In a developing country like India, governments and social enterprises alike work to support the socially and economically disadvantaged. For instance, India is the first country to make corporate social responsibility mandatory for all for-profit corporations. The government, at both state and central levels, provide several schemes to alleviate financial difficulties for those that qualify for them. Private and social corporations provide a variety of schemes for their employees, too. However, there is an information gap about the availability of these opportunities in the communities that need them most. Fortunately, a social enterprise is tackling this problem with technology and heart.

Haqdarshak – Every Citizen Matters

Haqdarshak is an organisation that is empowering rural communities. It is a mobile-based platform that collects family/citizen information and identifies the welfare schemes the respondent is eligible for based on the information gathered. It is a comprehensive solution that allows citizens (especially those at the bottom of the pyramid) to get the benefit of government welfare programs and schemes that they are entitled to. For example, they have worked at construction sites to help labourers apply for basic documents, pensions and insurance. They also tackle issues like women empowerment by employing and training rural women as Haqdarshaks. The trained women are now financially independent and digitally literate as well.

Haqdarshak has reached out to over 2,33,884 citizens across 20 states over the last 4 years. They aim to reach 10 million citizens in the next 2 years and train over 10,000 women as Haqdarshaks.

EnglishBolo™ & Haqdarshak 

Haqdarshak introduced EnglishBolo™ to their employees (Haqdarshaks), as a step in investing in employee development. Haqdarshaks are a key cog in the quality of service the company provides. By investing in them, the company shows that its employees are very valued. Investing in training garners employee loyalty which is important for any corporation.

Implementation

The EnglishBolo™ 100-day program provides a learning model that provides structured and consistent learning and practise with the convenience of flexibility for accessing lessons and teachers for each user. 

The program structure: 

1) An assessment test that will place the user into a program most suited to their level. 

2) 100 short ‘learn yourself’ lessons. One lesson every day is the intended way to use the program. Each lesson ends with a short quiz for some additional practice. 

3) After 8 lessons, a user can sign up for an online teacher class. Teacher classes are an important supplement for spoken English practice. These classes help users develop confidence.

4) Each user gets to choose the day and time of the class. A user needs a good internet connection and a pair of headphones to successfully take the class. Each user gets 10 online classes for the duration of the program. 

5) At the end of the program, each user takes a test and receives a certificate.

Looking Ahead

The users are showing high levels of engagement. The program is still ongoing with the Haqdarshak team. We hope to build upon this partnership in the future. 

Learn English with EnglishBolo™ 

EnglishBolo™ is a joint initiative of EnglishHelper and Schoolnet. 

It is an AI-powered English learning app designed to help learners improve their spoken English. The 100-day program blends 100 self-learning lessons and 10 live online teacher classes. The program is currently being used by vocation trainees, college students, young job seekers, working professionals and many more.

Download the EnglishBolo™ app and learn anytime, anywhere!

For information about our RightToRead program (operating in schools across India and internationally), please connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.