Welcome to
Banyan Bridge Foundation

Banyan Bridge Foundation is working with a vision to create a strong holistic foundation for the students from the low-income families.

Banyan Bridge Foundation is working to equip children with strong foundational literacy, numeracy & 21st century skills in the lower grades

Banyan Bridge Foundation is working to help in reducing the burden on the students in their higher grades resulting in lesser school drop-out rates.

Vision

Creating an equitable system with a Whole Child Focus approach so that  all the children excel and reach their highest potential.

Our Work

We are conducting a Holistic Academic program for the students from the under-resourced Govt-schools to bridge the learning gap accumulated over the years from pre-school.

Mission

We aim to equip the students with strong foundational literacy & numeracy skills along with the essential 21st century skills and enable them to make a place for themselves in the competitive world outside.

Current Reality

Lack of learning opportunities during the early stages of literacy and numeracy development hinders children’s academic progress and motivation, leading to ongoing underachievement.

OUR WORK

Why we do what we do…

EARLY YEARS ARE CRUCIAL

We believe that elementary grades are the most crucial years to bridge the gap of early years & build the foundation for the upcoming years. Banyan Bridge plans to build an expertise in imparting foundational skills to our low-income government school children.

OUR FOCUS

We are dedicated to enhancing Reading Readiness and Perfecting Numeracy Skills for under-served children in their early school years. By building these fundamental skills, we aim to create pathways for their social and economic advancement in the future. We also aim to create a safe space and opportunities for children from low-income backgrounds to freely express themselves and enjoy the childhood they deserve, beyond their school and community environments. This holistic approach not only fosters academic growth but also supports emotional well-being and community building among young learners.

CURRENT REALITY

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Lack of learning opportunities during the early stages of literacy and numeracy development hinders children’s academic progress and motivation, leading to ongoing
underachievement. This decline is primarily due the deteriorating state of our education infrastructure. By the time children reach Grade VII, they have already
spent six years in school yet lack skills that should have been acquired in just two to three years. As a result of this weak foundation, students struggle to
keep pace, leading to sustained under-performance in higher grades and, in some cases, dropout. Even exceptionally talented and deserving students face this
predicament due to insufficient teaching, limited access to resources, and their family’s economic circumstances.

Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) has been an important concern across the world and especially in India. As per a report by UNICEF “on average 40 per cent of children across all OECD and EU countries do not have
basic reading and mathematics skills by age 15” (UNICEF,
2020).

OUR APPROACH

IMPACT 2023-24

FOUNDATIONAL NUMERACY & LITERACY

EARLY LITERACY PROGRAM

As Teach for India fellows, we observed a significant learning gap among elementary and middle school students, leading to poor
performance and dropouts in higher grades. We realized that a lack of foundational skills and early childhood education was contributing to these issues. In response, we initiated an early literacy program for 3rd to 7th graders in a government school, utilizing Phonics and Reading Workshops.

Within the first four months of intervention, we saw promising results, with some high-potential students reaching grade level. Recognizing that these children needed more than basic literacy, we launched our Enrichment Program. This program aims to further develop their skills in language, advanced math, and 21st-century competencies, enhancing their leadership abilities.

INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS

We started our 1st event of Sunshine Saturday 🌻. Through this we intend to bring more extra-curricular activities to our children for enhancing their access and exposure. Our first session was conducted by Ramesh Ranganathan with a rich experience of 25+ years in the IT industry. The session was on “Introduction to Computers”. We saw a great turnout and good engagement with 70% of the children touching a laptop for the first time.

VISIT TO A BOOK STORE – LIT FEST

Exposure to outsiders and different cultures will develop children’s understanding and sensitivity towards others. Through various outdoor activities and experiences, children expand their knowledge and perceptions of the natural, urban and social environment. Banyan Bridge students had their first field trip to a Lit Fest event where they were a part of Storytelling & Puzzle Solving sessions hosted by Vrushali Barbare at their book store – Enlitkids. The children thoroughly enjoyed the stories coming alive.

AWARENESS TOWARDS SDG GOALS

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. Awareness of the issues and participation in monitoring and accountability processes should be seen as part of a continuum to regularly, meaningfully and consistently engage children, adolescents and youth as agents of change to influence behaviors and social norms amongst themselves, their households and their communities. We at Banyan Bridge are working towards creating responsible youth and help in nation building by creating awareness about the the nation & global issues.

VISIT TO SABZI MANDI

As a part of experiential learning the students are taken outdoors to raise awareness about their local environment and daily challenges. During the vegetable market visit, they explored their surroundings more attentively, identified various issues by interacting with shop vendors & local people and connected these problems to different SDG goals that they learn in a post-activity reflection.

