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SHAKTII

Educate. Empower. Edify.

Project SHAKTII is an after school program to empower girl students from underprivileged backgrounds. We at Shaktii believe in a hands-on learning experience that focuses on delivering a wholesome education to these bright young girls.
SHAKTII was conceived in the year 2015 to create a model for meaningful engagement of students in arena of learning and self-development. SHAKTII is presently making its impact in New City International school and Satish Haware Junior college, Kharghar. We have moved to a new location for academic year 2019-20.

We are proud and happy to announce that Shaktii has completed 5 years!

Why Shaktii?

India has an impressive enrolment rate in primary school but the rate drastically reduces especially for girls as they proceed into secondary school.

It is estimated that for every 100 girls that enroll in school in rural India, forty reach grade four, seven reach grade 8, nine reach grade 9, and only one reaches grade 12(source: Infochangeindia.com). Therefore, only 35% of girls reach the upper secondary level of education in India.

These stark statistics show that girls need support to complete their school education.

Our Vision

We at Shaktii, will educate, empower and edify girls from the underprivileged sections of the society of India through a quality holistic after-school programme.

Mission Statements

EDUCATE

Educate holistically through academic support and enrich their social skills, soft skills, life skills and sports.

EMPOWER

Empower girl students from underprivileged society by:
Providing vocational training for those who cannot pursue their studies beyond Std X or XII,
Providing financial support to bright girl students to pursue higher education.

EDIFY

Edify by motivating and guiding girl students to pursue their dreams, and providing a safe and healthy environment for them.




Objectives of Shaktii

01.

Innovation

Create academic programme and implement using innovative teaching techniques, inviting experts, and field visits throughout the academic year.

02.

Mentoring

Provide mentoring for non-academic programmes to develop social skills, soft skills, leadership skills and life skills throughout the academic year.

03.

Vocational Training

Identify girls who are unable to pursue studies beyond Std X or XII and provide and vocational training.

04.

Financial Support

Identify bright girl students and provide financial support to enable them to pursue higher education.

05.

Complete Safety

Ensure emotional and physical safety of each Shaktii student in the classroom and on field trips.

06.

Learning Environment

Provide a healthy learning environment.

07.

Role Models

Mentors to become role models to establish values like integrity, teamwork, punctuality and commitment.

Meet the Founder

The Force Behind Shaktii

Mrs. Vimala Nandakumar - Chairperson & Mentor

Shaktii was conceived by Mrs. Vimala Nandakumar in 2015 as a direct outcome of her imperative to create a model for meaningful engagement of students in learning and self-development, as well as her years of work as a Principal and Teacher in India and abroad.

In her own words, "I feel a particular urgency in ensuring that the girl students have access to quality education and the opportunity for development and realization of their full potential.
As the chairperson of Shaktii I am seeing its stupendous growth. Shaktii started as an After-school programme but now Shaktii has become a movement. More and more people are joining the movement. Their contribution comes in various forms. Funds keep pouring from generous people. Experts from various fields volunteer to conduct sessions. I am eternally grateful to all of them and my team who give their best to the girls."

Our Beginning

Where It All Started

Mrs. Ujjwala Haware - Trustee

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. When Mrs. Vimala Nandakumar approached Mrs. Ujjwala Haware for a place to start the Shaktii Programme, she immediately offered her a solution that would change lives for years to come, "Why don't you come to my school?". This started a revolution that attracted many Good Samaritans and Shaktii has only grown since then. She also brought in her friends to contribute towards Shaktii.

A true inspiration and a celebrity, she is the first woman realtor in Maharashtra. She has been instrumental in changing many lives for the better in the capacity of a realtor. We are eternally grateful to her for giving a launching pad for Shaktii.

