and parents tide over the pandemic and to build what authentically feels like a new normal. We see ourselves supporting communities with pioneering efforts in Early Childhood education in this region. Kanavu will stabilize and spread its impact systematically over the next three years.