What is IIMPACT?

IIMPACT is a registered Non-Government Organisation (NGO) committed to educating and thereby empowering the rural girl child between the ages of 6 & 14 years in an attempt to reduce the levels of illiteracy prevailing in India. IIMPACT is run by a committed group of senior industry professionals, most of whom have graduated from the Indian Institute Management, Class of 1978.

What is IIMPACT’s core objective and why?

We focus on primary education of underprivileged girls who have never gone to school because of the prevailing village norms. Typically, their parents prevent them from going to school, preferring they help with farming chores, housework and mind the younger siblings while working towards getting them married at an early age.

Why the emphasis on “Rural girl child”?

We believe that every remote region needs to share in the development and prosperity India is experiencing post-liberalization. In many parts of India, boys are still favoured while girls are left behind. Their illiteracy levels are shocking.
Our experience shows that educating the girl child helps transform her gait and confidence level. Her mental agility percolates into the home and family. She becomes an agent for change. Later, in her turn, as a mother, she ensures the education of her children and objects to child marriages and other social ills.

What is the scope of this education initiative?

Over 5 years we teach girls how to read, write and calculate. Our system of teaching takes them from Junior Kindergarten levels to the 5th Standard level in achievable stages. The subjects taught are Hindi, Mathematics, Environment Science and English.

Why is this only a primary school initiative?

This is a matter of urgency and priority. The money we would spend on secondary education is benefiting many more girls at the primary school level. These are girls that would not have got any education whatsoever! Our program, therefore, focuses on extending the reach of primary education.

What do you do for girls who want to continue their education beyond the primary school level?

For girls who want to continue with their studies and join secondary schools we try and provide them with money for school clothes. For those girls that are exceptionally bright, we go the extra mile and get them bicycles so they can get to school, which is often quite a distance from their home.

What is IIMPACT’s methodology?

IIMPACT selects sites in highly disadvantaged areas, sets up schools, monitors their functioning, trains and retrains teachers and helps garner funding so that more and more girl children have a chance to get educated. IIMPACT provides management know-how and capacity building. They partner local NGOs that are well-run and well-established and use their services to develop a grass-roots organization for teaching.

IIMPACT monitors the performance of the girls and grades the education provided at every level. All along, objective criteria are used and regular reporting is done.

We have a proven model consisting of learning centres, curriculum and teachers training. We screen local NGOs, establish our teaching modules and ensure successful implementation. With this model, our geographical reach extends over many districts in India.

How does a donor benefit?

A donor interested in education of the rural masses, especially the girls, will find in IIMPACT an established organization with proven skills and facilities to run rural learning centres in a very cost-effective manner. The donor’s money is being optimally spent since the education model is proven and the results are monitored objectively at each stage. Regular reports are sent to donors so they can track the progress of IIMPACT. In the final analysis, the performance of the girls in the Class 5 exams speaks for itself.

How much does IIMPACT charge for its services?

IIMPACT members are committed to the cause of education. We are passionate about its benefits. This is our way of giving-back to society. Therefore, all office-bearers and steering committee members bear their own expenses personally for travel, stay, meetings, etc. undertaken for IIMPACT activities, coordination and monitoring. we are presently educating close to 60000 girl children and our reach has also considerably extended and so has our monitoring requirements. Additional administrative expenses have arisen for which we are receiving valuable support from committed donors who have generously financed our growth over the past few years.

Can I visit the learning centres myself?

Yes, please get in touch with our coordinators at the office in Gurgaon and they will arrange a visit. You can then see for yourself the improvement in mental agility and the new-found self-confidence displayed by our girls.

Where are the learning centres?

Currently, we have learning centres in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Chattisgarh.

From the aspect of low female literacy levels, prevalence of high female infanticide and child marriages, the northern states of India are most in need of more IIMPACT learning centres. In fact, we have chalked out plans for running a total of 2,000 schools to educate 60,000 girls. We would like to reach out to large-hearted donors to help us fulfill our mission.

What is the minimum contribution for IIMPACT?

There is no minimum or maximum contribution. Any amount is welcome either as a one-time contribution or as a regular annual commitment. Regular commitments would be used to fund new learning centres. These funds should be committed for a minimum period of 5 years as that is the time it takes for a batch to reach the level of the standard 5 class.

How can I get my Company involved?

Introduce IIMPACT and its workings to your company and its employees. If your company has offices or factories in outlying parts of India, your company could partner us in setting up dedicated, rural learning centres. Otherwise your company could participate as a general donor.

Will IIMPACT give me a certificate for Income Tax exemption?

Yes, IIMPACT is registered under section 80G of the Income Tax Act. Our stamped receipt will allow you to claim this exemption.

How can I send my donation to IIMPACT if I am residing in USA?

Please send your cheque to the American India foundation (AIF) in New York and they will send you a receipt valid for tax purposes. The cheque should be drawn on “American India Foundation” and sub-scribed for”IIMPACT”.

Can I sponsor a learning centre? If yes, what does it cost?

The current cost per learning centre is Rs 1,37,076 (USD 1937) per annum. This includes everything – teacher’s salary, books, place, training, supervision, audit and reporting.

Can I pay in installments?

Yes, quarterly or half-yearly payments could be factored into our schedule.
Please inform our office in advance.

Special Sponsors who have partnered us over many years and are pleased with our progress have praised our working and achievements. Now that we have spread our reach and are educating close to 60,000 children, they have seen our need for an increasingly formal set-up and greater controls. One of our Special Sponsors has now stepped in to cover our administrative costs.