Making them smarter

ACTIVITIES FOR 2019-20

2019 - SILK ANNIVERSARY
2019 was the fourth anniversary of Shaktii. Ms.Ujjwala Haware, the chief guest, was introduced to the concept of silk anniversary by a couple of girls dressed as Biharis, selling silk sarees from all over India. The girls presented a super stylish fashion show for the song of AR Rahman‟s "Maa Tujhe Salaam". Twenty two girls received scholarships, student of the year awards and other special awards.
15th June 2019
- New academic year began at Shaktii with the inauguration of the new premises. Mr.Sujan Sinha (former CEO and MD of Shriram Housing & Finance Ltd) and his wife Ms. Sriparna inaugurated the new premises at Millennium Empire, Kharghar
Orientation Week Begins (Day 1)
Day 1
- Mr.Satyendra Singh's talk on "Power of Subconscious Mind".
Day 2
- Ms.Rupali Madan's session. She told them she plans to teach them all aspects of terracotta jewellery making.
Day 3
- Ms.Geetha Poduval's session. She explained the importance of public speaking and the details of how to be a successful speaker.
24th June 2019
- Beauty tips by Ms.Daisy Kapoor. A beautician from Vashi gave some beauty tips to the girls.
25th June 2019
- Art Class
- Card Making workshop by Ms.Sudha Barshikar
26th June
- Ms. Mahrukh Bandorawallah talk on "Conditioning"
27th June 2019
- Story telling session by Ms.Sajii Nair
28th June 2019
- Ms.Raashi Vaishya a budding lawyer conducted a session.
Orientation Week Ends
July 2019 Activities
- Founders Day and Doctors Day celebrated
- Music Class begins. Asha Subramanian from Shankar Mahadevan Academy started classes
- Talk on "Awareness" by Satyashree
- Art Class by Era for Women
- Letter Writing and Transition Words
- Session on how to use the Internet?
- Dance Classes commenced
August 2019 Activities
- Eco friendly Rakhi and Ganapati workshops held by Era for Women
- Competition held on India's achievements since Independence. Girls were given their first project
- Participation in Rakhi exhibition organised by TWW at NRI Colony, Sea Woods. Girls met the Chief Guest Ms.Manda Mhatre, BJP MLA
September 2019 - December 2019 Activities
- 1st Field Trip was visit to Mani Bhavan and Byculla Zoo
- Rangoli competition
- Xmas celebrations where girls made the Xmas tree and gave surprise gifts
- 2nd field trip was a visit to the farm (Butterfly Garden) in Panvel
January 2020 Activities
- Debate Club by Monmouth University, New Jersey under the guidance of Prof. Joe Patten and Dr. Rekha Dutta
- Shaktii girls debated themselves on the issue of Gender Equality and Women‟s Rights in India.
WOOD ANNIVERSARY
The Shakti gang led by their chieftain Vimala Ma'am and amply supported by Kalyani Ma‟am announced the celebration of Shakti's "Wood Anniversary".
The girls demonstrated on how to read trees age, why wood is a bad conductor of electricity, Noah's Arc - how it could float and saved 2.5 million animals or about "Development VS Environment"
Student of the Year Awards

To see what is happening every day at Shaktii pls visit our Facebook page:

Current Mentors

Kalyani Basu

I am Kalyani Basu and I am a Biology graduate. I joined Shaktii in December of 2016. I had previous experience of Volunteering in Frankfurt at my Children's School, The American International School. But these last three years, volunteering at Shaktii has been mostly about re-discovering myself again in a most rewarding way. Getting to help a group of young girls , mentoring them not only in academics but also helping them in various aspects of life problems for which they were not getting help from anywhere else, is what I do at Shaktii. I had read somewhere that "what you see and like in others is a reflection of yourself". I have started believing in this line; more so after joining Shaktii because it is here that I have met so many empowered women whom I have liked and have started admiring them. It means that I too have those qualities and this is what I meant when I said that I am re-discovering myself. I am empowered by joining Shaktii.


