“We want that education by which character is formed, strength of
mind is increased, the intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one’s own feet.”
—Swami Vivekananda
Distinctives Summary
Within this website we have provided a vast amount of evidence which attests to the quality and impact of our work, attests to the quality of our leadership, and attests to the depth and quality of our financial management and documentation. We believe that this blending of attributes makes Hope Academy a very appealing and safe environment for consideration for CSR and Foundations grants.
Educational Benefit Distinctives
But Hope Academy provides added attributes as well…a combination of facets to our work that greatly widens the impact of CSR and Foundation funding. These facets relate first to the uniqueness of Hope Academy’s approach to providing diverse educational programs for all the children whom we serve. Core areas that Hope Academy nurtures include the following:
Artistic and Musical Expression
Collaboration
Communication
Creativity
Critical Thinking
Curiosity
Environmental Literacy
Inclusive Education
Physical Development
Socialization
Spiritual Growth
Artistic and Musical Expression
The ability to freely express ones creativity using a variety of art mediums promotes strong emotional and psychological development. Learning to play music boosts self-confidence and enhances reading skills.
Collaboration
Students are taught the skills to successfully work together with learning partners.
Working together to solve real-life problems develops students’ critical thinking and communication skills. They come to understand the value of teamwork by sharing their ideas, getting feedback, and experiencing the great satisfaction that comes from their team’s success.
Communication
To prepare Hope Academy students for meaningful and productive careers, they are challenged to articulate their learning to multiple audiences.
When such articulation is coupled with project-based learning—the opportunity to dream, to plan, to build, and to present a finished project—students are instilled with confidence and are better prepared for success within higher education and work environments.
Creativity
Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve. Hope Academy is building a learning environment in which students can be innovative thinkers, learners and makers as they prepare for the future.
Increasing access to quality hands-on STEM education is inspiring interest in—and developing increased aptitude toward—science and math. We have contracted with a non-profit to supply Lab-in-a-Box experiments, as well as professional development for science teachers.
Critical Thinking
Students consistently exceed basic recall tasks in Hope Academy’s unique learning environment. To prepare students for today’s competitive world, they are exposed to deeper understanding and higher levels of thinking.
Stanford Mobile Inquiry-based Learning Environment (SMILE) is educational technology that engages students in inquiry, critical reasoning and problem solving. SMILE is designed to push for higher-order learning skills, which include applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating.
Curiosity
We strive to inspire students to be thinkers, researchers, and reflectors. We prepare our students to be life-long learners.
For example, each Hope Academy student Std IV and above has their own “Foldscope” with which to independently explore their own ”microcosmos.”
NOTE: Foldscope is the ultra-affordable, paper microscope developed at Stanford University. It is extremely portable, durable, and provides optical quality similar to conventional research microscopes (magnification of 140X and 2 micron resolution).
(SEE: www.foldscope.com)
Environmental Literacy
Hope Educational Society owns slightly more than 6 acres of land. This amount of land is more than sufficient to permit the development of a student garden on site.
We need to start early to teach our children to love, value and tend the soil—as well as the life and produce it brings.
Inclusive Education
Inclusive education aims at integrated development of children with special needs and typical children through mainstream schooling. All children—whether they are disabled or not—have the right to education; they are the future citizens of India. For Hope Academy, inclusion is a value to be followed.
By use of accessibility ramps and an elevator in HA (2.0), we have the opportunity to make this entire school accessible to children with special needs. (SEE: design plan to provide for inclusive classrooms.)
Physical Development
The ability to run and play is not only key to good overall health but improves balance, coordination, and higher cognitive functions.
HA students learn that ample physical activity, healthy choices and balanced nutrition will set them up for longer and healthier lives.
Socialization
There is nothing like a great friend! Our students learn to work together, to share, and to help one another. They develop into compassionate, generous members of their communities.
Spiritual Growth
It is important for students to have times of quiet and peace, times for personal reflection and opportunities to seek hope and meaning for their future. We explore topics such as identity, community and integrity. We discuss the benefits and costs of personally emphasizing service to others in work and family. We enable our students to reflect on, freely consider, and come to their own informed conclusions about religious beliefs and spiritual practices. Our intention is to live out the essential characteristics of Hope Academy—while demonstrating sincere respect for the diversity that is found within our student body and community.