SDG 1 AND SDG 2 – DONATION DRIVE

“The people who don’t give up are the people who find a way to believe in abundance rather than scarcity.”
What if we said that “scarcity” and “abundance” are just a state of mind. Well, at least it stands true for the students of Banyan Bridge Foundation. We believe it depends on our experiences, learnings and exposure. For their Read to Reflect sessions, our students in the age group 8 to 13 years were diving deep into the SDG topics of Zero Hunger and No Poverty. The students planned to do a donation drive all by themselves and wrote an application to us seeking consent for the outreach program. Their ‘why’ and ‘how’ were very clear, they just wanted an adult intervention for facilitating the drive. Post activity, the children reflected and discussed that how one day’s donation will not eliminate poverty for them. They also felt that there are many people less  rivileged than them and don’t even have a proper shelter. We were deeply impressed by the generous mindset of these young children and their commitment to contributing to society by assisting those who are less fortunate. Indeed abundance is a state of mind.

“BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT YOU
HAVE, YOU’LL END UP HAVING
MORE; IF YOU CONCENTRATE
ON WHAT YOU DON’T HAVE,
YOU’LL NEVER HAVE ENOUGH.”

SDG 3 – GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING PRACTICES

“If you want to take care of the world, start by taking care of your heart.” SDG 3 emphasizes Good Health and Wellbeing. Our students participated in a wellness workshop where they learned anger management, meditation, and relaxation techniques. They also learnt the importance of responding rather than reacting. Our volunteers also engaged them in regular outdoor activities to make fitness a part of their routine. We also encourage girl children to engage in physical activities for their well-being.
We hope our students will become mindful citizens who prioritize their mental and physical health.

SDG 4 AND SDG 5 – RIGHT TO EDUCATION

For SDG 4 & 5 , our young students performed a skit based on the story of Razia, a young girl whose education was deemed less important than her brothers’. Through this performance, the children highlighted the issue of gender inequality and emphasized that access to quality education is a right for all children, regardless of gender, class, or creed. They presented the skit to various stakeholders, including parents and educators, to raise awareness about the global prevalence of these 
issues.

SDG 3, SDG 13 AND SDG 15 – TREK TO TEKDI

As a culmination of our experiential learning events, we went on a trek to the Pashan Tekdi with all our students. Our students not only watered plants but also delved deep into conversations about how their actions connect to SDGs such as Good Health & Well-being, Climate Action and Life on Land. 
We owe a huge thanks to Rotary Club Fortune Pune volunteers for their invaluable support in making this event a roaring success.

VOLUNTEER RETREAT PROGRAM

The many activities carried out throughout the academic year would not have been possible without our dedicated & incredible volunteers. All the volunteers came together for the Volunteer Retreat Program hosted by Banyan Bridge. We thank our amazing volunteers: Their dedication and passion were the driving force behind the success of all our programs. From insightful discussions to student interactions, their commitment to the cause shone through, creating an environment of positivity and collaboration. The retreat was filled with empowering spaces and a collaborative spirit that left a lasting impact. It was heartening to witness the exchange of ideas and the building of connections among our wonderful volunteers. Our collective efforts are a testament to the positive change we can achieve when we come together with a shared purpose. We are inspired by the commitment of each volunteer to making a meaningful impact in our community.

ENRICHMENT PROGRAM

BANYAN BRIDGE LEARNING CENTER INAUGURATION

Banyan Bridge inaugurated it’s first After School Learning Center. It was a day of mixed emotions for our team – excitement, relief,
satisfaction, happy, nervousness, apprehension, we felt it all. The feeling of what’s going to unfold in the coming days kept us going. The inauguration had a festive feel to it with traditional ribbon cutting and lighting the lamp to mark the auspicious beginning of our new journey. Everyone of us came together along with our families to rejoice and open the door for new possibilities.

PARENTS’ ORIENTATION

We conducted the 1st Parent Meeting at our new After School Learning Center to orient about the objectives and programs to be held at the center. Our founder, Hamsa Ramesh spoke about the importance of having an After School Program for children for the overall development of a child and how it will benefit the child beyond the school hours. We briefed the parents about how the center will act as an extension of the school ecosystem. We also introduced the program structure, curriculum and the projects that the students will do during their time at the Center. We received positive response and parents were happy & hopeful to see the set-up and were looking forward to send their children to the center.

A VIBRANT AFTER SCHOOL LEARNING CENTER

We aimed to create a vibrant space where our students feel safe, happy, curious, and eager to learn. Here, children can study, spend time with friends, and enjoy access to colorful board games, puzzles, books, and more.

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