Rupali Madan

My experience at Shakti foundation has been more emotional than professional. Through the years I have worked with the girls, I believe I have not only seen hope but also the future of successful talented women at the foundation. Every time I interact with the girls, I can connect myself to them emotionally and the fact that they are so dedicated towards growing and grooming themselves encourages me to guide them even more throughout their journey with me. When I saw the urge to learn in their eyes is when I decided that I would do everything in my best possible ways in moulding them into women with a strong will power and mental strength.
Every interaction of mine has been based on the reality of life and how survival by keeping our dignity and self-respect is the only solution to sustain in the outer world.


Priti Singh Roy

Priti is a corporate trainer and an Education Consultant. She believes in Touching People‟s Lives to make a Difference. With the conviction that one can metamorphose from an ordinary to an extraordinary being Priti started her journey with Shaktii five years ago.
Priti feels that with Shaktii, she is on a journey of self-discovery to widen boundaries, break self-imposed barriers and help her overcome all odds and challenges. She took up mentorship at Shaktii as a Geography and Chemistry teacher. She also tries to organize some funds for Shaktii. Priti says "These girls give such unconditional love and respect that it can get overwhelming at times. They leave no stone unturned in appreciating your efforts to teach them" She feels that it‟s amazing to see the little caterpillars that were cocooned, to metamorphose into lovely, colourful butterflies all set to face the world.
Priti holds an MBA, MSc, BSc and a BEd Degree.


Aparna Saxena

Aparna Saxena has been a constant supporter of Shaktii. She was the first major donor who provided Shaktii in the initial years with stationery, library books and art materials. In 2018, she sponsored the scholarships for 19 girls. She has been a true contributor in spite of being based in Jakarta and has not let distance be a hurdle in her effort to enable the dreams of young girls at Shaktii. She is a dependable and a compassionate person, we are blessed to have her as a part of our organization.


Dr. Shubhangi Hinge

I am Dr. Shubhangi Hinge, a medical graduate (BAMS). I have done my schooling from Atomic Energy Junior College, Mumbai. I was fortunate to have had Mrs.Vimala Nandkumar as my maths teacher. I am a part time mentor at Shaktii. I feel blessed to be a part of Shaktii. I have made new friends who share similar views. Mentoring at Shaktii has been teaching and learning process for me. It makes me positive and I am sure this momentum will definitely help me to use innovative methods of teaching.


Lakshmi Ravindran

Lakshmi loves to support the cause of Shaktii. She has been quietly doing a lot of work since the inception of Shaktii in 2015. Website updates, FB posts, fundraising and many other tasks are taken up by her.
She is a busy banker and mom of two boys. Yet she helps us a lot. Her husband Vivek regularly contributes funds for Shaktii


Aparna Muralidharan

Aparna Muralidharan is an accounting professional who works for a leading education non-profit in the US. She is also a story-teller and shares her perspectives on her blog and through poetry. She is a devoted supporter of SHAKTII. She conducted story telling sessions for the girls, via videos, in 2019. The classes were organized in two phases, and were intended to boost the girls‟ confidence in their spoken and written English skills, ability to express their minds, to think expansively, and use their imagination in order to build a cohesive narrative about a topic. Ultimately, the girls went on to participate in a story-telling competition. They used the lessons learnt from the story-telling sessions and added other ingredients such as props and familiar story-arcs to regale the judges and win prizes. Kudos to each SHAKTII-ite for what she achieved in these classes.


Asha Subramaniam

Asha is a gold medalist in Hindustani classical music from the University of Delhi. She ia performing artist having performed in various cities like Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai and has an experience of over 20 years. She is a graded artist in All India Radio. She has been invited as an examiner for various music examinations at Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, and has also judged many music competitions and trained many prospective singers for various reality shows such as Indian Idol, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa etc. She has performed at shows at Swami Sukhbodananda Discourse, ISKON Mumbai where she was felicitated by Bhajan Samrat Padmashri Anup Jalota.
Presently, Asha is working as a coordinator, senior faculty and business development executive with Shankar Mahadevan Academy where she is imparting knowledge to prospective students in the field of music.