Community Benefit Distinctives
In addition to the life-changing benefits which Hope Academy will ultimately bring to 800 Indian children annually, another major distinctive is our plan to also provide substantial benefits to the communities which surround Hope Academy. Examples of our outreach programs include the following:
Scholarships for Community Children
Library and Books for Community Access
Sports Facilities for Community Use
Amphitheatre for Community Use
Alliance with Pratham
Vocational Education
Scholarships for Community Children
In addition to providing top-quality education for 120 orphanage (scholarship) students and 600 community (tuition paying) students, Hope Academy plans to admit and pay scholarships for 80-100 of the most underserved children from the surrounding community.
These student numbers have been incorporated into Hope Academy’s Business Plan from the outset of the project.
Library and Books for Community Access
Hope Educational Society has committed to contribute 5.7 lakh rupees toward a library for the nearby village of Vedulanarava. This will be Vedulanarava’s first community library—ever.
Sports Facilities for Community Use
Although the closest school sports field is 25 km distant, this school doesn’t permit field use for community events—as Hope Academy will. A large, graded berm on the uphill (northeast) side of Hope Academy’s sports field will provide excellent seating, viewing and listening during sporting and community events.
Amphitheatre for Community Use
Although the closest school sports field is 25 km distant, this school doesn’t permit field use for community events—as Hope Academy will. A large, graded berm on the uphill (northeast) side of Hope Academy’s sports field will provide excellent seating, viewing and listening during sporting and community events.
Alliance with Pratham
Pratham’s “Teaching at the Right Level” (TaRL) strategy has been evaluated by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, an outgrowth of MIT’s Department of Economics, through randomized control trials six times in the last ten years. They have found Pratham’s approach to be effective in both Pratham teacher-led classrooms and learning camps staffed by trained community volunteers or teachers.
Hope Academy will be pleased to host language camps for members of our community led by Pratham-trained volunteers.
Vocational Education
As India’s economy grows, there is an urgent need to produce technicians of international standard to meet industry’s rising demand for skilled manpower. However, the vocational education stream in India is quite small, enrolling less than 3 percent of students at the upper secondary level. Analysis also shows that the Vocational Education and Training system is not responding to the needs of the labor market.
Given an opportunity and the right alliances, Hope Academy would like to expand into providing skill-building workshops and entrepreneurship training.
Collaborators and Resources
Yet another major Distinctive— added attributes which come with alignment with Hope Academy — are the world-class institutions, organizations, and individuals that have chosen to support our initiatives on behalf of some of India’s most disadvantaged children.
Tata Trusts
Stanford University
Quest Foundation
Digital Promise
Engineering Ministries International, India
Innovative Financial Advisors Pvt. Ltd.
Gateway Education Global (GEG)
KCP Limited
New Horizons Foundation, Inc.
Pratham
Sannam S4 Group
Tata Trusts
After performing extensive due diligence during Q1 and Q2 of 2018, in September 2018 Tata Trusts generously awarded Hope Educational Society a grant of Rs. 65.10 lakhs ($100K). These funds are being used for the construction of Hope Academy’s Phase I facility, a primary school for approximately 480 students.
This grant—when added to other funds received or confidently expected—bring us to within approximately 45 percent of our funding goal for Hope Academy. Over the next four years, we still have 10.4 crore rupees additional to raise to complete this entire project.
Stanford University
Our relationship with Dr. Paul Kim, Assistant Dean & Chief Technology Officer of Stanford’s Graduate School of Education has led to the blending of the Stanford Mobile Inquiry-based Learning Environment (SMILE) into the curriculum of Hope Academy.
Our relationship with Dr. Manu Prakash, Assistant Professor in Stanford’s Department of Bioengineering has led to building curiosity and excitement of scientific exploration among our students.
Quest Foundation
The Quest Foundation has generously funded numerous initiatives for elevating the quality of education at Hope Academy. These initiatives have included SMILE, SMILE Pi mini-servers, laptops, Chromebooks, Janyaa hands-on science, musical instruments, ESL materials, Foldscopes and more.
These innovative educational tools and the life-changing experiences that result from them are only possible because of Quest Foundation’s grants. The leaders, teachers and students of Hope Academy express their deepest appreciation.
