The Campaign

Less than half of India’s children between 6 to 14 years go to school. Over a third of all children who enroll in grade one reach grade eight. The problem of primary education in India is compounded by the lack of teachers to teach the underprivileged children. Akanksha Foundation is a NGO with a mission to educate children who cannot afford it. However, Akanksha does not get volunteers to teach as people feel they are not “qualified” enough for it. The goal was to get at least 150 volunteer applications. The Insight: There is a teacher in all of us. Since people were not going to the classrooms, we got classrooms to the people. On 5th September, when children across India were celebrating Teachers Day, Akanksha's kids went out looking for their teachers. Armed with blackboards and benches, these students set up classrooms across Mumbai & Pune - at the airport, shopping malls, etc. attracting volunteers to teach. We also engaged with media to reach out to a larger community. Across locations, people stepped forward to teach. Over 600 applications were received. It created news worth USD 1,00,000. Celebrities taught and tweeted. Ex-UN Under Sec. General and Minister of State for HR, Shashi Tharoor, tweeted about it. MTV supported it. BIG FM (a leading local radio station) invited Akansksha to hold a live classroom on air. It set an example for other NGOs to follow. Citizens Charter of Pakistan is conducting a similar activity in their respective cities. 

The Brief

1.Attract at least 150 applications from volunteers to teach - allow people to experience the joy of teaching first hand so that they would be motivated enough to volunteer 2.Highlight the core issue of lack of availability of teachers to teach the underprivileged children so that the message would reach the wider community Since Akanskha centers are located in Mumbai and Pune, the program needed to target people ranging from college students to office executives to house-wives from these centers. The target – those who had the will and time to teach.

Results

Over 600 applications were received - 4 times the target People shared their thoughts on social media. Ex-UN Under Sec. General and Minister of State for HR, Shashi Tharoor, tweeted about it. Even MTV supported it. BIG FM (a leading local radio station) invited Akansksha to hold a live classroom on air. The message reached over 3,500,000 people through overall media impression. It created news worth over USD 1,00,000 in earned media with 100% favorable mentions. The key message was reflected in over 90% of the articles published. It set an example for other NGOs to follow and to carry forward the cause of education for the under privileged children. Citizens Charter of Pakistan is conducting a similar activity in their respective cities. 

Execution

Firstly, areas that attracted maximum footfalls were identified. These included the airport arrivals area, malls, parks and promenades. With support from each of these venue partners, on Teacher's Day (September 5th), temporary classrooms complete with benches and blackboards were set up where Akanksha students studied for the day. The message of ‘Will You Be Our Teacher’ was prominently displayed at each location on a blackboard. Volunteers interacted with people drawing their attention to the cause and encouraging them to experience the joy of teaching first hand. Areas such as the airport saw celebrities, pilots, airline crews, travelers teaching and interacting with the children. Across locations children were taught subjects ranging from English, History, Maths to Dance, Drama and Languages. Publications widely read in Mumbai & Pune were invited to witness and support the cause.

The Situation

Akanksha Foundation is a NGO with a mission to educate children who cannot afford it enabling them to maximize their potential and transform their lives. It reaches over 4000 underprivileged children in India. Less than half of India’s children between 6 to 14 years go to school. Over a third of all children who enroll in grade one reach grade eight. The problem of primary education in India is compounded by the lack of teachers to teach the underprivileged children. Akanksha faced a shortage of volunteers to teach. The major road block - people thought they were not “qualified” enough.

The Strategy

The Insight: There is a teacher in all of us. As children we loved to play the role of a teacher for that one day on ‘Teachers Day’. Akanksha was giving people a chance to be a teacher and be contributors to make education for the underprivileged better and more effective. Since people were not going to the classrooms, Akanksha brought classrooms to the people. On 5th September, when children across India were celebrating Teacher's Day, Akanksha kids went out looking for their teachers. Armed with blackboards and benches, Akanksha students set up classrooms across Mumbai & Pune - at the airport, shopping malls, etc. attracting volunteers to teach. We engaged with media to spread the message to the larger community.