Plans Ahead

Open more centres (in Mumbai as well as other metros in the country)

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING (FY20)

  • Training on public speaking by Geetha Poduval
  • Quizzing by Aparna Saxena
  • Story Telling by Aparna Muralidharan
  • Training on debating by a debating club from New York

FUND RAISING

  • tie-up with NGOs and Organizations to train X & XII std pass girls for employable skills.
  • Build a corpus for Shaktii and to also secure institutional funds for the next 3 years.
  • Pay honorarium to committed teachers.
  • Obtaining funding support from big corporates for the girls wanting to study beyond std X and XII.

BUDGET FOR 2019-2020

  • Shaktii has worked out a budget of Rupees 10 lakhs for this academic year and is looking forward to receiving donations to make a crucial impact in the lives of these underprivileged girls.

IMPACT STORIES...

  • Hello Ma'am, it's me Pranchal from New City Internaltional School.
    I just got admission in MBBS in Himachal. I want to thank you for supporting me.
    Thanks for believing in me. You are the best mentor!

    — Pranchal Sharma

  • Thank you Shaktii for not taking fees from us, infact giving us scholarships plus certificates. Thank you Shaktii for teaching Art, vocabulary, quiz games, technical maths, knowledgeable activities etc. and for taking us to visit many places Manibhavan, Byculla zoo, kidzania.
    Thank you Vimala Ma'am and all Shaktii mentors for staring Shaktii classes for girls. I am glad to be a part of it.

    — Aarati Chavan

  • Shaktii helped us in Std. X by increasing our English vocabulary and help us by solving our doubts.
    Mentors have taught us how to treat people even in bad times.
    They helped us in Std XI too by solving our Maths doubts.
    They made sure all girls were treated equally.

    — Adwita Kotian

  • Shaktii helped me in improving my English. Shaktii also helped me in studies, singing, arts etc. We also have leart Geography of the world.
    At Shaktii, all the mentors are very friendly and they helped me in may activities.
    I will always be grateful to Shaktii as it has improved by personality. "Shaktii is best!"

    — Raveena Lohar

  • Pranchal
  • Aarati
  • Adwita
  • Raveena


Speakers/ Mentors

What our speakers/ mentors have to say

Guest Speaker
Mr. Satyendra Singh

  • I feel blessed to have trained around 30 girls at Shaktii on the said date. The girls are very ambitious, highly motivated and go getters. I found, they were very brilliant, hard-working, full of life and very enthusiastic to pursue their well-defined ambitious goals.

Guest Speaker
Ms. Saytashree

  • It is a joy to present ideas to the girls at Shaktii, to witness their eagerness to absorb new information and to share their thoughts. The students of Shaktii are intelligent, sensitive and bright and under Ms. Nandakumar`s dedicated guidance and care plus the support of mentors including Ms. Basu, they are undoubtedly on their way to realising their latent potential.

Help us make a difference

We are entering the sixth year with gratitude for the support we get. We hope to provide better infrastructure in the coming years, with more goals to achieve we move ahead to help the girls realize their dreams. We know you are with us in this incredible journey!

Donations for the following are welcome:
1) Scholarship - Rs 5,000 per girl
2) Field Trip(s) - Rs 10,000 per trip
3) Stationery - Rs 500 per girl
4) Transportation - Rs 14,000 per month
5) Birthday Celebrations - Rs 500 per girl
6) Prizes for Competitions - Rs 500
7) Art Class - Rs 2,500 per year
8) Corpus Fund - Min Rs.10000
8) Student of the Year - Rs. 5000
8) Laptop - Rs. 28000

Donate Now

Donations to Shaktii Girl's Education Trust are exempt from Income Tax U/S 80G of the Income Tax Act 1961 vide Certificate No.CIT(E)/80G/1695 (2015-16)/(2016-17) dated 21st December 2016.

Shaktii Girl's Education Trust does not have any other branch