Digital Promise
DP’s vision is that all people at every stage of their lives have access to learning experiences that help them acquire the knowledge and skills they need to thrive and continuously learn in an ever-changing world.
To achieve this vision, we must work together to close the digital learning gap. Because when all learners have equitable access to learning technology, when everyone participates, and when everyone learns, we all benefit from a more engaged, informed and just society.
DP has helped Hope Academy address learner variability. It has also helped us by connecting us with top resources in math education (at Stanford) and English Language Learning (at Columbia University).
Engineering Ministries International, India
EMI sends teams of design professionals around the world to assist Christian charities on-location in the areas of architecture, engineering, land surveying, construction management and more—all on a not-for-profit basis.
For Hope Academy, EMI India mobilized a team of highly qualified staff and volunteer design professionals to provide architecture & engineering management services. EMI master-planned our entire campus and designed every building on it.
Innovative Financial Advisors Pvt. Ltd.
Innovative Financial Advisors Pvt. Ltd. (Fiinovation) is a 10-year-old, India based global consulting company operating in multiple disciplines of the social development sector, with emphasis on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Fiinovation assists corporations within India as they validate and shortlist worthy civil society organizations for the successful implementation of these corporations’ CSR programmes.
In 2018 Hope Academy partnered with Fiinovation to win 1.3 crore for construction funding and equipment for its computer laboratory. Finovation continues to work on behalf of Hope Academy.
Gateway Education Global (GEG)
Gateway Education Global (Gateway) is an international educational service provider that helps local partners meet and exceed global learning standards.
GEG provides a highly talented and experienced educator and educational consultant from northern India, Thsespal Kundan. Thsespal advises Hope Academy on a wide array of key issues—ranging from ESL to school financial sustainability to India regulations and politics. GEG also provides teacher professional development and international native English speaking teachers when they are needed.
KCP Limited
KCP is a 75 year old diversified business group with a turnover over 200 million USD with interests in Cement, Heavy Engineering, Sugar and Power. It has 9 manufacturing locations over various geographies in India and Vietnam.
KCP has initiated and maintained an active role in the sustainable empowerment of Indian communities in the areas of Education, Health Care & Infrastructure.
KCP has—over the years—funded, established and managed various educational institutions in Andhra Pradesh.
New Horizons Foundation, Inc.
The New Horizons Foundation is a 30-year-old nonprofit, tax-exempt, US public charity. Hope Academy Vizag was honoured to be selected as a NHF board-approved operating project. NHF is Hope Academy’s fiscal sponsor in the USA.
Donors to NHF’s Hope Academy operating project include a cadre of mostly middle-class Hope Academy friends and supporters in the US. In 2016, NHF then provided the $435K (285 Lakh rupees) needed to purchase land and launch the Hope Academy project.
Pratham
Pratham Books is a nonprofit publisher introducing children to the joy of reading—in languages they can understand.
PraDigi, Pratham’s new digital initiative provides digital learning resources for offline use without barriers and at no cost. This multi-lingual app consists of fun, interactive and interesting games targeting numeracy, basic literacy, and higher-level concepts.
Mitali Rawat at Pratham has graciously arranged for Hope Academy to receive PraDigi resources, and we are considering when to hold a Pratham Language Camp.
Sannam S4 Group
Sannam S4 Pvt. Ltd. is among the preeminent India-based organisations serving leading educational institutions and other nonprofits operating within India. Now in its second decade, Sannam S4 specializes in providing best-in-breed financial, tax, compliance, and related support services.
Among its 300+ clients have been the World Bank, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Carnegie Endowment, and others. Sannam S4 professionals in Bangalore and Delhi work closely with HES management in Visakhapatnam so as to establish and maintain HES’s best attainable fiscal operating and reporting practices and procedures.
Endorsements
The leadership of Hope Academy is deeply gratified by the results accomplished by our students. We are gratified too when the individuals and organisations that observe and support our work take time to acknowledge the quality of Hope Academy’s efforts and results. Contained herein are several diverse examples.
Our Commitments
We believe the commitments we’ve made also set us apart from many other schools. These commitments create additional distinctives that will help Hope Academy fulfill its mission and help ultra-poor children thrive and realize their highest potential.
Commitment to Dignity
Commitment to Transformation
Commitment to Partnerships
Commitment to Quality
Commitment to Respect
